An Interview with Turena Johnson Lane

Turena Johnson Lane was a five-time NCAA champion at Luther College. As a pro she has won a U.S. 20K title (2004) and ran her marathon PR at the 2005 IAAF World Championships. She recently ran 2:44:23 in the 2007 Boston Marathon.

Boston Athletic Association: How did you first become involved in the sport - and when did you first realize you had a future as a distance runner?

Turena Johnson Lane: I first began running when I was 8 years old with my dad. He was trying to get in shape himself and would leave the house to go for a run. One day I asked if I could go with and I haven't stopped since. I was hooked from day one.

B.A.A.: Can you talk about how you went from that point to making the leap to the marathon?

T.J.L.: I think I always knew that the marathon was my future, but it was just a matter of building myself up to handle the mileage necessary to be successful at the event. I have also been a lower mileage runner, compared to most, so it has taken me a while to get there. In high school my highest mileage week was 25 tops, my freshman year of college was 40, senior year 60, and now during marathon training it is consistently between 90-120 miles. There has certainly been a progression but it does take patience and time.

B.A.A.: You were a national champion in Division III in college, and you seem to have made a smooth transition into competing against the top women in the country on the roads. Was it difficult to make that leap?

T.J.L.: I have a tremendous amount of pride in where I went to college. Luther College (in Decorah, IA) has always been a very special place and I accomplished many of the goals that I set for myself when I was there. That being said, when I step up to a starting line of a race being distinguished as a Division III runner is not what I'm thinking about. I am there to race just like everybody else. At the end of the day it is about performance.

B.A.A.: You ran your PR (2:34:43) at the 2005 IAAF World Championships in Helsinki. What did it mean for you to be selected for a national team?

T.J.L.: It is always an honor to represent your country and the World Champs was an incredible experience. The energy of the crowds on the course, the city of Helsinki itself, the passion of the track fans inside the stadium . . .  it was definitely one of the highlights of my career.

B.A.A.: Walk us through your Helsinki race. Did you go into the race thinking you were in shape to run a PR?

T.J.L.: When I'm marathon training I never feel in shape! My coach is always throwing in different elements into workouts so it never feels like it gets any easier.

The race itself started at 2 p.m. in the afternoon with 56 runners, so [it was] a bit atypical from most races. I think through the first 5K I was in last place. I knew that I just had to run my race knowing that others would get caught up in the excitement and go out too fast. I gradually kept moving up and by the end there was a pack of five or six of us that were working together. I think all my 5K splits were within 10 seconds of each other with my last 5K being my fastest. Of course I was happy to PR, but probably more excited about putting together a solid performance, running a smart and patient race, and executing our race plan. That's what you would want for your races, but sometimes it just doesn't work out like that. In Helsinki, it did.

T.J.L.: I feel incredibly blessed to have been surrounded by people who support and encourage my in my running. It is often seems like a pretty selfish existence and I know that I couldn't have accomplished all that I have without the support from others.

I would have to say that my two biggest influences have been the two favorite men in my life: my dad and my husband.

My dad, who has since passed away, was very supportive of my running and his most important advice was to keep running as long as I was enjoying it. He said that if there was a point where I wasn't enjoying it, no matter how successful I became, then it was time to stop. After all this time, I still really am enjoying the process.

My husband, Todd, who also serves as my coach, really is the one who deserves all the credit. He has always been one to look at the long term picture and never sacrifice the long term plan for any short term gain. I trust him with my training and he makes it surprisingly easy to have a husband as your coach.

B.A.A.: What are your goals for the remainder of the 2007 season? And for 2008?

T.J.L.: The rest of 2007 will be a bit different for me than recent years. I won't do a fall marathon this year so all the usual marathon prep that happens in the summer I won't have. I'd like to spend the summer and fall focusing more on 5K/10K/Half Marathon specific training that you get away from when you're in a marathon cycle. I will do some different road races and of course the 20K National Championship in New Haven, CT, on Labor Day. And as for 2008 . . . The Olympic Trials. We don't look much past any marathon.

T.J.L.: Simple really: just trying to find out how good I can be. I want to get everything I can out of myself and running is the way I'm channeling that desire at the moment. Getting better, getting faster, trying to set new PR's still is incredibly motivating to me. If the goals are challenging enough, motivation isn't an issue.

B.A.A.: You've been amazingly consistent at the marathon distance, with almost all of your performances falling into the 2:34 to 2:40 range. What do you attribute that to? Is it your training, your race tactics, or a combination?

T.J.L.: Other than great coaching? Honestly, I would have to say it is my weaknesses. In the marathon, my weakness, my lack of speed, has become my greatest strength. I'm always a slow starter. Immediately after the starting gun goes off I'm already 50 meters behind the rest of the field! It's just the way I'm made so I try to use that to my advantage. I always try to be consistent with my splits and usually in races that means that I am WAY far behind in early stages but move up as the races progresses. I'm always the come-from-behind person. I guess I'd rather be the hunter than the hunted.

B.A.A.: Speak a little bit about your training philosophy, how it has evolved over the years, and what (if anything) you are doing differently as you prepare for the Trials.

T.J.L.: I think it is important to enjoy the process of it all. While you have these big goals that you want to achieve, and working toward them is what gets you out the door in the morning, it really is about the process of it all: The training, the journey, the people you meet along the way, all of it. If you are only focused on the end results, which can easily not meet your expectations, then you would feel it was all for nothing. But if you are focused on the process and enjoy what you are doing, even when the end result isn't what you wanted, you can still take something positive away from the experience.

For me, I feel like I've had my share of disappointment, of not getting what I've wanted out of races, but I keep coming back. I try to find value even in disappointment, and learn from that. Disappointment is also a wonderful motivator!

B.A.A.: Describe your feelings and emotions when you first qualified for the Olympic Trials. What did that accomplishment mean to you?

T.J.L.: It really does mean a lot to qualify for the Trials. You only have that opportunity every four years so you want to make the most of it. While there are other U.S. national championships every year, this is the pinnacle.

B.A.A.: What was your reaction when you heard that the Trials were going to be held in Boston on the day before the 112th Boston Marathon?

T.J.L.: Oh, I think it is going to be great. The city of Boston, The Boston Athletic Association, and race director Dave McGillivray and his staff will all do an excellent job hosting this event. I think having the 2007 U.S. Women's Marathon Championship there just got everybody even more excited. Although I had run other marathons I hadn't yet run Boston until this year. To be in the city and a part of the excitement of the weekend, you really saw first-hand what that will be like for next year.

B.A.A.: You placed 19th in the 2004 Olympic Team Trials-Women's Marathon. Was there anything that you learned from that experience that you will apply to the 2008 Trials?

T.J.L.: Yes, don't get injured before the Trials! I had gotten injured after my first marathon (when I qualified) and really didn't start running again until 12 weeks prior to the Trials. Since I was starting from nothing, we wanted to be smart about my progression and just getting to the starting line was the biggest priority. But as a result my training was a bit compromised. I think my mileage tapped out around 50 miles a week going into the Trials. It seems almost laughable now, but I just tried to do the best I could given the circumstances.

I always learn something from all my races and in the marathon, for me anyway, my most important lessons have been the most painful ones.

T.J.L.: I get inspired by all kinds of people. People who overcome obstacles. People who keep trying when it is easier to stop. The underdog. When somebody does something nice for another. In high school and college I would find inspiration everyday in my teammates and coaches. The guy who would do 20 400's and then would do a couple more just to help me finish my workout. The teammate who spent all four years just trying to make varsity. Our coaches who would give so unselfishly of themselves. If you just look around there is inspiration everywhere.

T.J.L.: When my husband isn't working, we like to go to the beach. There is no shortage of those in Miami. Just being outside and enjoying the sunshine. I'm also an avid reader. I occasionally do yoga, although I don't find that to be relaxing at all.

B.A.A.: Have you ever competed at a high level in a sport other than long distance running?

T.J.L.: No. I AM A RUNNER!

B.A.A.: You and your husband have apparently named your two dogs Tanui and Tulu, after Moses Tanui and Derartu Tulu. If you had a third dog, what would be the next name?

T.J.L.: Well, actually, my husband had wanted to name each of our dogs Asskicker, but thankfully, we compromised on a runner name. So if we had a third dog you can take a guess at the name he would want.

B.A.A.: What is something interesting that the running community may not know about you?

T.J.L.: That when my husband is out of town for work I like to spend Friday afternoons at my local Barnes & Noble with my Venti nonfat extra hot chai tea latte reading all the latest celebrity gossip magazines. Silly, really.

On the flip side, I also am the home improvement person in our house. We've lived in three different homes and I've re-done the floors in each one. I've pulled up carpet, laid hardwood floors, or re-sanded existing hardwood floors. I've also repainted the entire interior of these houses and taken down obscene amounts of wallpaper. I just had a deck built on our little patio and kick myself for not doing it myself. Of course, all this happens when my husband is out of town so it's always a surprise when he gets home!