by Larry Eder
Laura Thweatt, photo by PhotoRun.net
Laura Thweatt is an old school runner, in my mind. With a strong cross country background, Laura possesses the endurance and the patience to excel at the 26.2 mile distance. In the following piece by Carolyn Mather, one of our keenest observers of the sport notes that Laura has the tools to do well over 26.2 miles and 10,000 meters.
We concur.
The journey of 42.195 kilometers, however, starts with some patience over that first 35 kilometers. Let’s see how Laura handles the big cross country course that is the TCS New York City Marathon course through the five boroughs.
A DIFFERENT APPROACH
Laura Thweatt used to think anyone who raced a marathon was crazy but this past July she and her coach,three time Olympian Lee Troop decided to take an unique approach to her training for the track trials next summer. Building on her incredible cross country skills Thweatt changed things up by stepping on to the world stage to debut at the TCS NYC Marathon. She believes her cross country success will serve her well over the hills and bridges in arguably the toughest marathon major of the series.
Thweatt loves cross country and views her debut as a great opportunity to not only compete with the best but to get her feet wet in a new distance. She is approaching the tough course as a very long cross country type race.
Thweatt has had a series of highs and lows in her career as she spent last spring dealing with injuries. But she comes into this race healthy and well prepared with lots of strength training , both physical and mental. She has stayed with the same program that has worked for four years only adding a few longer runs.
The goal of her debut this fall is to give her an edge for track as she believes after 26.2 miles , the 10,000 on the track will seem easier. She definitely has a score to settle on the track before she becomes a true marathoner.
Thweatt intends to find out who she is by adding the grind of the marathon. She knows it will be tough, but I think she is equal to the task.
Her 12 week build up has given her new knowledge of her body and she knows herself and when to push. She intends to be smart and key off herself and run her own race. She wants to be competitive in this awesome field and race with the best. Then she will put any future marathon on the back burner until she conquers the track.
With her strength she is as ready as she can be and is ready to give it a go. Thweatt has all the tools to execute a fine debut.
