Interview with Erin Donohue

By Kevin Beck

The fastest overall female American miler (4:27) last year, Erin Donohue, a 2005 University of North Carolina graduate, was also the fastest high school miler in the country (4:42) in 2001. An extremely versatile athlete in the middle distances, Donohue, also a national-class javelin thrower both as a prep at Haddonfield (NJ.) High School and as a collegian, now trains under the tutelage of John Cook of Nike.

After placing sixth in the 800 meters at the 2006 USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Donohue returned her focus to the mile and 1500 meters last summer and enjoyed a fantastic campaign in Europe, notching personal bests in the 800 (2:01.12), 1000 (2:39.50), 1500 (4:05.55), and mile (4:27.35) within an eight-week span. The 24-year-old will run the 3000 meters at the AT&T USATF Indoor Track & Field Championships at Boston’s Reggie Lewis Center this weekend.

New York Road Runners conducted this interview onsite in Sarasota, FL, where Donohue and others have been preparing for indoor nationals since February 10.

New York Road Runners: We understand that you actually started your Nike career as an intern and not as an athlete. When did things officially get off the ground in terms of your pro-runner status?

Erin Donohue: After college, I continued to train on my own. I would run before and after work. One day, I ran into Franklyn Sanchez, who was running for Nike’s Oregon Project, in the weight room at Nike. Franklyn and Shalane [Flanagan] were friends in high school and I had met him a few times while I was in college. I told him that I was still training, and he offered to introduce me to his coach, John Cook. Coach Cook looked over my training logs and began to write some workouts for me. The workouts went well, and I guess he thought I might have some potential. He and Shalane helped to convince Nike to offer me a small contract to run. I stopped working at Nike in December of 2005, and I began training full-time in January of 2006.

NYRR: You, Shalane, and Shannon [Rowbury] had overlapping careers in the ACC [Atlantic Coast Conference], and now the three of you train together up to seven days a week. Was the organization of your current training “group” rooted in your mutual familiarity, or is this a coincidence?

ED: Although I was friends with Shalane throughout college and knew of Shannon at Duke, the creation of our group was a coincidence. It wasn’t planned; I just happened to run into Franklyn and meet Coach Cook. At the time, Coach Cook was coaching Franklyn, Richard Smith, and a few Kenyan athletes. I honestly don’t know exactly how our group came together, but we’re all together now, and I think it’s working out.

NYRR: You spent some time in Mexico at 6500 ft recently. What part of the country was this in? Was this your first trip south of the border?

ED: We were in San Luis Potosi, which is in central Mexico, between Monterrey and Guadalajara. It was my first time in Mexico.

NYRR: Was this your first stint at altitude?

ED: Yes.

NYRR: On paper you have as good a chance as anyone of making the Olympic team. Has your training and racing schedule been targeting this goal since last summer?

ED: Making the Olympic team is, of course, a goal. But my training and racing schedule is targeted at getting me ready to run fast at the right times. If all goes well, I should be in sub-4:05 shape by the Olympic Trials, and that should put me in contention to make the team.

NYRR: A lot of distance runners make significant jumps as post-collegians, but you basically went from a reliable 4:15 type to 4:05 after about a year of professional running. To what things do you most attribute this breakthrough?

ED: I’d attribute my breakthrough to great coaching and a better training and racing focus. Coach Cook understands what it takes to run well in the middle distances, and his training program hits on all areas—speed, strength, endurance, and so on. Also, in college, I probably ran 30+ races per year, from September through June. I just competed as best I could from race to race. I really had no time to just train and improve significantly. Now, I train from September through June, and only really focus on racing in June, July, and August.

NYRR: What’s the rationale for you running the 3000 and not one of your more accustomed events this weekend?

ED: I’ve been working on my strength and aerobic endurance through the fall and winter, so the 3000 will be a good test to see how I’ve improved in those areas. Also, it’s good for me mentally to run different distances—there will be plenty of time to run 1500s and 800s this summer.

NYRR: Most people seemed to assume that despite being a state javelin champ in high school, you would turn your full attention to running as a collegian. Instead, you kept racking up titles. Do you miss throwing the jav?

ED: I really enjoyed throwing the javelin through high school and college, and I miss throwing it. But I don’t think I could be very competitive in both running and throwing at the professional level. Even in college, I couldn’t devote much time to jav-specific strength work, but Coach Blutreich [now at the University of Oklahoma] helped enough with my technique so that I could have success at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship.

NYRR: Obviously it's early in the season, so you presumably haven't been hitting the track very hard, but with indoors coming up, we imagine you've paid it at least a few visits.

ED: I’ve been on the track a couple of times, but mostly for longer strength workouts. I won’t begin to get into faster, 800-specific and 1500-specific workouts until the spring.

NYRR: You appear to be taking a “what-may-come” approach to the 3000 meters—in other words, you feel ready to run fast from the start if need be, but also confident in your finish.

ED: I haven’t raced a 3000 [meters] in two years. I know I’ve improved a lot since then, so I’m just excited to see what I can do.

NYRR: Do you see yourself returning to serious cross country? How about the roads? We think we overheard you say something about “easy money”...

ED: For the next few years, I’ll focus on the track. I think I still have a lot of room to improve in the 800 meters and 1500 meters. But, someday, maybe when I’m 40 or 42, I may try to clean up at local road races. I could probably pick up $100 a weekend if I hustle.

NYRR: Rumor has it that your dad, Ed, ran a 1:07 half-marathon at 185 pounds, so it seems that the size/speed combo runs in the family.

ED: That’s true. He also ran the Marine Corps Marathon in 2:40 while weighing 210 pounds and being able to bench press over 400 pounds. He thinks this is his greatest athletic feat. So, I think I definitely inherited some good athletic genes from him. But, throughout my career in sports, he’s really helped me most with the mental side of training and competing. He always puts things in the right perspective and helps keep me motivated.

NYRR: In terms of the track, you’re obviously young, but have been at or near the top of your event(s) for quite a few years now. As you approach the world-class level, do you see your career dovetailing toward any one event or discipline?

ED: I think my speed and strength best suits me for these events, so I don’t plan on moving up in distance any time soon.

Interview conducted February 19, 2008, and posted February 21, 2008.