A Big Weekend, A Big Year for Steeple Champ

By Scott Bush

After a dominating 2012, which saw two-time USA steeplechase champion Emma Coburn dominate the event, win the USA Track and Field Olympic Trials and finish ninth at the Olympic Games in London, Coburn came back in 2013 to win the NCAA indoor mile title and NCAA steeplechase title. Unfortunately, Coburn's season was cut short by an injury, so the Boulder-based runner took time off, healed up and took time to focus on building up for 2014. 

After Coburn's runner-up 2k performance at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix last weekend, Coburn is now ready to take on a loaded mile field at the NYRR Millrose Games. We caught up with Coburn this week, discussing this weekend's race, her goals for 2014 and much, much more.

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Scott Bush (SB): You came in second in a very strong field at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix last week, kicking off your 2014 season. How do you feel the race went for you and are you happy with the result?

Emma Coburn (EC): I'm happy with the race. It was an event I have never raced, so it was really nice to start my season with because I had nothing to compare it to. I could just go out, try and remember the intricacies of racing, and not worry about a big PR or running a certain time.

SB: With a high-caliber race under your belt, how are you feeling heading into the NYRR Millrose Games this weekend in New York City?

EC: The field at Millrose is really elite so I'm looking forward to getting to the starting line and seeing what I can do. This will be my second race in 8 days, but only my second race in 8 months, so I'm hoping the New Balance Grand Prix gave me some race confidence to compete well at Millrose. Running NBIGP was a great way to break the ice!

SB: You'll be facing an incredibly talented field over the mile distance. What are your expectations heading intoSaturday's race?

EC: Though not primarily a miler, I do have some racing experience over that distance. Last year I raced at Millrose and won the NCAA mile, so was able to compete against some of the country's top milers. I may not be as seasoned as some, but I feel like I have enough racing experience to not be intimidated by the fact that I'm not viewed strictly as a miler. That being said, I don't have many specific expectations for Saturday. I'd love to PR and be competitive during the race but no matter what, it's going to be exciting just to be a part of the field.

SB: It's still so early in the 2014 racing season. What type of workouts are you putting in this time of year?

EC: The last couple weeks I've just been trying to get ready for the New Balance Grand Prix and Millrose. Boulder has had an extra snowy January so some of our training has been adjusted. For example, if our track is under a foot of snow, we'll have to do a threshold work on the paved and plowed creek path. So this early in the season, with Boulder's current weather, the workouts have been a little different.

SB: What's the hardest part of getting back into racing?

EC: Just based on the New Balance meet, the hardest part was finding the extra gear at the end of the race. That's something we can't mimic in practice very well and is something your body remembers to do after racing a few times.

SB: You had an injury that knocked you out of championship competition this past year. What was that recovery like and how hard was it to mentally deal with an injury?

EC: I was really lucky in my recovery process because of the timing of my injury. I was injured in the beginning of June, we immediately ruled out rushing back for fall road races and so I knew that I didn't have to get back to racing until indoor 2014.  Obviously, getting hurt in June was heartbreaking because I had to skip USAs and the summer season, but there was a silver lining there. I had 8 months to fully recover and slowly get back into shape. I was pretty relaxed in my time off and conservative in my cross training. I didn't spend 5 hours a day at the gym trying to stay in shape. My coaches and I were realistic and decided not to push anything too hard until the fall once I started running. In September when I started training again I was able to train uninterrupted, without pain, immediately because I took my off period as a real recovery period to let me body heal 100%.

SB: You're teammates with medalists Jenny Simpson AND Kara Goucher. What the heck is that like?

EC: It's great! I get asked this question a lot now and it's always "Jenny Simpson and Kara Goucher" but really to me, they're just Jenny and Kara and they are normal, awesome people. I've looked up to both of them in college and was star stuck the first time I talked with each of them. But now they are just Jenny and Kara, my training partners and friends. They are normal people who happen to be insanely talented and tough. It's great getting to be around them and being able to learn from them. They both have been through the gauntlet in their running careers: successes, shortcomings, big moves, medals, coaching changes, records, media hype, everything imaginable. It's super helpful to have them as resources to talk to about running but it's even better to have them around as normal non-track-talking friends.

SB: How have you evolved as an athlete over the past few seasons?

EC: I think since I started racing international races in 2011, I've gained a bit of a sense of calm. I used to be really nervous on the starting line of races- big or small- and over the past few years I've felt pretty peaceful standing out there. Obviously there are butterflies, but I'm much more sure of my abilities and know that I can handle the pressure.