Thursday, February 07, 2013

Cal's Deborah Maier lessons learned and wanting titles in 2013

Former Ponderosa HS (SJS) and current Cal Berkeley runner, Deborah Maier:

Watch more video of 2013 Indoor Track and Field on Flotrack on flotrack.org

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Track Interview the a football Stadium? Really.

Nils said...

Anonymous 5:25 pm, she might have been running up and down the steps. They go a lot higher at Memorial Stadium than at Edwards Field. Or, she might have been at the beginning or end of a run up Strawberry Canyon; the Stadium is at the bottom of the canyon. Or maybe it just looked cooler because it's brand new and Edwards was built just after the invention of the wheel. :)

Albert Caruana said...

Is the location of the interview really being discussed? How about the content of the interview?

Nils said...

Well, I'll bite. What does it say about the intensity of programs that she finds not running in one sport is necessary to get the performance she wants in the other? Ideally, I would (I guess naively) think that XC and Track complement each other, helping one stay fit without getting stale from overtraining. I can see concentrating harder on one ore the other. But does a very serious runner have to totally skip one of the two?

Coach Ozzie said...

Deborah Maier is out of eligibility in cross country, so she could not have competed this past fall. She must have red shirted in track at some point, which is why she has another season remaining. That's the simple answer to your question.

When you ask the question of one sport complimenting the other though, consider other factors than the intensity of the program. In particular, consider the duration of her competitive year. Last year Deborah Maier competed in cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track (including NCAA's each season) and her outdoor season, which started in March, beyond the typical college season all the way through the trials in July. That is a long time to be competing without a real chance to transition back into a true base phase. Even if her first all out effort came at NCAA cross in November, that is still nine straight months of racing. At some point the body needs rest. This was a good opportunity for her to do so.

Nils said...

Coach Ozzie, thanks for explaining Ms Maier's schedule. And especially for showing how Indoor makes it hard to get a break; I've been wondering about that!

Popular Posts