Running: Flanagan breaks American record in 10,000-meter debut

Tuesday, May 06, 2008 - 07:35 PM

Shalane Flanagan complicated her plans for the Beijing Olympics on Sunday when she set a U.S. record in her 10,000-meter track debut. Flanagan ran 30 minutes, 34.49 seconds in Stanford, Calif., to break Deena Kastor's 2002 mark of 30:50.32.

Now Flanagan, who ran the 5,000 at the 2004 Olympics, has to decide if she'll run the 5,000 as planned at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore., or switch to the 10,000. A double is impractical.

"We'll have to sit down and look at where my best chances to medal are," said Flanagan, 26, who last year set U.S. records at 5,000 outdoors and 3,000 indoors. "I don't know where I stack up against people in the world. I'll talk with my coach and we'll consult with a lot of people I'm sure."

Flanagan finished eighth at last year's world championships in the 5,000, fatigued after a long season that re-established her career after a couple of sub-par years due to a foot injury. This year the plan is to get to Beijing as fresh as possible.

She made her record run at the Payton Jordan Stanford Invitational look easy. She and runner-up Kim Smith, who set a New Zealand record (30:35.54), traded the lead after the rabbit dropped out at about the midway point.

"We don't ever preplan to help each other, but it just seems to work out that way once we get on the track," Flanagan said. "Last night it felt more like a workout, like we were teammates and just switching laps and helping each other achieve a big goal of running fast.

"Not until the last lap did I kind of remind myself, 'Hey, this is a race, you know. You should make an effort to maybe win.' There was so much camaraderie I didn't feel the need to beat Kim. I felt the need to beat the clock."

John Cook, Flanagan's coach, told her before the race she was capable of 30:30. "I was kind of baffled at that," Flanagan said. "I thought for a debut, that's really a big goal." Clearly the distance isn't a stretch for Flanagan, who won two NCAA cross country titles at North Carolina.

"I'm really glad I did a 10K because it presented a new challenge and it's opened my eyes to the possibility of longer distances," said Flanagan, whose parents were good marathoners. "My genetic makeup, I think, is predisposed to the longer distances, but I really have a fun time trying to fine tune my speed."

Flanagan, Cook and their training group plan to spend the next two weeks training at altitude at U.S. Olympic Committee headquarters in Colorado Springs She's not sure if she'll race again before the trials, which will be held June 27 to July 6. If she does, it could be a 1,500.

"Something nice and short to be able to recover quickly from," she said. "I just want to make sure I recover to the best of my ability and bounce back from the 10K. I actually feel pretty good. My calves are a little torn up; my feet are a little sore.

"There's no sense in pushing it. We know I'm fit. We don't have to worry about that. It's just making sure I get to the starting line healthy enough and hungry to race."

The only question is whether it's the start of the 5,000 or 10,000. The general plan is clear: "To run fast and run for a medal," Flanagan said.