Kara Goucher Rocks The Win at Rock 'N' Roll San Antonio Half
She did it...again! After Kara Goucher's win at the Big Sur Half Marathon just one month ago (1:11:13), she crushed at Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio, taking the win in 1:11:09. We caught up with her post-race for the play by play and to hear what's next in these final months leading up to the Olympic Trials on February 13th.
(Photo via Nate Burgher, The FourFront)
What was your goal going in?
Kara: My number one goal was to come in and run about 71 min, compete for the win, and that’s what I did.
What was it like to race Shalane again?
Kara: Shalane is at a different point in her build up and she came to tempo it. So we didn’t go head to head, which was a little bit disappointing, because I think we could’ve gotten a little bit better performance overall, but that’s okay, she did exactly what she set out to do.
What was your mind telling you on the start line?
Kara: Just that Heather and Mark had me ready to run a good race and that I had proved it in my training, and not to overthink it, and just get out there and execute.
What did you think of the course?
Kara: It was harder than I thought it was going to be. The hills were challenging. But that’s okay, I don’t mind a hard course. A hard course always shows you where your weaknesses are. But I remember coming up on the hills and being like yeah, these are legit hills.
Favorite part?
Kara: I enjoyed it all. The crowds were great. I enjoyed seeing Adam and Heather pop up randomly on the road. I enjoyed the end part, really trying to work it, working my time down a bit. I liked everything.
What did Colt say to you after the race?
Kara: Colt didn’t realize I won until I got this trophy and then he was like “woah, you got this trophy?!” and (to Colt) now you want to put it by your soccer trophy at home, right?
Any port-a-john stories to come clean on today? (eh ehm, Big Sur)
Kara: (Laughs) Not today thank God!
What are your thoughts leading into the next two months?
Kara: I feel like Mark and Heather have put me in a really good place. For now if I just stay healthy and keep doing what I’m doing, I have a realistic chance of making the Olympic Team. Don’t change anything, Don’t do anything drastic. Stay the course, keep doing the work, and it will come together.
What will your training look like in the next two months?
Kara: It will look a lot like it’s been recently. No big changes.
Any more races before the Trials on Feb 13, 2016?
Kara: Not on the calendar right now. Right now, our plan is to go back to work, disappear a little bit, stay out of the limelight and just train.
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