There comes a moment in every middle-distance race when runners must make a move. "Should I push the pace? Should I move closer to the front-runners? Should I start my kick now?"
Inaction or indecision can be the difference between victory and defeat, an Olympic berth and fourth place at the Trials.
Jenelle Deatherage knows all too well the importance of making the right move at the right time.
Since finishing fourth at the 2004 Olympic Trials in the 1,500 meters by 14-100ths of a second, Deatherage went through "a rough couple of years over that distance." She struggled to finish fast. Believing 2008 would be her last opportunity to make an Olympic team and that the 1,500 offered her the best chance, she decided to make a bold move off the track. The Minneapolis-based Deatherage switched coaches and left Team USA Minnesota last summer. The aspiring Olympian now does speed workouts by herself under the supervision of new coach Juli Henner, who lives in the Washington, D.C., area.
It appears the somewhat unconventional switch may have been just the type of move Deatherage needed to compete for a trip to Beijing. A lot can happen between now and the Trials in July, but if Deatherage continues making smart moves on and off the track, she will be well positioned for a spot on the United States 1,500-meter team.
Deatherage arrives in Boston for this weekend's AT&T USA Indoor Track & Field Championships as a top contender in the 1,500 meters, with a competitive field slated to take the Reggie Lewis track tomorrow night. She will face Sara Hall, Amy Mortimer, and Kara Goucher, who recently won the Millrose Mile, to name a few of the other favorites. But last weekend at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., Deatherage ran a personal-record 4:31.84 in the mile, finishing second to Christin Wurth-Thomas, who is also entered in the 1,500. Last month, Deatherage used a well-timed kick to win the mile at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games in 4:32.95.
"A lot of people skip indoors in an Olympic year, but I love the indoor track and wanted to get out here and build some confidence for the outdoor season," said Deatherage. "I wanted to have a handful of good races and get the ball rolling confidence-wise more than anything else.
"I wanted to get some experience up front, try out some different tactics, practice racing different ways. The Boston Indoor Games was a kick [to win]. The last race [at the Tyson Invitational] was go out hard and hang on. So, I'm definitely getting what I want out of the indoor season."
Positive vibes
It is early in an Olympic year, but perhaps no runner needed encouraging, confidence-building results more than Deatherage. No one questioned whether Deatherage, a four-time All-American at Wisconsin, had the talent to become a top American middle-distance runner. It was more a matter of whether Deatherage believed she belonged among the country's top runners. For that reason, Henner has focused on positive mental preparation as much as physical conditioning.Since her former coach, Dennis Barker, provided Deatherage with a strong aerobic base, Henner noted, "My job is easy." Deatherage credits Barker for building her strength and endurance. Under Barker, Deatherage set personal records in every event from the 800 to 10 kilometers, but last year recognized the relationship wasn't producing the improvement she wanted in the 1,500.
Now Henner places an emphasis in speed workouts on reacting to the changing paces during the last third of a race.
"If I had to point out a weak spot with Jenelle, it's that I'm not sure she remembers that she is one of the best in the country," said Henner. "She spends a lot more time giving other athletes credit and forgetting how good and how talented she is. For me, the exciting part of Jenelle's success right now is just seeing her confidence blossom. With her, it's just letting go of some bad habits. I always tell her it's like somebody trying to quit smoking. For so long, she's kind of told herself, 'I'm not going to do well. I don't feel good. I'm tired.' I've worked on redirecting the way she talks to herself. All the credit goes to her because it is a tough, tough habit to break. The running part is easier."
Added sometime training partner and Team USA Minnesota member Katie McGregor, "Physically, she's always been capable. Mentally, something was missing. She struggled for a while to figure it out, and thought she needed to change things up a bit and get a different perspective and move away from the group atmosphere for a while. I'm excited for her because she took the reins on her training and running and it's worked out really well for her. Now she's found her strength mentally and it's really showed in her racing."
Olympian thoughts
From workout results and watching indoor races, Henner believes Deatherage "should be thinking Olympic finals." But Henner, who made the 1996 US Olympic team in the 1,500, and Deatherage both know how difficult making a US Olympic team can be.Entering the 2004 Olympic Trials, Deatherage didn't expect to qualify in the 1,500. In the finals, Carrie Tollefson set a reasonable pace. With about 500 meters left, runners began jockeying for position. Deatherage didn't make a move. The field continued to separate with 400 meters to go, and Deatherage still didn't make a move. With 300 remaining, she said to herself, "What the hell are you doing? This is the Olympic Trials. You've got to move."
Deatherage made a move, but it was too late and poorly executed. Instead of swinging wide off the final turn and accelerating, she practically ran into the race leaders. With Deatherage forced to slow down to avoid a collision, Amy Rudolph passed her for third place.
"After that, I decided I was never going to assume somebody was going to make the team again," said Deatherage. "Even having watched some of the other races, you just never know what's going to happen. So the biggest thing now is I'm not going to the starting line thinking anything less than I can make the team."
To help keep a positive and fresh outlook on running and racing, Deatherage works part time as a physical therapist. In her day job, most people don't know she runs competitively. Deatherage schedules her work hours around training and meets, praises her employer, the Institute for Athletic Medicine, for being accommodating, and figures without work as a physical therapist, she would spend the time perseverating about her running.
These days, Deatherage sounds like someone who has found the right approach to her running career. From her perspective, it's about time.
"I remember looking at the women who made the team in 2004, looking at the ages of the women who made the team in the distance events," said Deatherage. "It was overwhelmingly women 30 and older from the 800 on up. I remember thinking to myself, 'I'll be in pretty good position in 2008. I'll be 30 years old. It seems to be a good age for making the Olympic team.' I feel this is the right time in my career for this. I feel a little bit of a sense, in my mind, that this is my last shot. I really don't see myself continuing to 2012. But I guess I never saw myself making it this far either."
Shira Springer can be reached at springer@globe.com.
