ING NEW YORK CITY MARATHON

November 2, 2003

Chad Johnson

CHAD JOHNSON: At this point, about 13 miles into it I was just hoping just to finishing. That it's. The New York City Marathon and everything, I was struggling out there for sure I will admit that, but I still had a good day because it was such a nice crowd and nice city and everything.

CHAD JOHNSON: Yeah.

CHAD JOHNSON: I was trying to run my own pace, and go a little conservative. I didn't matter. I think I was just having a rough day out there. Just a long season. I think I just need a little break, a little rest.

CHAD JOHNSON: I figured I was ready to run 2:15. I had done a 20-mile tempo run, averaged 2:50, feeling pretty good. That was a month ago.

CHAD JOHNSON: Just after the half marathon, basically. I actually felt really easy through the half marathon and hit around 67 or so, thinking I can maintain that, but something it wasn't going right.

CHAD JOHNSON: It feels like I can't -- like I can't deliver the energy to my muscles. I am not breathing hard, my legs are cramping up, there's just no energy there.

CHAD JOHNSON: I wasn't far off the lead group. I was hanging about 15, 20 seconds back for the first like 7, 8 miles. But they started to open up quite a bit of a gap and by 13 miles they were quite a ways ahead.

CHAD JOHNSON: No, I am not going to give up. I am going to come back and give it another shot. I definitely feel I will get it right one of these days.

CHAD JOHNSON: I think they are just very talented, very focused and just spent years training extremely hard without any kind of interruptions and stuff. I think some of the Americans, we'll just have to train for years and start at an early age and I feel if we just keep after it and keep training hard, that people are starting to break through with good performances.