Run S.M.A.R.T. Interview Series Part I [Ben Koch]

Our first subject in the Run S.M.A.R.T. Interview Series is Ben Koch. Ben is a Run S.M.A.R.T. coach in D.C. He also works for The Orthotic Prosthetic Center. The Discovery Health Channel did a reality show on his company so he's a T.V. star as well. Ben is currently preparing for the Marine Corps. Marathon (October 29th), which will be his marathon debut. He's just entering his taper phase, so I caught up with him yesterday to see how things are progressing...

Bri: How has your training been?

Ben: The training has been different. It's a completely different mind set gearing up for a marathon, when compared to a 3k, 5k, or 8k that I'm used to. However, I'm enjoying the challenge of the long slow grind, the emphasis on getting strong (as opposed to fast), and the 20 milers are beginning to grow on me.

Bri: This was the longest you've been consistent in your training since your college days. What do you attribute that to?

Ben: I set a real goal for myself for the first time in a long time. I've also had some incredible support and coaching from my fellow Run S.M.A.R.T. coaches. Setting personal goals for yourself is the first step, but getting that objective input from a coach along the way is key.

Bri: What are your goals for this marathon?

Ben: While I would love to win this thing, I'm not planning on racing to win, because I just don't know who is going to be in the race. So my goals are to finish under 2:30, and to finish strong. Beyond that for my first one might be pushing my luck.

Bri: Where and what in your training brought on the confidence to reach those goals?

Ben: I think that getting and staying healthy was the first boost of confidence. I was coming off of a nagging IT band issue, and couldn't seem to shake it until about half-way through the summer. Once that went away, my long runs just kept climbing, and I started feeling more and more comfortable with 15, 16, 17+ mile long runs. A nice stepping stone was the 20K race which was about 10 weeks out from the marathon. I had never raced that far before, and really didn't know what to expect going into it, but I stayed conservative early and finished up really strong. That was a definite milestone. I did suffer a shot to my confidence when my first 20 mile long run turned into a death-march at the end, however, since then I've done several 20+ milers with surging throughout, and they went really well. Those runs have definitely been the biggest confidence boosters leading up to this marathon.

Bri: You're coming up on two weeks to go till the big race. What are you focusing on?

Ben: Staying healthy. It's sounds obvious, but it's harder than most people realize. The weather is changing, and I'm coming off of some fairly high mileage weeks. That combination compromises the immune system as the body is dealing with increased need for thermo-regulation with the cooler temperatures, as well as muscle re-building from the stress of training.

Bri: What are your goals after the marathon?

Ben: After the marathon I'm planning on going into a bit of "off-season" training. It's always hard to train through the winter as a runner without a treadmill. I'm thinking of backing off the mileage a little, and focusing on some core-strength training, an area I think I really need to work on. Beyond that, maybe a race or two---but my main goal again is to stay healthy and fit through the winter, keep the momentum from the marathon training going through the winter, and see how it translates on the track in the spring.

Bri: As an elite athlete, how has coaching affected your outlook on training and the sport in general these days?

Ben: There's a dangerous mentality with athletes, especially runners, in that we sometimes feel that we have to be going hard all of the time, every run, every workout. We push ourselves to the limit because we want to see how far we can go. If the workout is 4Xmile at 5:30 pace, we immediately want to try to drop it down to 5:20 pace, throwing the purpose of the original pace right out the window. Too often this mentality is self-destructive, and as a coach you have to be able to recognize it in your athlete and know when to tell them to back off. As a coach, I've seen it with my athlete's, and I've learned to recognize it in myself and my training. I've placed more of an emphasis on the recovery days and letting my body come back to me, so to speak.

Bri: Thanks man, that's great. See you marathon weekend...two weeks to go. Keep it rolling!

Ben: Thanks.