July 14, 2009
Follow Bizzarri's 5,000m Race LIVE at 1:40 p.m. CT
Illinois sports information student assistant Lauren Benson sat down with national champion Angela Bizzarri to discuss her upcoming 5,000m race in Belgium, the possibility of qualifying for the World Championships and much more. Bizzarri needs to break a time of 15:25.00 to qualify for Worlds.
What do you expect it to be like when you get to Belgium and prepare to compete?
It's obviously a competition, so that won't change. But there are a lot of things that will change, like I usually know the runners I run against and I will barely know any of them over there. I've never been to Europe so that will be different. There are a lot of little things that will change, but in the end I am still running 5,000 meters around the track.
How confident do you feel heading into your race on Wednesday?
I definitely wouldn't go if I didn't feel confident. You never know what will happen on that day, but I think I can definitely do it if I have a good race. I'm kind of nervous because it will be a different type of race since the last two races have been a championship style race, where I'm just racing to win or beat the person in front of me. This type of race is more about being conscious of how fast you are running and obviously trying to keep up with people, and you have to focus more on the time than anything else.
What made you decide to take this extra race and go to Belgium to compete?
You kind of get your mind focused on one thing, and I was focused on doing well at Nationals and then taking some time off. It took me awhile to adjust that I had more opportunities beyond Nationals. I wasn't really burned out, but I just needed to switch my focus to the fact that I had more running that I could still do.
Has this always been a goal of yours?
It's everyone's goal or aspiration at some point to reach the Olympics and one step down from that is the World Championships. I guess this race is just a step to get there. I think I would be really excited if I went there and ran well. It's not been a specific goal of mine, but it is definitely a wonderful opportunity.
Is your mindset or preparation any different knowing that instead of winning the race you need a specific time instead?
My training has been really similar just because I run alone for a lot of my workouts. I think I have the same mindset for what I need to do because in workouts I'm just focused on hitting times. I haven't really had that situation in a race so it will be an adjustment, but I think I'll be ready.
You have had such a breakthrough season this year, what do you credit for the major improvements?
I've been training really hard and have been able to stay healthy for a longer period of time so my body has been able to adjust to a lot tougher training. From that, I have just been able to get in a lot better shape.
Is this the first time you have traveled abroad?
I have been to Mexico and the Bahamas, but this is the farthest overseas I have ever been. It will definitely be an experience.
How are you getting your body adjusted to run in a new time zone?
I'm trying to adjust my schedule a little bit so I am more on European time. My body takes a while to adjust to big changes, so we thought that making little adjustments would help a lot.
How are you going to handle the language barrier in Belgium?
I don't know any of the languages they speak there. It will be fun, definitely an experience.
Are you going to do any site-seeing in Belgium?
I don't really know yet. Not too much, but maybe. I feel like anything I do will be an experience, even going to the grocery store. But I don't know, it just depends what is around us.
What do you think your biggest accomplishment is?
I would say the last two: winning the NCAA title and getting third at the US Championships. I was more relaxed for the US Championships so I think I enjoyed that one more. At the NCAA's, I was in a different situation because everyone expected me to do well, so that took a while to adjust to. But I think both of those would definitely be my biggest accomplishments.
Who is the best runner that you have ever ran a race against?
At the US Championships, I would say it would be either Shalane Flanagan or Kara Goucher.
Do you have any runners that you look up to?
There have been a lot of great women the last few years that have done a lot of great things. It has been nice seeing Shalane Flanagan, who has been blowing a lot of American records, and Kara Goucher, who has been placing really high in World Championships. I think seeing each of them race at such a high level on a world stage is always inspiring for runners.
