Photo courtesy of www.brightroom.com

Due to her demanding medical studies, Cheryl Anderson (26) of Richmond, VA has raced so infrequently this year that she will not show up in the Washington Running Report Runner Rankings. Yet there are few women in the region who have exhibited the range and the quality that Anderson has for 2007.

On March 18, she was one of three runners to qualify for the Olympic Trials Marathon at the 35th annual Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon in Virginia Beach, earning $1,200 of the $25,000 prize- money purse with a 2008 Olympic Trials "B" standard qualifier. Defending champion Michael Wardian of Arlington, VA in a PR 2:21:37 and Nathan Usher of Lansing, MI with a 2:21:20 were the others, both under the men's "B" qualifier of 2:22:00. Anderson easily won the women's race (by almost 13 minutes) in 2:42:53, well under the women's trials qualifying time of 2:47:00.

Then on July 4th, it was the opposite end of the distance extreme, a 5K, with Anderson dominating the Yorktown Freedom Run with a 16:49 on the hilly course. In that race, it was 2007 Shamrock winner Anderson ahead of 2006 Shamrock winner (2:45:32) Renee High (25) of Virginia Beach. Defending champion Anderson, a William and Mary graduate (where she ran as Cheryl Bauer), improved her time from 17:12 in 2006 to 16:49, the second-fastest time in race history. W&M women's coach Kathy Newberry (a former Lake Braddock High School and W&M standout) set the race record of 16:37 at the 2005 Yorktown Freedom Run. After Anderson's 16:49, High was runner-up in 18:00, two seconds off her personal record, but well ahead of Fabiana Perlingeiro (30) of Norfolk, VA (18:17).

While there were more than 15,000 runners at Shamrock (marathon, half marathon, 8K - a record turnout), the final event, the 26.2-mile marathon, is the most prestigious title. Anderson, the 2006 winner of the Colonial Half Marathon (in an impressive 1:17:34 for that hilly course), was a runaway winner in her debut marathon under cold and windy conditions. Almost 13 minutes back in second was Susan Barth (26), of Bluffton, IN (2:55:48), followed by Eileen Combs (29) of Schenectady, NY (2:56:11) and Dana Parrot (37), of Tampa, FL (2:56:32).

Anderson was with a pack of four women in the opening miles, with her plan to go out conservatively (the opening mile was 6:22, slower than the 6:18 pace needed for her goal of 2:45). "I went at mile 8 and no one went with me. I felt good and I ran the rest of the race by myself." Behind her 2:45 goal pace by 30 seconds at 8 miles, she was under that pace by the half marathon split of 1:22:20. Her final six miles were her fastest. For a debut marathon all went well. "Just get the qualifier [2:47], that was the goal, 2:45 gave me a little buffer. Absolutely, I really enjoyed it. It was not a walk in the park by any means. I hurt more after I finished."

Anderson, a third-year medical student at the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University (with an expected specialty of pediatrics), races quite sparingly and Shamrock was just her fourth race, 10K or longer, since her 2003 graduation from W&M (Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10K in '05 and '06, Colonial Half '06, and Shamrock '07). At shorter distances, Anderson ran 27:04 at the '05 nTelos 8K and 27:46 at the '06 Shamrock 8K.

From Rockaway, NJ, Anderson ran a 4:56 for the 1,600 meters her senior year, and was one of 32 qualifiers to the Footlocker National High School Cross-Country Championships. At W&M, she was on the team that qualified for the 2002 NCAA cross-country championships, then qualified individually for the 2003 NCAA 5,000 meters with a time of 16:19. After graduation, she improved to 16:16 for the 5,000, but was well off the Olympic Trials qualifying time of 15:50 and she never tried the 10,000 meters.

Anderson was also part of a record turnout (852 finishers) at the Yorktown Freedom Run, a Peninsula Track Club event, where $2,400 in prize money was at stake ($250-150-100-50-25 in the open categories). Conditions were mostly sunny and comfortable, with temperatures in the 70s, low humidity, and a slight breeze. The recertified and historic course starts at the National Park Service Visitor Center, follows the Colonial Parkway for 1 3/4 miles, goes past the Yorktown Victory Center, down the beautifully-renovated Water Street, then up the infamous Buckner Street hill, to Main Street and a finish at the Yorktown Victory Monument. Anderson took the lead early and was 15th overall in a strong field.

For the remainder of 2007, Anderson has just three races planned - the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon in Virginia Beach September 2, the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon October 7, and the nTelos 8K in Richmond November 10. Her goal at the Chicago race is a sub-2:39:00 ("A" standard). That will help determine her goal time and place at the Olympic Trials to be held next April as part of the Boston Marathon weekend.

At MCV-VCU, Anderson started her fourth and final year the week after the Yorktown Freedom Run. She will be applying for pediatric residency this year, graduating with her MD in May 2008, and starting her internship in July 2008.

Plagued by repeated stress fractures in college, she was a very low mileage runner at W&M, and it took a few years to build up to her current 70 miles per week, relatively low for an elite marathoner. School also puts some time constraints on her training, so it would not be feasible to do more than that. She does a long run on the weekends (16-22 miles) and a long tempo run and a faster workout (with mile or two mile repeats) during the week. Her husband, Dave, another former W&M distance runner, coaches her and plans her training. She is thinking long term with the marathon and hopes to continue racing through a few more Olympic Trials. She runs for Team 3Sports, a running and triathlon store with two Richmond locations.

The key for Anderson's success is avoiding the multiple stress fractures she had in college. During her sophomore year at W&M she had a full biomechanical analysis at the University of Delaware, which showed she landed on such a small surface of her heels that it was too much for her muscles to absorb all the shock, which was transmitted to her bones. She retaught herself how to run, landing mid-foot instead, but that was just part of the solution. "I train much smarter now," said Anderson, "and realize the importance of easy days and days off. I used to push it every day and I was afraid to run slow, ever. I think realizing that you run faster and healthier by taking it easy some days has made a huge difference."

Good nutrition was the final key. "Whether it is intentional or not, most women athletes do not eat adequate calories and I was guilty of this as well, especially during the times when I was most injured. Food is fuel and without it you get fatigued and broken down and you can't repair yourself. It wasn't until Dave and I started living together that he made me realize how much I was compromising myself nutritionally. I always ate 'healthy,' just never enough and not at the right times-- like within 30 minutes of a workout for the best recovery. I now rest and eat more than I ever have and I am in the best shape I have ever been in. I've been able to see a huge difference with those changes in my performance and in how I feel."

Editor's note: Anderson finished the Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon on September 2, 2007 as the 12th female, first American in 1:18:29.