Jenny Simpson Talks About Winning Worlds and Looks Ahead to 2012
by: LetsRun.com
January 18, 2012
The New York Road Runners set up a teleconference with World 1500m Champion Jenny Simpson in advance of her running the 3000m at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix and the 1500m at the Millrose Games.
Jenny talked about her incredible 2011 where she stunned the World by winning Worlds, how winning Worlds will impact her going forward, and her plans for 2012.
This time last year Jenny was coming off injury and primarily cross-training and she went on to win the World Championships despite having a lot of mid-season struggles. Jenny's coach Juli Benson (Air Force xc coach) said that one thing that has not received enough attention was how sick Jenny was prior to the Olympic Trials (a week of the flu with a high fever) and how making the team itself was a big accomplishment.
Jenny says although she is not done with the steeple (she was 5th in the world in 2009 in the steeple) her focus in 2012 will be on the 1500m.
Winning the World Championships in a year that had a lot of obstacles has given Jenny confidence she can perform well under any circumstances. Benson said she is looking forward to have Jenny enter the season so fit and healthy.
We've got some highlight quotes from the teleconference below but one area that got some emphasis at the end of the teleconference was Jenny's racing tactics. In Daegu, she went from last to first in her semifinal on the final lap and in the final she went from last of the main pack to first on the final lap. Jenny and Juli said that after each round they would watch video of Jenny's race and try to improve for the next round. While this could be nerve wracking, Juli said Jenny was good at disassociating from the race and using the video as a learning tool. One reason they did this is because as Juli pointed out Jenny does not have a lot of experience with racing tactics as in college she just ran away from everyone : "Her tactics in college were to run splits that no one else could handle." So in practice Juli started putting Jenny in packs with ten Air Force guys running around her. The end result was a great one in Daegu.
Highlights of the press conference. We've rearranged the material to present 2011 and Worlds talk first and 2012 second.
Jenny on overcoming so much to win Worlds: "To be a world class athlete there are a lot of obstacles to overcome throughout a season. It's paramount to realize our seasons begin in February and go through September."
Jenny on believing in yourself: "My coach and I conducted a workout yesterday and I think she said it best 'Looking on the past year, you take out the results of some of my races and it was a really challenging year as an athlete...'. You have to always give yourself a chance because you never know what is going to happen.. You can never give up on yourself if things are not going well..."
Rewatch Jenny's 1500m Triumph:
On how being a World Champion will affect her: "Now there is the temptation is to train how a world champion should train... I'm focusing on how Jenny Simpson has trained the last four or five years."
On the life changing moment of winning Worlds: "There are certain times in your life there are some moments that are highlighter worthy... and my Daegu championships is certainly one of those... and it inspires me to want to be better...always think positive because you never know what lies in front of you."
Jenny explains the look of shock on her face when she won Worlds: "I genuinely had no idea how to react to winning the World Championships...I never had dared to flirt with the idea of what happens when you win a world championship. I didn't think something like that would come so early in my career... I didn't think I would do it when I was 25 years old.
Coach Juli Benson explains how she wants Jenny to view being World Champion: "It doesn't come with added pressure. It should reiterate to her she can run with anybody even when things aren't perfect."
On 2012:
On whether she's the favorite this year: "I'm not the favorite this year...I have an enormous amount of work to do"
On what she wants to take from 2011 to 2012: "Although the season didn't go perfectly, the end of the story was really great (the win at Worlds).... the only thing I hope to change over the next year is to have fewer interruptions and not catch the flu and not get injured..."
Juli Benson on what's different in 2012 vs 2011: "This time last year she she was coming off an injury and doing most of her work in the pool or alternate cross training... she went into her break in the offseason (this year) very fit. It's exciting to me to see her aerobic base...she came into this extremely fit... and that's exciting for me"
Jenny on whether she'll run the steeple: "I haven't abandoned it for sure but as of right now my focus is on the 1500"
More on Mary's Run here:
Jenny on the move of Millrose from the Garden to the Armory: "I never competed at Millrose in the Garden so as an athlete I think it is a really exciting move... I think it will attract people who want fast times. I'm excited about the move."
While this is the first Wanamaker women's metric mile for the Millrose Games, it's not the first Millrose 1500m. And for those who say its impossible to run fast on the Madison Square Garden track, realize Mary Slaney* ran 4:00.8 (a world record) in 1980 on it. Simple amazing. The run got Slaney the cover of Sports Illustrated and a big article. How our sport has changed... (We're glad former Millrose Meet Director Howard Schmertz mentioned the record because otherwise we would have not known about it.)
Jenny on Mary's 4:00.8: "I don't know if I'm in a place to say what sort of shape I'm in... but her record is something that all of us aspire (to)"
Jenny pointed out the US Trials with World #1 Morgan Uceny, Christin Wurth-Thomas, and 2009 bronze medallist Shannon Rowbury will be very difficult. Jenny may have been World Champ but she was only the second best 1500m in the US overall last year.
Jenny Learning Racing Tactics:
On watching video of each race she ran: "I think as an athlete you have to continue to learn with every situation you're presented... I knew I had to get through the rounds and learn from them."
On what she's looking for in the video "I have to take myself out of the race and see how I am racing tactically and learn from those experiences...my tactics were not perfect but I was able to learn not only a lot about myself but also the competitors... and I was able to refine what I was doing...execution is key.. and you have to make really important decisions... that has been a challenge for me."
Coach Juli Benson on Jenny's tactics: "Her tactics in college were to run splits that no one else could handle (but Sally Kipyego). She's a baby when it comes to tactics.. It was definitely out of her comfort zone... (that's why they had her in training run with 10 Air Force Cadets)... The fact she mastered that on the biggest stage is really encouraging to me..."
*While we usually note Mary Slaney has a drug conviction on her record, we doubt she was doping when she was 21. 4:00.8 indoors at Millrose while 21. Amazing.
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