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| Magness hopes by the end of the summer to handle 100 miles per week. (Photo courtesy of New York Road Runners) |
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A look at Steve Magness Hometown: Klein,Texas High School: Klein Oak College: Rice University Heroes: Emil Zatopek Height: 5'11" Age: 21 Personal bests: 10k: 29.50.3 8k: 25:02 5k: 15:09 3k: 8:23.23 3200: 9:06.76 1600: 3:59.52 800: 1:52.70 Shoes Training: Asics Gel Nimbus. Racing: Asics Gel Speedster |
scrunners: What got you into running?
magness: I was always kins of good at running. I looked forward to and excelled at the physical fitness test P.E. mile from second grade on. It was something I was good at, but I never took it seriously until the high school days. In fact in elementary school I thought if I ran one mile a day I could break the world record, so I did that for two days, then got lazy and stopped. Besides that my grandfather ran a 4:28 or something close in 1928 in high school, so I always heard stories of running and racing from him.
scrunners: When did you know in high school that you wanted to run at the next level?
magness: Well, I ran pretty fast unexpectedly as a freshman and I remember my coach pulling me aside and saying, you know if you train right you could be the next sub four (minute) miler. I didn't understand what he was talking about at the time and thought he was crazy. I'm not sure when I can pinpoint an exact moment when I thought I would be more than just a good runner, but I remember going into my senior year in high school thinking that this was it and I might as well give it a shot, so I went for it and got completely committed.
scrunners: What made you leave Rice?
magness: Truthfully,It just wasn't a good fit. Towards the end, I just wasn't myself anymore. Running had become more like a chore or something to that effect. I wasn't responding to the work I put in. I just needed a change to put a spark back in the running and remind me why I love the sport in the first place. Also, I just wanted to get some health issues cleared up and just overall get back to being myself.
scrunners: Take me through the Prefontaine Classic when you became the sixth fastest high school miler in American history.
magness: Well, it was a pretty nerve racking experience. I remember sitting on the warmup track and looking around and seeing all these guys I had watched on television and in the Olympics and such. So to get my mind off of that, I played my Gameboy until it was time to warmup. It didn't really hit me until I did a stride onto the track in front of the whole crowd. Once the gun went off, I relaxed and settled into the back of the pack. I remember all I was trying to do was maintain contact with the pack. I got kind of annoyed because I had to pass Alan Webb several times, because I'd pass him, then he'd repass me and slow down, and I'd have to repeat the whole process. Finally at 1200-meters, I saw three flat on the clock and started to pass a couple of guys like (Michael) Stember, I think, so I got way too excited and jumped the gun. I went for it too soon because I was so excited. With about 200-meters left I still felt pretty good, but when I tried to reach down for that extra gear, nothing was there and I got kind of worried. Coming off the turn I knew I was in trouble and tried to do everything I could to hang on, but I just couldn't. The last 50-meter were painful and lasted a lifetime. But it was a great race and one that only a few get to experience.
scrunners: What are your thoughts on American distance running today?
magness: I think we are on an upswing now. We still have a very long way to go, but I think we are making progress in the right direction. The medals in the marathon this past Olympics were big. It shows that we can succeed at that level. I'm not sure what the exact reasoning (is), but you can see the surge at every level. At the high school levels I think it's partly because of the Internet. Kids from all over the country can see what other kids are doing in training and in their races. At the elite levels I think the coaches are doing a better job. They are starting to understand the science and art of coaching and blending it. Also training information from elites like Marius Bakken, or Renato Canova and his athletes have helped to bring a new perspective to the traditional "American" training system and altered it for the better.
scrunners: What are your goals for the next two years and what do you have planned training/racing for this summer?
magness: I like to keep my goals mostly private, but I want just want to improve in my running and continue to enjoy it. Qualifying for the Olympic trials is a nice goal to shoot for in 2008. This year, I'm kind of in limbo on what my racing/training plans are. I've had a few health issues lately and I'm trying to get over them, get some resolved, so we'll just wait and see (on that). As far as training goes this summer, once the track season is done, I'm going to start my build and hopefully by the end of the summer be able to handle 100 mpw w/ two to three lactate threshold/high-end aerobic workouts a week, plus a session of hill sprints or circuits sprinkled in. That's very rough, but that would be the ideal.
scrunners: What advice would you give high school runners?
magness: Put in the miles and enjoy doing it. Figure out why you like and took up the sport in the first place and always remember that. Get a good coach who focuses on long term development and don't be afraid to test your body a little bit. I guess to sum it up, slowly build up the miles as you can handle it, focus on aerobic development; starting out with mostly general easy runs and then slowly progressing to adding some lactate threshold runs and such.
