Big River Interview: Katie Sutton

Katie Sutton is a regular on the St. Louis road racing scene. She has been on the top of her game for much of the last year winning many of the more prestigious local road races in 2006 including the Spirit of St. Louis Half Marathon, the Lewis and Clark Half Marathon, and the Kirkwood/Webster Turkey Trot (3 mile) among many others. We caught up with her after her recent win in this year's St. Patrick's Day Parade Run (Ed. Note: Katie's time for the 5 miles race was 29:27).

BR: Congratulations on your big win on St. Patrick's Day. Take us through the race and how things played out.

KS: Thanks! Overall I was really happy with the way the race went. I wanted to start out strong but not too fast – I tend to do that sometimes! I went through the mile in about 5:47 – right where I wanted to be. At that point I was in a good amount of traffic and had some people to key off of and just wanted to keep my pace and stay in control through the first set of hills. Unfortunately, by the time I turned onto Olive Street I was in no mans land! There was a group of guys about 20 meters ahead of me and only one person passed me the next two miles. I tried to just keep steady and strong and gear up for a big last mile. When I went past the 4 mile mark I could tell by the way some people were cheering for me that another gal wasn't too far behind, so I picked it up. When a guy passed me right after the turn onto Market, I keyed off of him and pushed it home. Overall, I think it was a great way to start out my spring racing. I felt very strong, but the splits didn't roll like I had wanted them too. I think that shows my training is where it needs to be. I also think I held back a little too much on Olive and had too much to give at the end – I needed to be a bit gutsier. Oh well – no regrets! I will take the win!

BR: You were a pretty big star in high school in your hometown of Rolla , Mo. but some of the folks around here might not be familiar with your background. Give us your high school PR's and some of your biggest accomplishments.

KS: I don't know if I would say a star…..more like “that girl who ran all the time”. I started running in 8 th grade after discovering I was really horrible at volleyball. I loved track so I figured why not try cross country? That pretty much settled it – I was hooked. I think I finished as high as 8 th in cross country, but was more of a track runner. By the time I was a senior I had run a 2:19 4x800 split, 5:02 mile and a 11:05 two mile. One of the highlights was my sophomore year when we managed to build an awesome 4 x 800 team and we took silver at state – shocking everyone. I also remember running the mile at state my senior year and at 200 meters to go I was in a 3 person race and thinking “holy cow I could win this thing!” I didn't, but that was one of the biggest adrenaline rushes ever and I set a huge PR.

BR: Those are pretty solid times. What was the college recruiting process like and what led you to choose TCU?

KS: I think I had a very different recruiting experience than most runners – it was a totally self initiated effort! They tricky thing about being in Rolla was that you were too far from any of the big towns to get any media coverage. You might make it into the Springfield paper if you ran a meet there, but never in the Post Dispatch. So I just sat down with a book and started writing letters. I probably sent out 50 – 60 letters and all I put in them was my name, GPA and track times. As long as they weren't in the state of Missouri and their uniform wasn't orange – I sent them a letter! It worked – I started getting calls from schools and got to go seem some great schools on my visits. TCU was my 4 th visit and I knew right away it was a great fit. TCU has a great sports vibe, the school is top notch, and who wouldn't want to be a Horned Frog? Plus the coach (Dan Waters) was a perfect fit for my running style and the women's team was rebuilding. I knew that it was where I wanted to be.

BR: At TCU we know that you had a pretty good first two years but then fell on some tough times for a while. What led you back to running competitively and do you think are getting close to being back in PR kind of shape for some of the shorter distances?

KS: I just decided that I left too much undone in college and wanted to see if I could run fast again. I was tired of thinking about it and decided that it was time to try it. What did I have to lose? I like to describe running to people as an abusive relationship. Running can build you up, convince you that you are star, make you think you are in control….. then in a blink of the eye it beats your down, shatters your confidence, and erases your dreams . You swear that you are done with it ….yet you always come back. It may not be the next day, or even the next week, but you always come back. So, here I am. As for the PRs, I think my training is coming along really well. I am stronger than ever, so hopefully speed is soon to follow!

BR: For those of us who know you we call you the hardest working runner in St. Louis . Take us through a typical day for Katie Sutton from the 5am to bedtime.

KS: Well that is very flattering! Most mornings I run from home, so I am up at 5 am and out the door by 5:17. On a regular mileage day I get in around 8 miles in the morning before work, so I run about an hour. Then there is an about an hour of controlled chaos when I shower, eat, take care of pets, and get out the door for work by 7:15. On Tuesdays I run with my fabulous track group at the Clayton Track, so I take everything I need for the day with me and shower at my gym at work. After a morning at my desk, I hit the gym for at lunch and get in 45 minutes of stretching, abs, and weights. I get home about 5:30 and get in 4 to 5 more miles of running. After that things are pretty boring: dinner, errands, laundry, walk the dog, get ready for the next day. I try to make it to bed by 9:30 , but that doesn't always happen!

BR: All of your hard work has been paying off as you have run some great races since last spring. You ran a big Marathon PR in Memphis and now it seems you are focusing on a spring track season. Talk a little bit about Memphis as well as about what you hope to accomplish this Spring.

KS: Memphis went really well, it was first marathon I really went into with a goal time and specific training. I felt great until 23 - and then I hit 24 and my quads quit functioning properly. I knew that I was still going to PR, but I was so happy to that the clock still had a “2” in the hour slot! I can't complain too much and I learned so much from the race. I have 3 – 4 key things I need to work on before the next one and I think I will have a much better overall race. For spring, I want to focus on shorter races, specifically the 5k, but I also want to get my body used to consistently high mileage. I love track, so I want to give that a try too. I would love to break 17 minutes in the 5k, even better set a PR!

BR: Your recent success seems to have come since you started working with your current coach, Mike Nelson, the head coach at St. Louis University . How does that relationship work and what makes Mike a good coach for you?

KS: Mike is great and we work more like a partnership than coach/athlete. When I first considered getting a coach, I wanted to make sure that whoever I worked with shared my philosophy about running and training. Mike and I hit it off right away and after 6 – 8 weeks of workouts I knew that his system was going to work for me. It is great because he can worry about the big picture and I just run.

BR: Have you and Mike talked about a long-term plan and might that plan include taking a shot at an Olympic Qualifying time in the Marathon ?

KS: Ahhh! I didn't hear that! Just kidding. Long-term, I am going to take things one marathon at a time and try to get stronger and stronger each training segment. I think mastering the marathon is something that takes years of work and I am just now getting my feet wet. Mike likes to “forget” what the women's trials qualifying time is and then “ask” me what it is when we are in the last miles of a long run – so I know it is on his mind. We will see how the summer and fall goes. I don't dare put limits on myself and if it doesn't happen in 2008, then 2012 is not too far off.

BR: We've talked about the Marathon and the 5k on the track as well as shorter road races all in one interview. What is your favorite distance and what do you think you are best-suited for?

KS: For me, there is nothing in this world like a 5k on the track when you are in the thick of things. It is fast, furious, and focused. However, my college coach always said I was going to be a 10k runner and I like half marathons….so ask me again in a few years!

BR: Final question Katie. You and your husband Rob are kind of known on the Big River Racing Team as being the team cooks. What is the best meal the two of you have ever made and when can we come over and eat it?

KS: (Laughing) I think we are the best when Rob is manning the grill and I am taking care of business in the kitchen – so I would have to say smoked ribs, garlic and sour cream smashed potatoes, sautéed veggies, and homemade bread. How does this weekend sound?

BR: Sounds Great! And thanks for a great interview!

Stay in touch with the Big River Community!