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Catching Up with Juliet Bottorff - .US National 12K

Published by
DyeStatPRO.com   Nov 12th 2015, 1:21am
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Climbing the Pro Running Peak

By Scott Bush

It's been an up and down year for BAA High Performance teammate Juliet Bottorff. The former NCAA 10,000m champion at Duke debuted in the half marathon in January at the USATF Half Marathon Championships, finishing sixth overall in 1:11:30, a time that ranks her top ten in the United States in 2015.

Bottorff continued to run well through the spring, setting a new personal best over 5,000m, but injuries sprung up, keeping her from competing at the USATF Outdoor Championships and away from the summer racing season. 

Finally healthy, back training and coming off an altitude stint in Mammoth, we caught up with Bottorff as she prepares to race for the first time in six months at this weekend's .US National 12K.

Follow Juliet: Twitter | Instagram

Scott Bush (SB): Here we are at the .US National 12K. Last year you placed seventh with a strong field of competition once again this time around. How are you feeling and what's it going to take to improve upon last year's finish?

Juliet Bottorff (JB): I’m in a very different place than I was last year heading into the 12k, but I’m feeling good right now and very excited to race! I haven’t raced since the first weekend of May I believe, and I’ve had a bit of a bumpy road since then, with on and off injuries. However, I’m finally starting to feel fit again and have gotten in some good training with tons of help from my team.

I can’t wait to finally put on the BAA jersey again, experience some pre-race nerves, and get a chance to test myself against some of the country’s best runners. I’ve missed it so much, and I think the biggest tool for me on Sunday will just be gratitude being back on the starting line, motivation and belief that I’m ready to mix it up with anyone out there! No matter what, it’ll be a great chance to get in a race situation and remember what it feels like to go to the well.

SB: You haven't raced much the back half of 2015. What have you been up to?

JB: The majority of last year I had very solid training and a really smooth transition with Terrence and the BAA. Unfortunately though, I ran into some injury trouble last April. As is usually the case with muscle-tendon injuries, my rehab process wasn’t quite as straightforward as I would have liked. So basically all summer was spent cross-training and rehabbing like crazy, with a few weeks of light running here and there. Everything finally cleared up around mid-September, and thus started the long, slow, patient road back to fitness! Our team flew out to Mammoth right after the Tufts 10k, and we’ve been putting in some really good work out here ever since!

SB: Mammoth has hosted you and your team the past few weeks. What's life been like training in the mountains?

JB: In one word: amazing. This is my second trip out here with BAA, as we did a trip last January as well, and it is quickly becoming one of my favorite places. It’s like one big beautiful playground for runners and all sorts of other endurance athletes and outdoor adventurers. We live in town, which is around 8000 ft elevation, but it’s only about a 30-40 minute drive down to about 4500 ft, where we can do some faster intervals. That also makes it really easy to get to endless warmer and drier trails to run on anywhere between 4500-7500 ft if it snows on the mountain. Oh, and there’s no such thing as a bad view here. Everything is breath taking. So I guess sometimes it really is possible to have it all! As far as day to day life, our lives are pretty focused around training everyday, with lots of running, drills, flexibility, strength work, and of course rest and recovery! When we’re not at practice, we’re probably eating, sleeping, playing board games, reading, or filming music videos…

SB: With an Olympic year ahead, what will your "off-season" look like the next few months and what will your focus be in 2016?

JB: Since I was injured all summer and didn’t race at all between May and this upcoming 12k, I feel like I’m just finishing my “off-season.” I’m excited to get to start racing again, so I’ll just look to build up my training and racing in a smart way that will put me in the best position possible for next spring/summer and the Olympic Trials in July.

SB: You've been part of the B.A.A. team for over a year now. What's one thing you've learned about being a pro that maybe you weren't aware of while you were running collegiately?

JB: Yes, I can’t believe it’s been over a year already, I still feel so grateful to have such an incredible support system and environment with the BAA! One thing I’ve learned is just that, in a lot of ways, not all that much changes being a pro versus running collegiately. I’m not in school anymore, but pros still have other interests that we enjoy exploring and also benefit us in creating a balanced and fulfilling lifestyle. Pros still experience the full spectrum of emotions, training highs and lows, injuries and PR’s. Keeping things fun, balanced, and exciting, and working hard with a great team are still the most important parts of my running! I’ve also learned more about pushing my limits though. Being a pro has opened my eyes to a whole new level of competition and greatness. I get to train and live with Olympians and all around idols now, and I know first hand that they’re human too! Learning from them as much as I can, I’ve found that I’m capable of way more than I used to think. I guess the overall bar just keeps getting higher, but in the most exciting and motivating way possible.

SB: Away from training and the track, what do you like to focus your attention on? Any hobbies?

JB: Well I love to read and talk about books or news or other recent articles. I’m a pretty big science nerd, so I like to keep up with that kind of news. I volunteer part time at a running rehabilitation lab in Boston and do some editing for academic research articles, so I keep updated pretty well through those. I also love coffee and food, so I’m always up to explore new coffee shops, restaurants, or specialty food stores! I also really miss having pets of my own, so I’m always pretty excited when I get to spend some time with any of our team mascots (some of my teammates’ pets): Star, Bella, Boo Radley, and Nuka (they all have some unicorn in them deep down inside).



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History for .US National 12K
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2015 1 35 11 245  
2014 1 34 16 295  
2013 1 49 29 182