Part 1: Houston Marathon Q&A
- Katy Jermann
- Jan 26, 2019
- 8 min read
Updated: Feb 5, 2019
On Wednesday morning, Tyler and I carried about our morning ritual per usual. Tyler makes the coffee - I make the bed. Tyler puts away any leftover dishes from dinner - I feed the cats. After those early morning "power 5 minutes", we reunite on the couch to sip coffee and read books (or for Tyler, research articles) as our sleepy cats climb onto our laps. An hour later, no kidding, when we'd typically begin to bundle up for a winter run we instead received a phone call from a longtime journalist for the Des Moines Register, who had followed my career beginning in high school and Tyler's as soon as he stepped foot on Iowa State's campus. Below is part 1 of that interview (or click here).
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Mile posts: Q&A with Iowan, U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier Katy Jermann
Lance Bergeson, bergeson@dmreg.comPublished 11:38 p.m. CT Jan. 24, 2019 | Updated 9:31 p.m. CT Jan. 25, 2019
Katy (Moen) Jermann had a debut marathon experience Sunday most runners would envy. The former Wapsie Valley (Fairbank) High School and Iowa State two-time All-American easily gained the ‘A’ standard for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials with a time of 2 hours, 33 minutes and 41 seconds at the Chevron Houston Marathon. Jermann had to run under 2:37:00 to earn the best standard.
Jermann, 26, never truly hit the wall, running the second half (1:15) faster than the first half (1:18) while finishing as the second-best American female. The two-time Big 12 Conference champion said she was nervous running that far for the first time, but credits her coach, Team USA Minnesota’s Chris Lundstrom, for preparing her to thrive in that environment. Jermann’s husband, Tyler, is also a Team USA Minnesota athlete and an Iowa State graduate. He finished ninth overall Sunday in the men’s race while also earning the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials standard. It was quite a day for the Jermann household.
I interviewed the couple Wednesday. In a Q and A with Katy here, she talks about how her morning in Houston went perfectly, how she feels about becoming a Trials qualifier like her older brother Josh Moen, the long road back from a serious injury in 2016 and how she and Tyler reconnected after their time at Iowa State.
LB: First of all Katy, congrats on such a fantastic first marathon.
KJ: (Giggling) I was definitely surprised. Twenty-six miles is a really long ways. Before I was really nervous about that distance. I had never run that far. Trying to understand how to commit to that pace and trusting the preparation was difficult to grasp leading into it. I am glad it paid off that well. I feel like I got lucky with my first experience. There are so many variables.
LB: Did you have confidence you could get the Olympic Trials ‘A’ standard?
KJ: He (Tyler) knew it was in me. Coach Lundo (Lundstrom) would have agreed with Tyler. With their support and belief in me, it was nice.
LB: What kind of a plan did you have going in?
KJ: My approach to it was a little non-traditional. I didn’t have a time goal. I tried to go in and be patient and feel good the first 18 miles. I preform best when I am keeping in check with how I’m feeling going into the race. I do best when I feel in control. That was my main goal. I knew I should be somewhere in between 2:30 and 2:40. I thought that (2:33) could be a possibility.
LB: So you never hit the wall?
KJ: I guess not. I think preparation with Lundo, he had prepared me so well. I started training in August for this race and getting up to the high mileage and high workouts. He also stressed being conservative and having a good experience. Wow, I feel better and feel amazing. I’m thankful for his encouragement.
LB: What was your fastest mile?
KJ: I did go out about 6-minute pace. My slowest was 6:05. My fastest mile was near the end, mile 23, I ran 5:28. (Pause) Mile 21 was also 5:28. Mile 22 was 5:38.
LB: Wow. That’s moving.
KJ: I had been progressing (faster) about 5 seconds every four or five miles. I had gotten down to 5:35 or 5:30 (pace). I had a good group of guys around me. They were encouraging me. I kept telling myself, “Stop looking at your watch. Just run.”
LB: So you must have negative splitted?
KJ: Yes. I ran 78 (minutes) for the first half and 75 (minutes) for the second half. I felt pretty smooth throughout. The support throughout the course was great. My name Katy was on my bib. It was a lot of encouragement from the crowds. I was having a blast. The last two miles were difficult. We were running in a bit of a headwind.
LB: When did you know you had the ‘A’ standard and could enjoy it?
KJ: I enjoyed it from the gun. In terms of ‘A’ standard, I didn’t focus on paces. I think it would be best if I didn’t know was 2:37 pace was. I was fairly naïve throughout the race. I was focusing on having a good experience throughout the race.
LB: You must have heard from your brother, Josh. I’m sure he welcomed you to the Olympic Marathon Trials club.
KJ: Yep. Josh has given me huge support. It means a lot coming from him, too, having done this before. He tries to not put too much pressure on me. So he really tries to be in a supportive role. Hearing his support for me and excitement for me was great.
LB: How was your training plan different than past races?
KJ: He (Lundstrom) had me focus on more of the mileage. He focused on one or two major workouts during the week, just a lot of long sustained efforts. Most miles I ran a week was 100 miles.
LB: How does that compare to your mileage in college and earlier as a pro?
KJ: Towards the end of college I was running 80-85 miles a week. Same the first year here. After I came back from my injury, it was more about 60 miles and then holding at 80-90 miles.
LB: What injury was that?
KJ: I tore my plantar fascia. That created a slew of injuries. I tore it over a centimeter. I took four full months off. That was in May 2016. I was back running in November. In March of 2017, I had two stress reactions in one foot. Lundo was very patient and tried to get my body strong. At that point it was about slowing down and getting my bone density up. So Houston (half marathon) last year was my first race back from the injury.
LB: Was that your first half marathon?
KJ: It was my second.
LB: Did you run about 1:15 or so?
KJ: It was very slow, 1:18 or 1:19. It was probably an off day to start. I was just building back up. It is neat to see the progression throughout the year. I raced the USA 15K Championship in March and ran 5:45 pace. At Cherry Blossom (Ten Mile), I ran 5:45 pace. At Grandma’s (Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon), 5:35 pace. My fitness came around.
LB: Give me one of your go-to workouts during the marathon cycle.
KJ: It would be like running a 4-mile warmup and then running 15 miles at marathon pace. And then another 4-mile cooldown. Also, three-by-three miles at half marathon pace with a three-minute rest in between.
LB: How do you train for a January marathon in Minnesota?
KJ: Being super flexible and being really open to running on a treadmill to be safe. Overdressing and wearing a lot of layers. Knowing that it’s icy and snowy, you have to slow down a bit. Thankfully in Minnesota the whole community is out running and being active. It’s fun to watch people on the lakeside skating. Tyler and I didn’t do any workouts on the treadmill. It was a mild winter. Up until now.
LB: I want to know how did you and Tyler get together after Iowa State?
KJ: We both were in the same incoming class at Iowa State. I had joked because we weren’t the best of friends the first two years. Throughout college we developed a friendship and camaraderie. He was one that I could look to for support. It was just a slow development. Once we realized we were committed to each other, it didn’t take long.
Our group did a training camp in Flagstaff (Arizona) or five or six weeks. He scheduled some pit stops in Minneapolis before coming home to Chicago. We started dating in January 2017. I don’t think he was considering moving here. A few months later he decided to move (to Minnesota). He moved in July and joined the team in September.
LB: You’ve been married about a year, haven’t you?
KJ: June of last year. Seven months.
LB: Do you get home to Iowa much?
KJ: My dad at the moment is retired and he comes up to visit frequently. He has some temporary housing in the (Twin) Cities. I don’t have much of a reason to go home unfortunately with my brother and his family being up here. He’s just testing it (living in Twin Cities) out.
LB: What does your schedule look like the rest of the year?
KJ: I will take these next two weeks off. And then we will rebuild for the (USA) 15K (Championship) in March. It will be a quick turnaround. I feel like my recovery is going pretty well. I don’t have much of a drive to be on the track. This spring will replicate a bit of last year, doing the USA road racing circuit races. Cherry Blossom, Get in Gear, USA Half in Pittsburgh. Freihofer’s. Finally Garry Bjorklund (Half Marathon) in Duluth. Try to finish in the top 10 in races. And then refocusing for a fall marathon.
LB: How difficult will it be coming back from the big effort you gave at Houston?
KJ: I think the way Lundo has trained me in the fall has left a lot in my legs. I’m just trusting it will be similar. I think being a little conservative (in the race) was smart for me and will help me. Ideally the spring will feel natural.
LB: Now that you’ve run a 2:33 marathon do you target a sub-2:30 in the next few years?
KJ: I guess I want to see how good I can get in it. I do operate better with more abstract goals. Anything faster (than 2:33). I don’t want to put a cap on it. In the fall I want to do more of a hillier marathon.
LB: So you might do Twin Cities?
KJ: We’re working through that and see how the spring goes. It would be wonderful to run in the Twin Cities.
LB: Where do you work?
KJ: My main part-time job is a Title I reading interventionist at a school. It’s a charter school, Level Up (Academy). I also help out at Washburn High School with their cross country and track teams. Lundo also coaches there. I also work at the Twin Cities Running Company on weekends. I like to have multiple avenues of work and community.
LB: You are very busy. How do you juggle work and training?
KJ: Thankfully because of the charter school I have a lot of flexibility. I created my own schedule. I have the options to work out in the morning and afternoon. Three days a week I will do a double (workout). Typically on the weekends I work at the store, but I pulled back a little bit because of the marathon training this fall and winter. I was on my feet too much.
Coming up next week, my interview with Tyler Jermann.
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You can also visit this article online through the Des Moines Register at:
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/sports/2019/01/25/mile-posts-q-iowan-us-olympic-marathon-trials-qualifier-katy-jermann/38952755/
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