An Interview with David Berdan

Photo by Clay Shaw

David Berdan’s experience at the Baltimore Marathon made for an interesting story. Not just because the 30-year-old school teacher from Owings Mills, Md., ran a personal best of 2:21:19, or because his 11th place finish made him the top local runner. What made the story interesting for TV news stations was how this year's Baltimore Marathon shaped up: Six hundred meters into the race, a local runner - not a professional from East Africa, in other words - had the lead. That local runner happened to be David Berdan.

“I felt like we were going really slow,” Berdan wrote to me in an e-mail. “I thought everyone would go right with me and we could all keep working together.”

Facing stiff headwinds, the dozen or so runners in the lead pack stuck together, letting Berdan go. Passing through 5 miles in 26:20, Berdan, who was shooting for a qualifier for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in January, had a lead of 1:06. Around 11 miles, when the pack caught him, Berdan stayed with the group for almost three miles, going through halfway in 1:08:36 – “exactly what I wanted to do,” Berdan wrote.

I still felt good, but then they picked it up again. After a few 5:30s and a 5:40 I knew (sub) 2:19 was out of the picture. At that point, even though my legs were killing me, I still felt like I had energy. I was able to somewhat enjoy the rest of the race. I ran 5:40 to 5:45 pace from 18 to 25 miles, but ended up picking it up from 25 to 26 because I saw previous race winner Julius Keter up ahead and he looked like he was hurting pretty bad. I ran that mile in 5:02 and caught him at the 26-mile mark.

Now, consider this: Berdan’s 5:02 split from miles 25 to 26 is roughly equivalent to that of his high school track best for 1600. His 5:23 average at the Baltimore Marathon - a tough, hilly race - is about equal to his high school best for two miles.

Berdan’s running life began in earnest at Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pa., in a Division III program that was then in the process of transforming from one of the worst performers in the annual NCAA Mideast Regional Cross Country Championships to one of the best. Despite numerous injuries, which Berdan attributes to a six-inch growth spurt he had between his freshman and junior years, he qualified for nationals all four years and was a two-time Division III All-American in track. He notched bests of 3:57 (1500), 8:26 (3,000), 14:31 (5,000) and 30:14 (10,000).

On improving as a runner: I learned that in order to improve you have to train! But I also learned that you have to train smart. I didn't go out and hammer every day. I learned from Weldon Johnson (the founder of LetsRun.com), after living with him in Flagstaff, Ariz., that it was okay to go out and run 7:30 or slower on easier days. To this day most of my easy running isn't faster than 7 minutes per mile. We were a fairly high mileage program while I was at Elizabethtown; my junior and senior years I did get up to 90 MPW a few times. There was also a lot of focus on longer intervals (we never did workouts like repeat 400s), lactate threshold workouts, and a weekly long run over hilly terrain.

Berdan only decided to enter Baltimore three weeks before the race. A father of two and a full-time teacher, he said his summer and fall schedule was too full for a cycle of marathoning training. So he had geared his training around the Philadelphia Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon, where hoped to qualify for the trials by running under 1:05:00. His time of 1:05:53 was a personal best; it even made him the top finisher from Maryland, Washington, D.C., or Virginia. But it still fell short of the standard. "I felt really strong at 5 minutes per mile," he wrote, "but 4:55 felt too fast."

Entering Baltimore: I'm friends with Clay Shaw, the elite athlete coordinator at Baltimore, and at first I told him I wanted to do Baltimore, but just as a long run in training for Philadelphia. He convinced me to just give it a go. He said, “You're fit now; take a shot at it.” I agreed. Ideally I would have had several long runs of 20 to 22 miles and I like to do one 26- to 28-miler, but my longest run for Baltimore was 18 miles. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that around 18 miles is where my legs just started to feel shot, really sore and Jell-O-like. The pounding on the first half, along with running in the wind by myself, had just caught up with me.

Berdan will take another shot at the trials in 25 days at the Philadelphia Marathon.

AFTER E-TOWN

After graduating in 2004, Berdan moved to Salida, Colo., where he worked as an assistant fisheries biologist with the Colorado Division of Wildlife. It was a six-month position, and Berdan spent his days hiking long distances at high altitudes to do fish sampling on a mountain stream. He still managed to get out for short runs in the morning.

When the job ended, Berdan moved to York, Pa., worked at Inside Track running stores and resumed serious training, lowering his best for 5,000 to 14:13. That summer, while on a road trip, he got a call from Zap Fitness’ Pete Rea, who invited him to join its training program in Blowing Rock, N.C. That fall, Berdan finished 18th at the USA 10K Road Championships and 28th at the USATF Club Cross Country Nationals. That winter, though, he tweaked his knee during an icy long run. Several visits to specialists later, his knee was not any better. The injury was similar to one Berdan had in college that had required surgery. Lacking health insurance, he decided to leave the program and move to Baltimore.

There, Berdan met his future wife, Amanda, at a running party. His knee, meanwhile, continued to ache. Painful 30- to 40-minute runs were the most he could get through. Berdan also tired of jobs found through a temp agency. These gigs were hardly what he went to school for. So he tried teaching, landing a job at Booker T. Washington Middle School (not to mention the health insurance that allowed him to get knee surgery).

After two years at Booker T. Washington, Berdan moved to Garrison Forest School, a college preparatory school that has a residential program for girls grades 8 to 12. This is his fourth year at Garrison, where he teaches science and coaches cross country. He and Amanda have two children, ages 3 and 7 months. The family lives on the campus.

It's a rewarding life, says Berdan, who now races for the Harrisburg-based Keystone Track Club. He admits, though, that fitting in the training it takes to run at a high level is not easy.

On his training schedule: Most days I find myself getting in a shorter run over my lunchtime and trying to get in another shorter run with the girls at practice. For harder workouts I get up at 5 a.m. to get it in before school. My wife is very supportive, and I usually am able to get in a longer run or workout on Saturday or Sunday, but then I'm playing with the kids all day. I'm not complaining. I absolutely love everything about my life right now.

AIMING FOR THE TRIALS

On the marathon: I knew in college that I would ultimately be a marathoner. I always seemed to get better as races got longer. I remember telling people in college that I wanted to qualify for the Olympic Trials in the marathon for 2008, so I was definitely thinking about it already. I ended up running 2:23:45 at the Steamtown Marathon in 2007. (It was in the 80s by the finish; Berdan finished second.)

Berdan had debuted the year before at the California International Marathon: I ran in the 2:27s. I felt awesome until 18 miles; at 21 miles I found myself sitting on a curb, contemplating whether or not I wanted to finish the race. I sucked it up and finished, but I wasn't crazy about the marathon after it. I spoke with Steve Spence later that year and he told me that his first marathon was similar. He told me it takes several before you figure it out. I still don't think I have it figured out. I'm hoping that all changes in Philadelphia.

Making the trials: Qualifying has always been one of my running goals and I know it will happen eventually. I also know that my best marathoning years are ahead of me. I'm 30 and really feel like I'll be able to run well at the marathon over the next 10 years. That leaves two more Olympic Trials after this one. I don't have any plans on stopping. I really love competing and running has been such a huge aspect of my life. I don't see myself giving it up any time soon.