Interview with Carmen Douma-Hussar

By Adam Jacobs

After a period of injury recovery, reduced mileage, and a training regimen that involved crosstraining on an elliptical machine, Carmen Douma-Hussar admits that she surprised even herself on New Year's Eve when she won the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run in New York City’s Central Park, setting a course record of 20:54. She had won the Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile in New York in 2005 and 2007, and she is also a previous winner of New York’s New Balance Games Mile and Millrose Games Mile. Now healthy, Douma-Hussar, 30, and her coach Marcus O'Sullivan, the Irish middle-distance great, have mapped out a course for 2008 that they believe can elevate her to the highest level of elite middle-distance running. The Canadian standout, who lives in Ardmore, PA, has her sights set on breaking the four-minute barrier in the 1500 and the two-minute barrier in the 800 within the next few months. Achieving these goals will put her in position to compete against the best metric milers in the world leading up to August’s Olympic Games in Beijing. Douma-Hussar will compete in the New Balance Games on January 19.

New York Road Runners: Congratulations on another win in New York City. What was it like to be in a race with 5,000 people in Central Park on New Year’s Eve?

Carmen Douma-Hussar: It was a lot of partying and a lot of fun. The people out there, the runners and also the spectators, were having a good time and just wanting to experience New York City. You could tell there were a lot of Americans but also a lot of foreigners. They would come up [to me] after the race and they would shake my hand and I could tell by their accents that there were some people who were just getting in the New York experience, so it was fun.

NYRR: How would you evaluate your performance at the Midnight Run? Obviously, you had to be proud of the outcome, but how would you critique your performance?

CDH: It was kind of funny because the whole month leading up to the race I had kind of been on again/off again with running. I had been doing some crosstraining on the elliptical. I had a bit of a sore foot, which is why I couldn’t be running 100 percent of the time, and then the week before I had been up in Canada visiting my family, doing some training just on the snowier roads. The race itself was supposed to be no more than a fun experience. At the same time, I was just trying to see where I was fitness-wise, because you don’t always get a good indication when you’re crosstraining. I approached the race pretty casually, I would say, just doing the physical preparations for it but just trying to have fun with it mentally. When we got started, the conditions were perfect; it wasn’t too cold; there was no wind. Like I said, the atmosphere was great with people cheering us on and all the other people in the race as well, so the conditions couldn’t have been better. With the competition, Sara Slattery took it out really well; unfortunately, she got a bit of a stomach thing during the race so she wasn’t feeling that well afterwards. Then the other girls took the lead for a bit then I was out there too, so just the whole time I felt really good. When I got done and my husband asked me how the race went, I said, "Yeah, it went well, it went well,” and it wasn’t until a couple of days later that I thought, "Ah! That was a pretty good time!” It kind of sunk in that it was not just a win but the time indicated but that I hadn’t lost any fitness working on the elliptical.

NYRR: New York has been a special place for you; especially over the last few months with your victories at the Midnight Run and the Continental Airlines Fifth Avenue Mile [a race that Douma-Hussar won in 2005 and 2007]. Is there something specific about competing here that you really enjoy or that sets it apart from racing elsewhere?

CDH: Yeah. I always like going back there. The people organizing the races are great; they’re always friendly and happy to see me back. It’s close to home, so I can not have to worry about the travel; it’s just two hours from Philly, so that’s always a bonus. Accidentally, I’ve kind of stumbled into having good results in New York. I kind of want to just keep that trend going and just have a good performance, not only for myself but for those who are there watching and supporting. Every time they invite me to come back, whenever I get a call asking, “Do you want to run such-and-such race?” I just always feel honored. New York definitely has a special place on the list of places I love to run. Indoors or on the roads, wherever it happens to be, even cross country in Van Cortlandt Park, it’s always fun.

NYRR: You have said that your focus is on winning races and that by doing so the fast times and PRs will follow. However, you have also stated that it is important for you to break four minutes in the 1500. How do you balance these approaches and is a sub-4:00 time still one of your top priorities?

CDH: Yeah, definitely the goal is always to get in the race and to win the race. I just know that, if I want to be up there with the world leaders, I’m going to have to break four minutes. Breaking the four-minute barrier is a huge goal for me because I want to be up there with the world’s best and just compete and be in those races where I’m just vying for that first spot across the finish line. So, I would say the time is still secondary, yet at the same time, I really want to see a “3” as the very first number. I’ve seen a couple of guys at Villanova training and going to a race in which they’d set it up to get them to break the four-minute mile for the first time and I’ve seen a couple of them do it. It’s just so exciting for them and I just want the feeling, just to get in the threes. That’s definitely a goal.

NYRR: You certainly seem to be on your way and headed in that direction. Now that your foot is feeling better, is there anything that you learned from your 2007 season that you specifically want to target and improve upon through your training?

CDH: Yeah—2007 had its ups and downs. It started out well and ended well. The middle was a little bit disappointing, mostly because of an injury. Following a race in Athens, I hurt my quad so that kind of set me back a little bit. The whole year’s training last year, and the previous year as well, have taught me how to set up this year successfully. Marcus [O’Sullivan] has laid out a plan for me, starting obviously before now but from now through August. I just have to make some choices and decisions on when I’m going to be ready and what I’m going to be ready for. Ultimately I just want to be ready for August and the races before August are all part of that plan. My indoor season will be pretty reduced this year. I’ll be doing the New Balance Games but probably no more indoor races after that just so I can concentrate on doing the right workouts now so I can be ready to run in August.

NYRR: Have you decided what other races you may enter in the spring or summer to help with your buildup for Beijing?

CDH: Likely there’s a cross country race at the end of February; I’ll jump in and race on Canada’s teamand possibly there's the USA Men's 8K Championship/NYRR Women's 8K / NYRR 8000 in mid March. This is just to see where I am. That’s obviously not my forte, the longer distances. At the end of May the goal is to be sharper and ready to get in a couple of good races. I still have to make a Canadian A+ standard – I have the Olympic standard but I have to make the Canadian A+ standard – so hopefully I can do that early and then run in our trials in June comfortably and then make the final preparations for August. There’ll definitely be races over in Europe that we’ll stick in there. I don’t know where exactly they’ll be.

NYRR: Would you consider going to the World Cross-Country Championships in Scotland?

CDH: Marcus and I talked about it. Right now we’re leaning toward not doing it.

NYRR: I know your focus is going to be on the 1500, but what about the 800? Can you see yourself breaking the two-minute barrier? What would it take for you to accomplish that feat and is it a priority for you this year?

CDH: It’s interesting you asked me that because that’s what Marcus was talking about too. We just want to get the base work in now and just get strong. In May I can work on my speed because he says I need to get that 800-meter time down [her current PR is 2:02]. In order to get my 1500-meter time down, I definitely need to work on my 800. Yeah, I need to go under two minutes in order to be competitive.

NYRR: In terms of mental preparation, do you have any strategies to get yourself focused and/or to counteract the nerves in the days and hours prior to an important race?

CDH: By the time I’m on the line I’m pretty good, I’ve relaxed a little bit. Leading up to the race, there are things I don’t do, like I don’t study the entry lists. I usually don’t know who’s in the race beforehand, unless I see them before the race. I like to go into it blind, not knowing who the competition is. So that’s something I don’t do to get ready. Leading up to the week, I try not to stress about it but I obviously think about it and get ready to step on the line, especially when it’s the first one. We have our first race on Saturday, so it’ll be interesting to see how the training is going to translate onto the track.

NYRR: What are some of your interests and passions outside of running?

CDH: I like cooking. I like to read magazines and books about cooking. I think that’s something I learned from my mom, who’s a great cook. We’re quite involved in our church, so that’s quite a big thing for us.

NYRR: What do you think about how the Canadian track and field team has been shaping up? Any predictions on how Team Canada will perform in Beijing?

CDH: We have some good 1500-meter runners; I know that for sure. We’re pretty deep in the fifteen. Then we have some strong other mid-distance girls and guys as well. Obviously, there’s Perdita [Felicien] in the hurdles. She’ll be a contender. We have a lot of women pole vaulters who have done well in the past, and we have the men’s high jump. We have some strong contenders. Obviously it’s not as deep as the American team is but Athletics Canada has been and prepping us and trying their best to work with us to get us ready for Beijing. We hope for a good outcome for them and for us.

Interview conducted January 15, 2008, and posted on January 18, 2008.