Molly Huddle - How She Did It: Stories, Advice, and Secrets to Success from Fifty Legendary Distance Runners

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

MOLLY

This book was the ultimate collaboration, and we want to thank everyone involved.

Thank you to the women in the book for sitting down to talk with us, sometimes for hours at a time. Thank you to our experts who were happy to help guide young athletes toward their potential: Dr. John Ball, Dr. Randy Wilber, Dr. Trent Stellingwerff, Dr. Holly Thorpe, Ro McGettigan LMHC, Meg Waldron MS, Laura Moretti-Reece RD, Dr. Stacy Sims, and Dr. Adam Tenforde. Thank you to our agent, Danielle Svetcov, for connecting our idea to the people who could turn it into pages and for giving us great advice and pep talks. Thanks to Danielle Curtis, our editor, and the crew at Rodale and Penguin Random House for pulling it all together. Thank you, Scott Douglas, not only for helping us edit the interviews but also for the early advice about publishing. Thanks also to Cheryl Bridges Flanagan Treworgy and Victor Sailor for help collecting photos, and to Annika Sisson for helping us organize the early book stats and photos. And thank you to our friends in the business who helped us interview women in other countries and in other languages: agents Ricky Simms and Brendan Reilly and Brett Larner of Japan Running News and the gracious Mika Tokairin for translating between myself and the Japanese athletes during our calls.

And finally, thank you to my husband, Kurt, for always being my best teammate as we focused on my running career and learned all these lessons together. Thank you to my coach, Ray Treacy, for steering me toward my potential on the track. And to the ladies Ive trained with who showed me how to thrive in the sport: Kim Smith, Amy Rudolph, Roisin McGettigan, Mary Cullen, Amy Mortimer, Amy Hastings Cragg, and Emily Sissonthanks for sweating alongside me and showing me the way!

SARA

First, I want to thank my family: my husband, Steve, who has been my biggest supporter, cheerleader, and motivater in whatever I pursue. I couldnt have done this without you. To Stevie and Cali, I love you more than I can ever explain. My parents, Terry and Helen Gorton, who have given me unconditional love, shown me how to work hard, and to always put family first. My sister, Lindsey, who is always there to listen and support me no matter how crazy my ideas are.

To the coaches I have worked with: Glen Coy, Steve Schafer, Sabrina Robinson, David Klecka, Mark Wetmore, Jason Drake, and Ricky Simms. You have made me a better person, athlete, and coach. I am so lucky to have your guidance and support.

Thank you to all my training partners and teammates throughout my career. Especially: Sally Meyerhoff, Maria and Anna Rodriguez, Jenny Doyle, Jorge and Ed Torres, Dathan Ritzenhein, Renee Metivier, Kara Goucher, Kendall Schoolmeester, Christine Bolf, Molly Londo, Natalie Severy, Jodie Hughes, Shayne Culpepper, Sara Hall, Jen Rhines, and Amy Cragg. You inspired me and taught me so much as an athlete.

My GCU family (my amazing athletes, colleagues, and administration). Especially my fellow track coaches: Tom Flood, Todd Lehman, Chris Riggs, Kenia Sinclair, Mary Duerbeck, Jonny Holsten, and Kayla Ferronyou make me truly love my job!

This book would not have come together without the efforts of so many people. A huge thank-you to all the support from all of the athletes and experts involved! So many women sacrificed their time and shared their stories, and I am so grateful!

Our experts were also so humble in sharing their wealth of knowledge to guide the next generation: Dr. John Ball, Dr. Randy Wilber, Dr. Trent Stellingwerff, Dr. Holly Thorpe, Ro McGettigan LMHC, Meg Waldron MS, Laura Moretti-Reece RD, Dr. Stacy Sims, and Dr. Adam Tenforde.

Thank you to our amazing agent Danielle Svetcov, who understood our vision and connected us with the right people to allow this book to come together; to Danielle Curtis and the Penguin Random House publishing team for making this book a reality; and to Scott Douglas for editing our interviews and making it all flow so well. We could not have done this without you!

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Molly Huddle is a two-time Olympian for Team USA in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters, a six-time American record-holder, and a twenty-eight-time USA champion across road and track events. She lives between and trains in Providence, Rhode Island, and Scottsdale, Arizona, alongside her husband, Kurt Benninger, and her Yorkie mix named Rusty.

HIGH SCHOOL PRs:

Mile: 4:46

2 mile: 10:01

COLLEGE PRs:

1,500 meters: 4:22

3,000 meters: 9:08

5,000 meters: 15:32

PRO PRs:

1,500 meters: 4:08

5,000 meters: 14:42

10,000 meters: 30:13

Half marathon: 1:07:25

Marathon: 2:26

Sara Slattery is an American middle- and long-distance runner who competed in track, cross-country, and road races. Slattery has represented the United States at the IAAF World Cross-Country Championships both at the junior and senior level and was a four-time NCAA champion. She is currently the head cross-country coach for men and women at Grand Canyon University and is one of the few women coaching both teams.

HIGH SCHOOL PRs:

800 meters: 2:10

Mile: 4:47

3,200 meters: 10:12

5K: 16:50

COLLEGE PRs:

800 meters: 2:08

Mile: 4:40

1,500 meters: 4:14

3K: 9:07

5K: 15:24

PRO PRs:

Mile: 4:32

3K: 8:57

5K: 15:08

10K: 31:57

LAUGHS ALONG THE WAY

Sometimes you look back on your time in the sport and remember the moments that will always make you laugh. We wanted to hear about some funny running stories, and we hope they make you LOL, too.

DEENA KASTOR

PORT-A-POTTY PROBLEMS

During the 2003 London Marathon, I felt well-prepared to attempt Joan Benoit Samuelsons American record. Unfortunately, I couldnt poop before the race. Three miles in, the urge came and I fought with it the remainder of the race. Id always talk myself into continuing to run: Im chasing down a pack of women. Dont stop now. The next set of port-a-johns, I negotiated again: Youre shoulder to shoulder with the Olympic champion, dont lose this opportunity. The negotiating was as exhausting as the pace and distance. I fulfilled my goal that day, but it was a bigger battle than anyone could actually see!

AJE WILSON

FAKE SPLITS, REAL DIAMONDS!

At the very end of my first professional track season, I heard theres this 1,000m race in Brussels at the Diamond League. The meet asked if I could run it and said that I may want to go after the world junior record. I was initially thinking Im tired, as I had never run this long into the season in my life. Then I was talking to another athlete about it. They said Brussels is such a fun meet, you get a little diamond as a gift, theres a Jamaican afterparty, and Usain Bolt is the DJ. I was like, Oh, OK, cool! So I told them Id do it. I went to Leuven, Belgium, for a week to train before the race. I had a pre-meet workout of 10 x 400, and I was at least 20 seconds off-pace every lap! I was so worn out and so tired. But I knew if I told my coach these times, he was gonna send me home and I wouldnt get to go to Brussels. So I sent him fake times! I didnt make them too good or too bad. Then I went to Brussels and I ran. In the first 700, I was thinking,