June 17-18, 2005

Shannon Murakami (Saugus)
Currently Nation's #9 1600m/Miler
How'd She Do It???

Mike Kent catches Shannon Murakami enjoying another competition!

Among the more impressive current spring seasons in California prep Track and Field circles has been the emergence of Soph Shannon Murakami of Saugus HS, who previously was a very, very solid regional runner but has emerged as one of the nation's top ten four-lappers through mid-May. Akin to the improvement since the Fall Cross-Country campaign of Alex Kosinski, another soph from Oak Ridge HS in the Sac Joaquin Section (see list above), the State is suddenly awash in national level distance runners whose improvement has been quite stunning!!

After a fine 17:38 in the Mt. SAC Fall Cross Country Sweepstakes contest (one of the top 30 times ever run on the new course there), Shannon was fifteenth in the Southern Section Division I Cross Country Finals at 18:23. In the Western Regional she was 22nd at 19:18 on the 5k course run in that competition, In the Southern Section affair, she was just short of a minute behind winner Alma Escobar (Corona) and a huge group of really fine runners in that race, and one would hope for some fine running during the spring oval season for the fine soph after her non-qualifying for state effort to end the fall season. Fine was short of any description of the upstart star's efforts through early May this track season, with the Magic Mountain area star simply emerging as among the best in the entire nation through near-championship time with a mark from her Foothill League Finals in the 1600 of 4:50.59 that marks her as the #9 individual in the entire nation in that event. Keep in mind that most of the rest of the nation is much farther along to State meet qualifying that California, with one naturally wondering what steps were taken with the young Southern Section star between the fall and spring that took her from solid regional to elite national level performances. Her League Finals 4:50.59 effort took down a long-standing League record by famed Lauren Fleshman (Canyon, Canyon Country), with a 10:47.42 3200 follow-up during the same meet, the fastest clocking from a League meet during SS qualifying a week back! The 4:50.59 marked a win over league rival Brooke Russell, with the eventual near 15 second win leaving one to believe there is more left in the "competitive tank" of the Saugus star come the fine meets she will run in during the next month!.

Coach Rene Paragas, nicely open with his willingness to share the road that Shannon took to this fine improvement since the Fall, took the time to answer the questions below about the training efforts since the Fall Cross Country campaign ended that assisted his fine star to her improvement into the spring Track and Field season. His answers to the questions posed below show that there was definitely a plan to the program that has brought his young star to the point where she is at, with the training philosophies of famous coaching names such as Arthur Lydiard and Jack Daniels utilized along the way to the successes this spring. Success has certainly not come by chance, with Coach Paragas's plan and success with his star certainly providing some food for thought for anyone setting up a training program for their athletes. Shannon does appear to be an especially motivated young lady who has taken her running quite seriously since the start of her prep career. She has learned some lessons along the way competitively during races such as the Arcadia Invitational 1600m effort against a top national field, with the next month featuring an exciting championship phase to her running that will spin out her competitive statewide and nation-wide end of season status that should be worth keeping an eye on!!!

Thanks Coach Paragas and best of luck Shannon!!
Doug Speck - DyeStatCal.com

Questions and Answers:

1) How intense was the training between the end of cross-country and the start of track--were sessions between seasons generally aimed at covering some distance or was there an attempt a couple of days per week to run intervals or take longer runs at a certain pace?

After cross-country Shannon took 10 days off with no activity at all. We then started a Lydiard build-up aimed at developing a solid base. We built up to 60 miles a week on six days of running with a 2-hour long
run. All the running was done at 8 min per mile pace trying to stay as much as possible on hills and trails. The only structured hard running we did were long hill runs. We have a local mountain we call "The Beast" that's five-miles up, which Shannon set the women's record on this past winter running 48 min up.

2) How much direction was there for workouts other than those on the typical school afternoon? (was there two a day training at all and how much was done in the second session? - how specific were the workouts
Shannon did on her own on the weekends? )

We did not run any double days at all this season. We run every Saturday together as a team or with the local running club for 8-10 miles. Later in the season we would add another quality session on
Saturdays that we did not race.

3) How has the timing of the outdoor track and field season gone as far as times achieved against how you fast you guys felt the training would have Shannon ready to race during March, April, and May?

We knew it would be a long season. We wanted to run well enough early to get into the Arcadia night meet, and we also had to be prepared to compete for the dual meet season. Fortunately, Shannon was in such
incredible condition that she could run 4:57 off of very stressful training with no tapering at all. Early in the season a pre-meet workout would be an 8 or 9 mile run. We also went with the Dr. Jack Daniel's
philosophy of working on speed (repetitions) first, then focusing more on longer classic interval work and tempo runs. It has worked out well.

4) What did you learn about racing styles and tactics from contests like the Arcadia 1600, where Shannon was 5th at 4:59 to a top national field that included Brie Felnagle from Washington running 4:48?

Arcadia was Shannon's first "big race". Shannon didn't even make it out of the Foothill League to run at CIF last year, so Arcadia was an eye-opener for her. Shannon left that race very frustrated, because it was physical, tactical (went out slow), and she said she never felt comfortable. We learned a lot that day about positioning and competing against a field of great runners. We hope to put those lessons to use later this season.