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ING NEW YORK CITY MARATHON

November 4, 2011

Meb Keflezighi

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK

Q. How are the Skechers working out for you?
MEB KEFLEZIGHI: They're working great, and I really like the shoes a lot. I've been training with the Skechers full speed on my easy days and my long runs. I have 26-and-a-half miles in them a few times. And then I do my 40-meter repeats to a 15-mile tempo. They're working fine, I'm healthy, I'm here, so they must be working really well, and I'll give a great performance on Sunday.

Q. Meb, maybe compare to 2008 or 2004 Silver Medal, and compare yourself as a runner from then to maybe when you won the ING New York City Marathon a couple years ago, maybe compare yourself as a runner from then to now?
MEB KEFLEZIGHI: I'm looking for a personal best. I'm running as fast as I've ever run, and I hope to go with my new sponsor, and prove people wrong, that's my intention, and what I've trained hard for.
I'm excited. They've been a fabulous company to work with, Skechers, and I'm looking forward to running with New York Road Runners and thank Mary and her team for running the marathon. It's my only marathon for the year, so I'm excited. As I'm sure many of us are. I just hope Sunday goes well for me. I'm here, I'm healthy, and ready to be competitive.

Q. So what do you think of these fast times that are happening in Boston and Chicago and Frankfurt and Berlin? Do you think we'll see some fast times on Sunday here?
MEB KEFLEZIGHI: You'll see a fast time on Sunday. In the ten years 2:07, 2:03 as far as time, but I think with the field, and I think I just got in last night, so I'm not sure. But I think it's going to be very exciting and people should see some good running. I hope to be the one (laughing).

Q. Why do you think there's been so many big times lately? Why are so many guys running so fast lately?
MEB KEFLEZIGHI: Well, I mean, I think it's training. When somebody does it, it's possible. Why have some Americans broken 27 minutes because they can run 14 seconds under 27 minutes, it's the same thing with the marathon. You have people you train against or you compete against, and he does it or she does it, and you go back there. It's like you know what, if can he do it, I can do it. I beat him in this race, so I can do it on this race. It's not rocket science. Just everything has to click. You get a record to put everything together in the marathon, a lot of things can go wrong, but at the same token, if you do your homework, you should be able to perform. People have done it.

Q. I know you're focusing on Sunday right now, but immediately after Sunday, you'll start to focus on the trials, I'm sure?
MEB KEFLEZIGHI: No, I'm going to focus on my break. I mean, I'm focused on Sunday right now. After that, I'm going to focus on my recovery. But the trials will come. Right now I'm healthy, I'm here, I'm focused on the race and in the zone.

Q. Do you have any idea how you'll spend that time from November to January?
MEB KEFLEZIGHI: Say that again?

Q. Do you know sort of from now until mid-January, do you know where you're going to take a couple of weeks to really slow and then rev up?
MEB KEFLEZIGHI: I have a Sony obligation on Wednesday in L.A., and I have a Sony obligation in San Antonio from Friday through Sunday. I'll do those. I'm not going to sit in bed and relax. But I've been very happy with the Nutrition, and Power Bar. They've invested in me, and I've got to give back to them. Right now the focus is for them. The best thing I can do for my sponsors is to do well on Sunday. Come Sunday, after that, I'm going to take probably four days off just to see if I have any injuries or anything that I have to pay attention to, so when I'm traveling to make appearances, I always want therapy or chiropractor or whatever to work on me, and that's what I'm going to do. I'll be in Mammoth. I'm going to go there and maybe go to San Diego to train a little bit to put in more mileage.
But it's going to be go well, get out of it okay, and maintain. It's not a miracle, it's just being consistent what I've been doing for the last 13 years, now I'll do it just like 2004, 30 days later, 69 days later people ask how it's going. I'm running as fast as I have in the past. It's good.

Q. How is your fitness heading into this year's New York City Marathon as opposed to past races?
MEB KEFLEZIGHI: You know, it's very good. The marathon last year I thought I would do really well, it didn't go that way. But some things happen faster than they ever have. I'm stronger. I'm not as sharp as I've done, because in 2009 I did a lot more short races, 7 miles and Mammoth, big seven, and a few others. But the marathon is not about just being sharp. You have to have endurance. Endurance turns into speed.

Q. How much will you be running your race versus watching what the Kenyans are doing and sort of keeping up with them? How is that going to affect your running?
MEB KEFLEZIGHI: Unless you are the dominant, you never have your own race, and that's what New York is, competition. If somebody makes a move, I'm going to have to respond. But it depends on how late or how early that move is.
I can't say I'm going to go 4:50, 5:00, 4:50, that doesn't work. That's what competition is. Competition is to be able to respond and if I'm in the front, I'm going to make myself noticeable. And if I'm not, I'm going to try to be able to engage and be able to catch people. But going in, you never know how it's going to go or who is going to make that move.

Q. Is it easy to judge who is sort of the dominant runner in a marathon?
MEB KEFLEZIGHI: Usually their times and what they have done recently. Have they done a tune-up race? And that's what today and tomorrow hopefully will be for me. Doing more studies, I haven't done much study yet about it. You have to study them and what their weaknesses are, what their strengths are, and when you're competing, make that decision. No coach is going to tell you, "Make a move now at this point." You've just got to feel it. You've got to be able to engage your fuel at that moment, and, "hey, he looks stronger than I am," or "I'm holding on," and I have to make a move and make that decision.
Last year I made a decision not to go with the leaders at First Avenue, which was a little bit risky, but I just needed somebody to run with. I had a lot of energy, but instead of that one-mile move we usually talk about they make a move or somebody makes a move on First Avenue, it became a three-mile move last year, that's why I was not in the picture. Now that I feel strong, hopefully we'll see what happens.

Q. Any concern with the Kenyans turning this thing into a time trial?
MEB KEFLEZIGHI: Whatever they want to do. I mean you can't stop them. But by the same token, I've just got to -- I'm healthy. My training is going well, and if they run 2:05, then I can't do anything about it. But hopefully they'll drag me to get a PR. I think I'll just run to be competitive. Hopefully the pace is not going to be crazy. The beautiful thing about New York is that it forces you to slow down the first mile.
I was looking back at my training, 4:38 in '09, or 4:58 or something last year. It's nice to be able to have that versus running 4:40 or 4:30 something in the first mile and kind of get into lactic acid right away. So that is part of it, I'm going to say, "Okay. You're going to go downhill. Just be patient." I'm just hoping to be in the mix. If I can be in the mix and get to Central Park, you know, who knows. If they run fast and up in front, they may drag me to a personal best.
If I can run my best time over here, they're going to run their best time because it will be a fast time.

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