Best Week Ever
My Successful Comeback of 2001
By: Olympian Paul McMullen
For one week in late-July of 2001 during a trip to Europe in hopes of qualifying for the IAAF World Championships in Edmonton, Canada it all clicked. Sometimes in life it all comes together personally, professionally, and spiritually. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s worth noting.
In the weeks leading up to my best week ever Jill had single handedly given birth to a nine pound nine ounce baby girl, Olivia Kate, on June 22, 2001. We were new parents and the intoxicating fragrance of a new baby takes away all of life’s stresses.
In the week prior to my best week ever I achieved the World Champs Qualifying mark right off the plane. I ran 3:35.2 less than 8 hours after arriving in Belgium. The night before had been spent on a 13 hour trans-Atlantic flight in coach. I was second in the race and Ray Flynn, my agent said, “I’ve never seen anybody do that before.”
July 19, 2001. My best week ever began with a personal best performance in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Ray and I begged my way into the meet. I hadn’t run fast in a couple of years and my 3:35.2 at the Golden League level will usually get you 15th bringing up the rear. The meet promoters reluctantly allowed me in the meet the day before.
Once entered in the meet I walked through the luxurious hotel lobby of the Golden League Hercules Grand Prix headquarters and met Deena (Drossin) Kastor. My first impression was she was so tiny compared to me, yet like an elephant that fears a mouse I wanted nothing to do with her in a 10K, let alone a marathon.
She had recently fallen in love and her complexion glowed. She bubbled as we talked about how falling in love improves your outlook on life almost instantly. We hit it off as “on the tour” friends and I became a fan when I watched her compete fearlessly the next night.
July 20, 2001. At 10 pm, I was scheduled to run the 1500m. Sometimes you can feel it in the air. It was late and still. The lights from stadium pierced the night like my spikes into the track. The field was loaded with guys that looked like they had just survived a famine. They looked hungry enough to feast on my 6’2” and 175 pounds frame. I looked like a pole-vaulter that had strayed from the pit and when the gun went off I was sandwiched in between a single file line of skinny black guys.
We went through the 400 m at 55, then the 800 m at 1:53. I could feel the warm Mediterranean air jetting by my ears faster than ever before. The whisper of speed had allowed me to slip out of consciousness and I was fluid and relaxed as we came by the 1200m in 2:51. I woke as competitors began to stream by as their body order cleaned my sinuses. I concentrated on what Coach Ron Warhurst had said “fast hands make fast feet.” I kicked hard to the finish and just beat a guy for 8th. The clock showed 3:33.89 (3:50 mile equivalent) the 6th fastest 1500m ever run by an American.
That night I hardly slept. I paced the room waiting for the adrenalin to dissipate from my blood stream. The following day, “the rest day,” I flew to London for the Crystal Palace Meet and the Elmsley Carr mile. The World Record Holder Hicham El Guerrouj (Morocco) and Noah Ngeny (Kenya) were scheduled to have a rematch from Noah’s upset Gold at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
July 22, 2001. The night of the race I was foolishly fearless. I was riding a wave of confidence from my 1500m personal record and decided tonight I was going out with the guys with the big lungs. I decided you only live once and I joined the Gold and Silver medalists right from the start. The pace was set for 55 at 400, then, 1:51 at 800 and basically El Guerrouj’s strategy was to keep that pace up until no one could breathe. I stayed with them for only 600 m and died bad. I limped in for 7th in 3:54. It was another personal record and it was back to the States to get ready for World’s.
July 24, 200l, back home.
July 25, 2001 a workout was scheduled and it was Alan Webb’s official visit at University of Michigan to decide on his collegiate career. Ron was giddy. I asked Kevin Sullivan, “Has he ever done anything like this before?” Sully was like, ”Nope.”
The workout that sold High School Mile Record Holder Alan Webb on Michigan:
Three miles on the track at 4:39/mile pace. Sullivan takes the first, then myself, then Tim Broe brings us home. We come in at 13:57 for 3 miles. We then get 10 minutes rest and switch to spikes. Next is 5 X 400 meters and he asks for 55’s with a 400 jog. Broe does 4 x 800 m alone and all under 2:00.
Sully and I remain in control and alternated leading intervals:
56-Sully, 55-Me, 55-Sully, and 54-Me. The last one Ron takes the “safety off” as I’ve coined it. He says, “Let’s see what you guys got?”
- Sully ran 53
- I ran 51
Ron says, “very nice” and snickers a little in Webb’s direction, “I think now he gets the idea…this isn’t high school.” When good talent comes together we make music like gifted musicians. For those of you that can’t read music like 55’s and 51’s may sound the speed limit, but if you were at the track that day you would have seen what Webb saw…the ending of the best week ever.
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