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|  Chris Chattin: Mastering the Masters By George Banker September/October 2004 For the Washington Running Report Photo by Brightroom.com
When you cross the ranks into the masters division (age 40 &
up), the running and racing does not get any easier. You are
the new kid on the block and the others are ready to show you
what you are in for; the thrill of competition. There is a
mental adjustment which has to be made as the realization
settles in that you are slowing down. Chris Chattin of Team
Falls Road Running of Baltimore, MD, is making the transition
in the racing ranks. During the day he is a salesperson for
Motorola's U.S. Federal Government Markets Division. "It's great being a part of Falls Road Running Team. Jim Adams
has been great to us and has helped us out a lot. We help him
with a few of his races by working the water stops," stated
Chattin. Chattin makes the choice of the open or masters competition and
will take it out hard and make a few quick calculations to
decide whether the pace is right and weigh it against the
bottom line objective, place or time? It's easy to get over-
extended running with the lead pack and the experienced runner
will back down. He has learned through the years the value of
knowing his limitations and only pushes when he is physically
and mentally ready to strike. Once he executes, the results
will be accepted and the satisfaction comes from knowing that
he did his best. Running has been a part of Chattin's routine for 25 years and
he enjoys it. The last 15 years his running has been balanced
around his family, wife Carina, and more recently the two
children, Anders (age 4) and Mats (age 1). It takes a lot of
support and sacrifices along the way. "My wife has always been
very supportive of my running." Training was shifted to the
morning hours to accommodate his busy schedule. He has learned
to make adjustments. "I train with Mark Gilmore (who has four
kids) every morning and if I don't show up I hear about it!" When he is not pounding the roads his attention changes to
spending time with his wife and sons, golf, fishing, sampling
microbrews, listening to alternative music, reading modern
literature, and watching film noir and cult classic movies. "I try to think back on key races and workouts. I try not to
get real worked up about bad races but it does bother me some.
I have a lot of things going on in my life though, my wife and
two children, a demanding job. I don't over analyze too much
before a race. It's good to be a little nervous beforehand,
though." Chattin's running career started at Franklin High School (1979-
1982) where he posted a best mile time of 4:38 and two miles
9:59. At University of Maryland (1982-1986) he earned four
cross country letters and consistently placed fifth to seventh
place on the team. Post-collegiate running found him in top
contention at a number of the local running events and some on
the international scene. It has taken passion and desire over the years to exploit his
talent and to use it to his abilities. Chattin never knows what
he is capable of doing unless he puts it on the line. An early
highlight occurred in 1983; at the 8th Marine Corps Marathon he
placed 31st with a time of 2:28:35 and set a junior course
record. His toughest race came in 1992, the U.S. Olympic
Marathon Trials in Columbus, Ohio. It was a warm day and a
loaded field and his goal was to place in the top 20. He was
disappointed with his 21st place finish, just one place out of
the money and the awards ceremony. It took a period of
adjustment to let it go. Chattin's training regime has changed over the years. During
the period considered his prime (1988-1996), he was running 100
miles plus a week, which included two track workouts during the
marathon build-up phase. The bread and butter are the long
runs. His hard work was justified, resulting in three sub-2:20
marathons. His mileage now is 70 to 80 miles per week and speed
work on the track is done once a week, three to four miles, if
he is not racing. In having covered the scale of distances, he
knows what amount of effort is required to achieve a set goal.
Quantity does not make up for the quality and intensity of the
runs. Chattin states, "I analyze my races afterwards and if I'm not
satisfied with a race, I always look for something to improve
upon. Every once in awhile I'll run fast and actually achieve
the high standards I've set but it's rare. I usually have to
take things back to the drawing board. You can't do anything
about what the other guy does. All you can control is you." At the races, his competitors are his friends and he
explains, "It's strange how you can warm up with someone, have
a friendly conversation, but when the gun goes off you try to
destroy them. We all have respect for each other for the most
part. Even though we want to beat each other." "I've slowed down since my mid-30s and it has been a tough
time. At age 39, my running was rejuvenated with the thought of
turning master. It's been a fun year with more races for place
rather than time," he said. "He's a very tenacious, strong runner with a "bull dog" type
attitude, and he has
shown that trait since 1988. There isn't that raw foot
speed but he can hold a pace and get much more out of
himself. He likes to pound out the miles and has mental
strength--he does not give
up," states longtime
friend and competitor David Berardi. "At the Gettysburg 5K on July 10th I was the second master in
16:16. I learned that I can't race every weekend. I need to
rebuild for my fall racing and refocus. I don't like to race
longer than
16 minutes," Chattin stated. His short term goal is to be nationally ranked in the masters
division and later, to be ranked nationally as a
grand master (60 years old & over). Chattin runs with the big dogs--if they should slip, the
race will belong to him. He approaches a race with
determination to
perform his best on a given day. There is no luck in racing;
it's talent and hard work. The list below shows his depth across a range of distances.
There is a new masters runner in town so move over. Road PR's: 5K 14:42, 8K 24:16, 10K 30:34, 10 mile 50:24, HM
1:06:57, Marathon 2:17:01.
Race Results for Chris Chattin
Marathons
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