Jason Hartmann returns to action on Saturday at the Gate River Run 15 in Jacksonville, Florida. The national championship will be his first race since November’s Olympic Marathon Trials, where he was 10th in a personal best of 2:15:27. Fasil Bizuneh will also race Gate River.
What he’s been up to since the Marathon Trials: After the Marathon Trials, I took some time off. Being so amped going into the marathon, I felt pretty burnt out after the race. I escaped to Boulder, Colorado and spent about five weeks at the infamous Fightclub, hanging out and really taking my time to get back into running. I love being in Boulder, but I found it difficult this time trying to adjust to the altitude. But, both mentally and physically, it gave me a break from the strict lifestyle I was living leading up to the Trials. After the New Year, I came back to Eugene , put my head down, and really started training again.
How his recovery from the Trials went: My recovery was not great after the Trials. I was so exhausted by the training and the event itself, that I really needed a break. Like I said, I went to Boulder and it was not easy getting back into running shape because of the altitude. I remember when I first got to Boulder I was out for an hour run and picked it up just a little bit the last mile. I felt as though I was really running fast, and I was definitely trying to run fast, but when I got to the mile mark, I looked at my watch, and it read 5:40. So as frustrating as it was, my body was obviously telling me that I was not yet quite recovered. So I just stuck to putting in some miles with with Eduardo Torres, Jorge Torres and James Carney (for some runs) and didn’t really focus on hard workouts.
Goals for Gate River and the 8K in Central Park the following week: My first goal for both weekends is to compete hard. That is always my number one goal when I line up. No matter if you feel in good shape or bad shape you can always compete. Secondly, I would like to get a good read on my fitness. I have been in a bit of a foxhole since the New Year just focusing on training hard. And now, it’s important to see where I am at and to compete hard.
Who he’s been training with: I have been running by myself most of the time. About four times a week I run with my dog Maximus. Dathan Ritzenhein and I get together every so often but he has been kind of banged up with his IT band. I know we haven’t been able to get together as much as either of us would like.
Gate River and the Central Park 8K are springboards to: the track season. I am really trying to get away from the marathon training for the time being and focus solely on the Olympic Trials 10k here in Eugene on July 4th.
And, of course, his height: Compared to everyone else I run against I do tend to stick out. But when I used to play basketball back in the day, I was generally the short one. So I guess I can relate to these shorter guys out here.
