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.

The Chicago Experiment

The Chicago Marathon was today. Even though I was not racing, I woke up this morning feeling its presence. It's a marathon that sort of has a hold over me. This summer, when I was in Chicago for a wedding, I ran along Lake Michigan on a pathway across the road from Millenium Park and realized that my marathon life's highest and lowest moments had happened in the same spot: at a stoplight along Lake Shore Drive in a rather sketchy spot to flag down a cab. In 2006, I got in the cab there and, having run a PR, was nothing less than elated. Last year, after dropping out, it was the feeling of unadulterated defeat.

I woke up this morning thinking about my teammates and training partners who were racing. Among them, Karl Dusen, who had qualified for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials at Chicago (an even split 2:20) the same year I ran my PR, was poised to once again qualify. In the past several months, Karl had run an array of awesome workouts, one of which I helped pace him through, running six laps of his 8, 4 of his 6, etc. Media outlets reported that the temps today in Chicago, for elite runners, were in the mid 60s with low humidity; mixed in with that, though, was the following: "another unseasonably warm year."

Today, Karl was smart enough to know that the conditions were not going to allow him to qualify. The trials standard for men is sub-2:19, and after going through halfway in 5:21 pace, six seconds slow, Karl opted, wisely, to go into cruise control so he can take another shot at the Philadelphia Marathon in late November.

A training partner, Evan Jurkovich, who ran 2:31 at Twin Cities last year, was very fit going into today's race but struggled in the 20s to come home in 2:36.

In marathoning, training is just a part of it. So much else - especially for non-professionals, I would argue - needs to click.

Last year was hot, too. I am pretty sure, in fact, that the heat did me in more than the hamstring/sciatica issue I picked up 10 days before the race.

2009 was hot. 2008 was cold. 2007 was the disaster year. One thing, meanwhile, that I know about 2006 was that there was something going on that year that forced the marathon to happen two weeks later than it usually does. It wound up being cold and windy that year, but most people would say favorably so. No doubt, it would be a much safer bet - far as avoiding hot temps - to hold the race in the second half of October, but it does not appear that that will happen.

The Chicago Marathon is now a race that offers one of the fastest courses in the United States ... if.

Three in a row.

One runner died today in Chicago. One runner died in 2007, too.

DEALING WITH HEAT

Last month, I was struck by Nike Oregon Project coach Alberto Salazar's comments regarding his athlete Galen Rupp's performances leading up to his breaking the American record for 10,000 meters. Salazar said he knew that Rupp was making progress in his races leading up to the breakthrough because they had been run in warm weather, which he had dealt with, well, relatively well - for a Caucasian, anyway.

Rupp later told LetsRun this:

"I don't think it has anything to do with being white. His point is just that I'm bigger than these guys. My mom always laughs because she says it's easy to see me as I'm 4 or 5 inches taller than everyone else. When you're running in the heat, that can catch up to you. I agree with the sentiment (expressed by Salazar). Bigger people don't do better in running in the heat for longer distances - its' a scientific fact."

It definitely seems that way, anyway.

Interestingly, Russia's Liliya Shobukhova, who dominated today's women's race - winning in 2:18:20, one of the fastest times ever for this course - called the weather "absolutely gorgeous."

Men's winner Moses Mosop, in setting a new course record of 2:05:37, did say the conditions were "humid." But for a guy who came into the race saying he was only 80 to 85 percent, he did not seem to be much affected by it, nor did other Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes.

Look at race results in Chicago from the past half decade or so. You will see how much, during the hot years, that the results thin out after the sub 2:10 crowd.

As the article by the IAAF points out, Sammy Wanjiru, who died in May, really revolutionized marathoning in two ways. One: He encouraged young Kenyan runners to go straight to the marathon, where the money is. Two: He proved that heat was not a factor - at least for him and many other East Africans.

When you are on the starting line and the conditions are bad, you want to tell yourself something like, "Relax; everyone has to deal with it."

Is that true, though, when it comes to heat?

ONE GREAT AMERICAN MARATHONER

Ryan Hall, who finished fifth in 2:08:04, continues to show that he is an incredibly consistent marathoner, not to mention the only American marathoner who can truly tangle with the East Africans. He has an ability to finish strong. What he lacks, however, is the ability to maintain contact with the leaders after the crazy surges happen. Given that fact, it's hard to see how he will ever be able to win a major marathon.

"The pacers would see a slow split on the back of the truck then hit it," Hall told David Monti. "I think our splits were all over the place ... It was kind of taking me out of my rhythm."

Hall, honestly, impresses me a little more every time he races. His approach is to run his own race. Really, there is just no way you can knock it.

Still, what Mosop's coach, the renowned Renato Canova, says in the IAAF piece above is telling:

"If you want to be a top athlete you have to be a little bit wild, not be an accountant."

Let's end with a quote from Hall:

“There are not many American guys out there running 2:08, so I’ll take it."

Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half - Racing and Reporting

Moses Kigen Kipkosgei winning Sunday's Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon.

I ran the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon yesterday and also reported on the race for the Washington Running Report.

I ran a very bad race at Sept. 18's Rock N Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon, where I ran 1:12:10, two minutes off what I ran there in 2009. I was concerned with the slower time, however, less than the fact that I had failed to execute a sound racing strategy. Yesterday I ran even slower - a minute slower, in fact - but I know I ran a much better race than I did in Philadelphia. More on that later, as I am developing a post specific to these two races that I hope will have some general value to fellow students of the sport. (I realize I have not written about my own running in quite some time. This has been partially due to my hectic schedule, partially due to a lack of interest, and partially because I have been wanting, for some time, to ball up everything I have been jotting down into an essay of sorts; I just can't figure out what I am trying to say.)

Yesterday was a fine opportunity to put on the journalist hat. Woodrow Wilson Bridge Half Marathon Race Director Steve Nearman put together a rather incredible field. Among the elites, I was able to speak with race winner Moses Kigen Kipkosgei, who finished third in last year's New York City Marathon, and two members of Team USA Arizona, a Flagstaff-based group coached by Greg McMillan.

Here's some bonus material from Kipkosgei. At New York last year, Kipkosgei in some respects executed a strategy that is the opposite of the more common Kenyan tactic of going for broke. Rather than roll with a pace he felt was too fast, the now-28-year-old decided, around 10K, to break from the lead group and run his own race. When rookie Gebre Gebremariam, who would win, and Emmanuel Mutai broke apart the lead pack, it appears (though I honestly do not recall this from watching the race) that Kipkosgei, who sixth months earlier finished 8th in Boston, was able to pick up the pieces. Based on Kipkosgei's comments to me after yesterday's race - his tuneup for a return to New York - he seems to feel it is important that he not be too influenced by what any of his competitors are doing. That's not necessarily a winning strategy for New York; but since most of the pros up front are going for broke, it's definitely a sound one as far as finding a spot in the money. As for his New York race plan, Kipkosgei said, "I cannot tell you that. It depends on how the race develops.” So, we'll see.

Kiposgei, meantime, bases his training in Eldoret. A week before his race yesterday, where he covered 13.1 tough miles at 4:46 pace, Kipkosgei told me he ran 15K in Kenya in 44:13, which is 4:44 pace.

The Team USA Arizona athletes I interviewed were Danny Mercado, a University of Oregon alum who sports a sweet stache, and Jordan Horn, who ran for California State University, Fullerton, and has been training with McMillan for four years. Both these guys grabbed U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials qualifiers yesterday; they both were also pretty pumped about their results.

Horn, for one, has been focusing on the mile the past two years (he said he cracked four minutes). Mercado, in turn, had never run a half marathon.

Mercado just graduated from University of Oregon, and is new to McMillan's program.

On his training, which currently amounts to 90 MPW: "I run the least, but it still feels bulky. At least, it feels bulky to me."

Horn is putting in about 110 MPW, but this figure also falls on the low end in comparison to his teammates, he said.

Mercado on decisions he faced post-Oregon: "I definitely learned from mistakes in previous seasons, as far as training goes. ... I didn’t qualify for the 10K final at NCAAs, so that was a pretty disappointing end to the season. So I was pretty nervous coming out of college, just as far as deciding what I’m going to do. I was really, really lucky that Greg wanted to talk to me. ... I’m happy just being able to complete the half. It’s really just a testament to the training I’m doing, being in Flagstaff, being at altitude, having a really good support system."