Former NCAA Champ Competes in First Half Marathon Sunday in Boston

By Scott Bush

Betsy Saina is having one heck of a 2014 season. The former Iowa State standout and NCAA Champion, who now trains with the American Distance Project, is enjoying her first full season season as a professional. She's set new personal bests across the board, including a world #5 ranking in the 5,000m event with her 14:39.49 effort in Monaco back in July, as well as a world #3 best over 10,000m when she dipped under 31 minutes with her third place 30:57.30 at Payton Jordan. With all her success, Saina has one last challenge to conquer - the half marathon.

On Sunday morning at the B.A.A. Half Marathon, Saina competes against a talented field, including Molly Huddle, Mary Wacera and Mamitu Daska. We caught up with Saina before the final race of her season, chatting about her transition to being a professional, the continued improvement on the track and why she's choosing to take on the half marathon distance now.

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Scott Bush (SB): The B.A.A. Half Marathon takes place this Sunday, which just so happens to be your debut half marathon. How are you feeling going into Sunday's race and what expectations do you have for yourself?

Betsy Saina (BS): The B.A.A. Half will be another exciting opportunity for me, I am a bit anxious and excited at the same time to see what this new distance has in store for me. My expectation is to be competitive while having fun, I am eager to gain experience in this new event. It’s one of those races that I will be racing with no pressure, all I have in mind is to put myself into the mix and be competitive as possible. It will be fun to see what I will do.

SB: You've had tremendous success on the track. Why jump into a half marathon now?

BS: Looking at my schedule, the B.A.A. Half comes at the right time for me. It’s at the end of the season and I don’t have to take too much risk, like the case if I was to jump into something new in the middle of the season.

As for why half, I have always been fond of long distance and I believe that I will eventually move up in distance. Experience is the key for me, it’s a distant that I will be doing lots in future so I want to just face it now and that way I will be aware of how half marathons feel. I will be competitive while learning.

SB: How has your training changed from a focus on running fast on the track to running fast in a 13.1 mile race on the roads? What, if anything, have you been doing differently?

BS: Nothing really changed that much, my training all season has been geared towards 10k. I know 21k is different but my foundation is pretty solid. The last few weeks since coming back from Europe we have essentially focused in long tempo workouts. Otherwise it’s been almost the same routine as it was during track season.

SB: After the half marathon this Sunday, will you be done racing for the season or are there any other races on your 2014 racing calendar at this point?

BS: Yes. Sunday will be my last race of the season. It has been a great season for me, I hate to see it come to an end, but I will have to shut it down on Sunday and start my long awaited off-season. I hope to be ready for next year so the earlier the off- season the better.

SB: 2014 has been your first full season as a professional. What's the transition been like for you from the life of a collegiate athlete to being a professional distance runner?

BS: My rocky season has been great, it was a bit challenging at the beginning, but with time everything fell into place. Being a collegiate athlete was way different from being a pro athlete. Being pro comes with a lot of responsibilities, I am constantly making decisions that will affect my career and life in one way or another.

In college, life was a little bit soft with all support structures surrounding student- athletes. But, being in Colorado Springs I have transitioned myself with the support of my coach and teammates and I am enjoying every bit of training.

SB: You're training with the American Distance Project in Colorado Springs. How is your training different in the group compared to what you were doing at Iowa State?

BS: Actually maybe the question would have been how similar the two programs. When making the decision to join the group, I looked into Coach Scott Simmons’ training philosophy and it was very close to what my coach Corey [Ihmels] did at Iowa State. Corey did a great job preparing my aerobic foundation and Coach Scott built on that foundation. Both coaches are firm believers of strength training. I am glad to have these two amazing coaches in my life.

SB: When you're away from the track and the gym, what do you like to do in your free time? What are your hobbies?

BS: When am not on the trails or track I am in kitchen. I love cooking well and sleeping, too! My life is sometimes weird since I love staying indoors unlike other athletes who will get out to have fun. It’s something that I started back in college, cook, eat and sleep and maybe watch a little.

SB: You were born and raised in Kenya, but have lived the past few years in the United States. What was the culture shift like for you when you arrived in the United States as a freshman in college and how often do you get back to Kenya to visit family?

BS: There was a lot of culture shocks when I first showed up at Iowa State and coming into January, during winter, in Iowa wasn't fun at all. But I have come to appreciate my time at Iowa State. Huge changes in terms of food and tradition in the U.S., but I was lucky to find myself in a place with some Kenyan student-athletes, great teammates and coach Corey who had experience coaching internationals, so they helped me adjust to the system quickly.

I go home often, it was hard while in college, but now I can go home anytime I want. Schedule-wise, I am really hoping to go train in Kenya for the winter.