An Interview with Heather Hanscom

Heather Hanscom quickly established herself as a marathon contender when she won the 2003 Marine Corps Marathon in 2:37:59. She then ran a PR of 2:31:53 to place sixth in the 2004 Olympic Trials. Now, after battling injuries for the last few years, she is preparing for her second OT Marathon.

Boston Athletic Association: How did you first become involved in the sport?

Heather Hanscom: I started running with Dad when I was little. Then I joined the middle school track team. I was a sprinter and a hurdler who sometimes ran the 1320 yard race (the longest race) because we only had a few girls on the team.

B.A.A.: You had surgery for a brain tumor when you were just a freshman in high school. Could you tell us a little about that experience? And at what point were you able to begin running again?

H.H.: I was 14 when they found the tumor. I learned a lot about life in a very short period of time. When I talk about my experience it is very surreal, it seems like a lifetime ago yet I remember every detail like it happened this morning. On October 3 Dad and I went to Primus, the out-patient military clinic. I had been there twice already the previous summer for the same symptoms: frequent headaches, blindness when I stood up, some headaches that were so bad I would lie on the floor all day and when I opened my eyes it was like I was looking into the sun, and some headaches that hurt so badly but would go away after I threw up. The clinic was full of patients that afternoon so they called in a neurologist. She happened to pick my file out of the stack and looked into my eyes during the exam. Dad and I were sent straight to Walter Reed for a CAT scan. They found the tumor that night. I can still see the screen and hear my dad telling me the news. After a day of cognitive testing and MRIs I had the surgery early Tuesday morning, October 5. Dr. Eckland was my surgeon. After I qualified for the 2004 marathon Trials I called Walter Reed to try to track him down. He had just been transferred back to the hospital and I was able to tell him what I had done since the surgery and thank him.

I am blessed. I know it’s only by God’s grace that I am still here today and I say a prayer everyday, usually during my morning run, thanking Him for the day and the many blessings in my life. I beat the odds; I have made it 15 years cancer-free.

Overall, I recovered pretty quickly. I had lost a lot of blood and my skull was healing, so I was not allowed to run or do pretty much anything for about six months after the surgery. Of course I did little things I wasn’t supposed to (sledding, jumping off the diving board), but I listened when the doctor said “if you hit your head or jump around too much we are going to have to do surgery again to put the bones in your head back in place.” I do remember the first time I ran though. Our dog, Joy, had run across the street and I went to get her. She was maybe 200m away. I ran over to get her, back to our yard with her, and then proceeded to lie on the front lawn for about half an hour, I was spent.

B.A.A.:What was your collegiate running career at James Madison like?

H.H.: College was great. I loved every aspect of running and academics at JMU. I started college thinking I was going to be an 800m runner and by my fourth year I was running the 10,000m. Pat Henner was the coach my first three years. He is a great coach and I really improved under him both as a runner and a person. When he left to coach at Georgetown, Dave Rinker came to JMU. The last two years of college (I was on the super-senior five-year program) were rocky. I ran well my last cross country season and then battled injuries for the rest of the time. I would strain my hamstring, not run for two weeks, get put in the 10K, something would pop 10-15 laps into the race, finish the race, not run for two weeks, and the cycle kept going. That was frustrating.

B.A.A.:When did you first decide to attempt the marathon distance, and how did you adjust your training to prepare?

H.H.: Coach Matt [Centrowitz] told me at Newport Running Camp in August that I should run a marathon. We decided on the Marine Corps Marathon that was at the end of October [2003].

My training actually didn’t change that much. I had planned to go to Maine for a week with my best friend after camp. When I got back at the end of August, it was all “marathon training.” I think the only really difference was that morning runs got a little longer and the intervals may have been longer. I just did whatever Coach Matt said, he’s the magic man.

B.A.A.:Though you ran your first marathon back in 2003, you're still relatively new to the distance, having only run three marathons so far. Do you feel like you're still learning the event?

H.H.: Definitely. I feel that although you learn something from each race you run, each marathon is a beast unto itself and will teach you something new. No matter how many marathons you have run I think it’s always learning experience, that’s the beauty of running.

B.A.A.:You ran a big PR of 2:31:53 at the 2004 Olympic Trial, placing sixth. What were your expectations going into that race? And could you walk us through how the race unfolded for you?

H.H.: My only expectation for the race was to run as hard as I could, to leave everything out on the course. Coach Matt prepared me really well for that, mentally and physically.

The first few miles of the race I was really relaxed and with the pack. Once we got to the main loop, it really broke apart. I wanted to run controlled the first loop around the park and then start picking people off. So that’s what I did. I worked my way up to Jen [Rhines] and Magda [Lewy-Boulet] and ran with them for a bit. That’s when I noticed that my feet were really hurting (I did not wear socks in the race, for some unknown reason that made perfectly good sense before the race started). I fell off of them but just tried to keep plugging away.

B.A.A.:You won your debut marathon, Marine Corps, in the fall of 2003, and then ran the Olympic Trials just a few months later. You didn’t run another marathon for more than three years after that -- why the delay?

H.H.: Health problems. I tried to come back to quickly and did a little over training and have had some injuries over the last few years. It’s been a bit frustrating.

B.A.A.:After living and training in the Washington D.C. area for a number of years, you recently moved out to Eugene, OR. What led to that change of scenery, and how is it working out for you so far?

H.H.: I initially moved because after the injury in ’05 and having to pull out of the World Marathon team, Coach Matt suggested that I move and train with a group. We were both frustrated and he made the suggestion so that I could have a little more structure and people to train with. I talked with Gags [Frank Gagliano] and a week after I got back from Finland I moved to Flagstaff, AZ, for four months of altitude training before joining up with the Farm Team in Palo Alto, CA.

I initially moved to Eugene because the Farm Team, now OTC-Elite, was going to move up there as well. Gags put in a call to Matt Lonergan and he was willing to work with me. Training under him and with Marla [Runyan] was great, but in the end it wasn’t really working out. So, I switched over to Mike Manley. I have had some mechanical issues that I am still trying to work out, but training gets better every day and my leg gets stronger and straighter. Mike is just a great coach and great person and I really enjoy working with him. Plus, Gags and Vin [Lananna] are nice enough to let me work out and run with the OTC group a couple times a week.

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?

H.H.: Awesome! After the Trials in ’04 I went to the Boston Marathon to cheer on fellow Pacers’ teammates. They had a group of guys competing that I trained with in DC. The whole Boston Marathon is so amazing in every aspect; I am thrilled that the next Trials will be done in conjunction with such a phenomenal and historical event. I also think it is especially important for American distance running itself. It is an incredible opportunity to involve not only the general running community but the general public as well. Marathoning has really taken off in the last few years and for so many people to be able to come and watch and support runners who will be representing America in Beijing is just good for the sport.

Plus, my friend Chris Farley has a marathon PR of 2:31.46, seven seconds faster than mine. We have a little side competition going because I race on Sunday and he is running the marathon on Monday. The real Boston course is a little hillier than the criterium loop of the Trials, but it’s all about bragging rights.

B.A.A.:What are your goals and expectations for the 2008 Olympic Trials?

H.H.: To run as hard as I can and leave everything on the course.

B.A.A.:How would you characterize your training philosophy, and how has it evolved over the years?

H.H.: Just do whatever the coach says. I figure that I trust my coach. I have been blessed with great coaches: Henner, Matt C, Jack, Gags and now Mike. Training just works if I listen to them. Over the last two years I have had to learn, the hard way, to listen to my body a little more. I think that my body just needs to keep up with what I want to do, and that is true in certain phases of training, just not all the time. Sometimes you need to recover.

B.A.A.:Who has been your biggest influence in running?

H.H.: Dad, my coaches and my training partners (both at Brooks and the OTC group) influence my running everyday.

Dad because he is the one that I first started running with. He always supports me whether I am running well or struggling through an injury, he is always there reminding me I can do it. We run in a lot of the same road races as well. It’s fun to see him and my sister Marie out there running and cheering me on at the same time.

My coaches (Matt C, Gags, Mike) and training partners (especially Brendon Mahoney, Sean Graham and Chris Farley) have also really kept me going. Without them I don’t think that I would still be running. When I was going through several really rough patches, they were so positive and encouraging and they have this faith in me, that I can still reach my goals. I don’t think they know this (they will now) but they really keep me going. Plus, to be able to interact with teammates and coaches who are out there supporting each other and striving for this lofty goal of making an Olympic team is truly a blessing.

B.A.A.:Who inspires you?

H.H.: Dad because he is always there for his family supporting us in whatever we strive to do. My sister Teresa because she is one of the bravest people I know. And the runners I coach in the Eugene Marathon group and the Thursday Night Group. We are all out there for the same reason, to chase our goals and because we enjoy it, and they remind me of that every week.

B.A.A.:What do you do to relax and unwind?

H.H.: When I’m not working, coaching or running? I like to have fun with friends, hike, read, paint, play the piano, and laugh. I’m pretty easily entertained.

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

H.H.: I am trying to learn Finnish so that I can talk to my best friend and her family (they are from Finland). My ultimate goal is to be able to hold a conversation before her son Onni, who is seven months old, can speak.