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USA Track & Field
2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Marathon: Meb Keflezighi is Ready After Foot Infection Delayed Training
By Barbara Huebner for the Houston Marathon CommitteeJanuary 5, 2012
With only 70 days between the 2011 ING New York City Marathon and the 2012 Olympic Trials Marathon, Meb Keflezighi--trying to make his third Olympic team--knew there wasn’t time for anything to go wrong.
Something went wrong, although everything seems to be going right again. Watch a 4 minute YouTube video he has posted at twitter.com/runmeb.
During a media teleconference on Thursday, January 5, the 36-year-old 2004 Olympic silver medalist cited an errant nasal strip as the cause of a foot irritation and subsequent infection that forced him to take extra time off from training for the Trials after finishing sixth (2:09:13, personal best) in the ING New York City Marathon (photo by Giancarlo Colombo, www.photorun.net).The night before the New York race, he explained, he organized his racing gear and put the nasal strip in his left shoe so that he would know where it was. Unfortunately, he left it there.
“I felt at Mile 1 that oops, it’s not on my nose,” Meb said sheepishly.
The mishap, along with knee swelling from overcompensation and a slight cold, turned a planned 7-10-day rest into a layoff of “at least” three weeks, Meb Keflezighi said. At times, he said, he wondered if there would be enough time. “But it’s part of life. You never know what bumps in the road you’re going to get.”
Meb Keflezighi resumed training on December 5. People had been warning him not to run too fast too soon after the New York Marathon, so maybe the injury was a blessing in disguise.
“I just had to start very slow with a three-mile jog, then a four-mile jog, then a six-mile jog,” he explained, thankful this winter in Mammoth Lakes, CA has been mild and low on snow. “Seventy days is always a challenge--and now, three weeks less than that to see if I can do it.”
Meb Keflezighi is confident that his New York performance will put him in good stead, regardless of the setback: despite the foot issue and difficulty keeping fluids down when the pack was running at 2:06 pace, he set a personal best. Asked what he thought he would need to run in Houston, he replied, “probably 2:08 or 2:09.” When asked to clarify if he was referring to winning or making the team, he chuckled, “Maybe both. It will be a close race, I think.”
“I was in great shape going into New York,” Meb emphasized. “I’m just going to rely on that, and on my 20-plus years running career. You don’t lose the fitness and you’re not starting from scratch.”
Asked if he felt some pressure, he countered, “The pressure’s whatever you put on yourself.” He takes heart thinking back to 2005, when he was in phenomenal 10K shape before rupturing a quadriceps muscle and taking a month off. That November, he placed third (2:09:56) in the New York City Marathon on only eight weeks of training; he was less than 30 seconds behind winner Paul Tergat of Kenya and runner-up Hendrick Ramaala of South Africa.
With about a week to go, Meb summarized, “I feel good about my chances.”
In keeping with his routine of remaining at altitude in Mammoth Lakes as long as possible, Meb Keflezighi won’t arrive in Houston until Thursday night before the Saturday morning race. With him will be his wife and daughters--Sara, 5; Fiyori, 3; and Yohana, who will turn 2 on January 17--who have supported, encouraged, consoled, and distracted him since New York.
“I’ve been here [in Mammoth Lakes] for Thanksgiving. I’ve been here for Christmas. Vacation starts on January 15.”
NBC will broadcast a 2 hour, tape-delayed, show on Saturday, January 14 from 3-5 pm ET.