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Alan Webb teleconference
transcript
Victor Sailer photo
USATF on Thursday hosted a media teleconference with miler Alan Webb,
who
discussed his future plans and his decision to begin competition on the
professional track circuit. While training, he will continue his college
studies, having recently transferred after his freshman year from the
University of Michigan to George Mason University near his hometown of
Reston, Virginia. He will train under his high school coach, Scott Raczko
of
South Lakes High School.
While at South Lakes, Webb made history at the 2001 New Balance
Indoor Games at New York City’s Armory when he became the first
high school
miler ever to run under four minutes indoors (3:59.86).
Four months later at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon,
Webb broke the 36-year-old national high school mile record of 3:55.3
set by
Hall of Famer Jim Ryun. Webb’s 3:53.43 was the fastest mile time
by an
American on U.S. soil since 1998, and made him the 19th fastest American
in
history. As a freshman at Michigan in 2001-2002, Webb was the Big Ten
cross
country champion and an All-American in cross country and outdoor track.
Below are excerpts from Thursday’s teleconference.
Q: Tell us what you’ve been up to since the end of the college
track season.
A: Basically I returned home a few days after the NCAA meet, which was
a
planned trip. From there, I’ve made a couple of big decisions. I
had
originally planned on competing more during the summer, but after some
decisions were made, we decided to end the season a week or two after
the
NCAA meet.
I took about a month and a half off of running, and then I started slowly
back up. Now I’m getting back in the swing of things, including
losing a few
“time-off” pounds. Right now I’m training with coach
(Scott) Raczko. That’s
the situation I wanted to be in. In the fall it’s going to be pretty
low-key, preparing for the season. In the meantime we’re still going
to do
an indoor race here and there.
Q: What went into your decision to leave Michigan?
A: Obviously a lot of things. A decision like that cannot be taken lightly.
I made that decision once I got home to Virginia. I can’t really
say there
was one specific reason why, it’s just a comfort level I have in
Virginia.
Virginia is the place for me to be, now and in the future. It’s
nothing more
complicated than that.
Q: Going back to January, what did you think 2002 was going to hold for
you?
A: I had a lot of high goals. I accomplished some of them, but not all.
It’s
my philosophy that improvement is the main goal. That was the goal last
year, and it will be the goal in years to come. It’s all about becoming
a
better athlete and a better person. You never can tell. I had plans my
junior year to go to Prefontaine and break 4:00, and it didn’t happen.
But
it turned out well.
Q: When you left Michigan, you made the decision to get out of college
sports entirely. Do you feel there’s a problem with the American
college
system?
A: I feel like what I did is totally specific to my situation. I don’t
feel
the college system is negative in any sport. It’s great. In my situation,
I
wanted to live at home and return and run under my previous coach at high
school. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Michigan. I came out of it with
a
positive experience. For me, this is what I needed.
Q: Did you think at all about running for Mason?
A: Yes, I thought about running for a lot of schools.
Q. So far this year, 20 people have already run the 1,500m faster than
2:35.
How long do you think it’s going to take you to break into that
group of 20?
A: I guess you’ll have to wait and see. I’m not going to
give away the
ending.
Q: With a contract with Nike under your belt, how are you going to keep
your
motivation high?
A: There are 20 guys who have run 3:35 this year. That’s motivation
enough
for me.
Q: Is qualifying for the 2003 World Championships a priority?
A: It definitely is.
Q: What does coach Raczko get out of you that no one else does?
A: … I feel the best coach on the planet is Scott Raczko. It’s
just
something in the way his program works clicks with my body and my mentality.
I don’t know if I can explain it – he could probably explain
it better than
I could. We just stumbled upon each other. I just know that if I do what
I’m
told, I’ll run fast. It’s simple for me. That way I don’t
have to think
about if I’m doing too much, if I’m doing to little.
Q: One of the most important things in running is to believe in the training
you’re doing. Was that a factor at Michigan?
A: No. During the fall, I did really well. I was very positive about
all of
my experiences, even though I didn’t have the greatest races at
the end of
the season. But that’s up to the athlete. Ron (Warhurst) is a great
coach.
He prepared me well. I just couldn’t put it together in the races
the right
way. It just didn’t click for some reason.
Q: Are you worried at all about the pressure?
A: No, I don’t think so. If none of this happened and things had
continued
on as they were, my goals would be just as high as they are now. Things
haven’t changed in terms of what I want to do and how I want to
get there.
Q: Does the fact that (Webb’s agent) Ray Flynn is a former world
class miler
help you?
A: Ray is a great guy, and was a great athlete in my event. That was
one of
the issues that came about when I was thinking about which agent to go
with.
Ray had a great understanding of what my needs were, so the match was
there.
Q: Do you figure to compete a lot in America?
A: I do plan to continue to compete in the United States, but that is
up to
Scott.
Q: How did you inform coach Warhurst of your decision to leave Michigan?
A: He was the first person on my call list. This decision was by no means
an
easy one, but I went out on a positive note. … The moral of it is
to keep
things in perspective. You have to do what you love. That’s what
I’m doing
right now. I love to run. I love to compete. I love to win.
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