Interview : Heli's sub three marathon PR and BQ

Runner Background

Name: Heli Carrillo (HC)
Age: 38
Location:Los Angeles
Occupation: Programmer Analyst for Kaiser Permanente

Race History
Running Since: 2004
Total # of Races: 38
# of 5k's:5
# of 10k's:7
# of 13.1's: 14
# of 26.2's: 12

Dirty Trail Shoes (DTS) first interview with a badass runner, friend and colleague, Heli.  Heli has been trying to Boston Qualify (BQ) for sometime but with his young age and gender a 3:15 is a real tough bar to reach.  His last BQ attempt was LA Marathon back in March of this year and he came in 3:35.  However, after doing more strength training, loosing 5 pounds he killed his goal time of 3:10 with a 2:58:35.  Here is how he smashed his goal.

DTS: You’re training for the Azusa REVEL Canyon City Race. Is this your 1st?

HC: Yes, its my first Azusa race.

DTS: What made you decide to do it?

HC: A friend told me about it and said it was a very fast pace course due to the downhill.

DTS: Did you follow a training plan or work with a running coach or are you just winging it?

HC: I have a running club that I joined back in July who helped me with running tips for running this race.  The tips that were helpful were tips for running a downhill race like Azusa:

1. lean forward and allow the natural force to help you run downhill.

2. Incorporate lunges and squats in my workout routing about 2 -3 times a week to help strengthen my knees for downhill running.

3. Try to get a good night rest and allow my running muscles to recover.

4. Go out and enjoy the run and try to have fun while running.

DTS: What’s your current pace?

HC: Average was 6:49 per mile.

DTS: Do you have a time goal? Most runners have 2; one that they would love to accomplish and one that they would be happy with. Or do you just wanna finish?

HC: My time goal was 3:10 since that is my Boston qualifying time for my age group.

DTS: Are you running this marathon alone?

HC: I ran the marathon with other friends but we each have our own pace.

DTS: Do you belong to a running group?

HC: Yes, I am running with USA Marathon Training on Saturday mornings.

DTS: Marathon training requires a lot of time and dedication. Did you have to make sacrifices? How did you handle that?

HC: Yes I did spend lots of early mornings getting my training runs done.

DTS: What was the best thing about training for this marathon?

HC: I really enjoyed running in different places durring my training as per recommendations from other fellow runners.

DTS: What was the worst thing about training for this marathon?

HC: I feel that I lost a lot of sleep due to late night commitments and having to get up early.

DTS: Any crazy training or running stories?

HC: My longest training run of 21 miles took me about 3 hours to complete due to the constant water stops I did.

DTS: Have you experienced any injuries during training?

HC: I had very minimal injuries but I did get some blisters from trying out different running sock
brands.

DTS: You trained for this race during the summer. How was that versus the current cooler temps? Which is harder?

HC: It felt about the same for me since most of my runs were done in the early mornings.

DTS: Did you train solo or with friends? Which do you prefer?

HC: During the week I trained with some friends but in the weekends I ran with my running club.

DTS: What has this experience taught you about yourself?

HC: That we can do anything that we set in our minds to do.

DTS: Longest Training Run to Date?

HC:  I had a 21 mile training run that was done partly on the road and partly on a trail.

DTS: How many miles did you typically run in a week? And what was the most miles done in a single week?

HC: I averaged between 35 to 45 miles a week.

DTS: Current Training Shoe?

HC: Brooks GTS14

DTS: Is there anything you feel you need to work on?

HC: I can work on pacing myself so that I can have a strong finish.

DTS: Got any Advice/Tips about marathon training you wanna share?

HC: Running alone is great but including body weight exercises like squats, lunges and core exercises are a plus to helping one achieve their goal.

DTS: What is your fluid and fuel strategy for running a fast marathon?

HC: I began to drink fluids at the first water station but since it was a cool day I started with small amounts like a fourth cup of water if that. Every other water station I will take the GaterAid/PowerAid for the electrolytes. I had a bowl of oatmeal before the race began then I had an energy gel every 6 miles into the race. At about mile 20 I had a energy gel with 1 shot of caffeine to help with the last 6.2 miles.

DTS: You ran a 3:34:31 at the LA Marathon in March of this year. How did you go from a 3:34 to sub3? Are you going to bottle and sell your secret?

HC: I feel that I trained a little harder and included the body weight exercises that I mentioned above. It also helped that Azusa Revel race was a fast pace downhill race which gives the advantage of getting a better time. Oh, and I also lost 5 pounds between LA marathon and Azusa Revel which allowed me to run a lighter and faster.

DTS: Congratulations on your BQ and PR run!