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Column 12, December 2008
 Alice Mason
It was April this year, at a training camp in Rotorua, that I first met the young lady who’s got the running community gossiping.. “who is this Alice chick”?
Ok I come clean… we not only met, she kicked my ass in a fartlek session through the stunning Redwood forest trails. I consoled myself with the fact that Alice was a middle distance runner (previously running 1500m track), more suited to that short, sharp stuff than a marathoner like myself…
However, after recently beating not only the World cross-country champ Benita Johnson, and the Olympic marathon gold medallist, Constantina Dita, to finish second in Melbournes’ 15km Great Australian Run, I’m hoping she sticks to the shorter distances for a few years to come!
Kenya’s Catherine Ndereba, the current marathon world champ, and Beijing’s silver medallist was in fact the only female runner to beat Alice’s time of 51m27s.
To date it’s been the race of her life, though there were mixed emotions around the halfway mark as she surged past Constantina… “Oh my God, what am I doing? Am I going to regret this?” Luckily another thought immediately kicked in, “I actually feel great, I’m sure I can go faster”.
Alice claims her favourite event is the 3000m steeplechase, and although she was more than pleasantly surprised at her recent performance over 15km, it was a race plonked in the middle of her strength building training phase, and she’s looking forward to getting back on the track in the new year to see if she can make the qualifying standard (yet to be announced) for the August World Champs in Berlin.
In my opinion she’s got guts and talent, and I was curious to find out more. So over a great feed at Wagamamas, Newmarket, this is what I learnt…
Athlete Profile
Age:
21
Family:
Two siblings. “One of each” she tells me. Apart from her sister, Joanna, they sound like a sporty bunch too!. Both parents (Jenny and Dave) are into squash and running, and her brother Paul has a very respectable 10k run time, though Alice tells me she’s closing in fast!
Jenny only recently started her running ‘career’ and actually won her age group at the NZ cross country champs this year!
Occupation:
After completing her biomedical science studies at Victoria University a year ago, Alice has worked 35 hour weeks as an embryologist at Fertility Associates, Auckland.
Hometown:
Wellington, though she moved to Auckland in November last year to be closer to her coach, and for work.
Previous Sports:
Alice was involved in ‘most stuff’ at school. Predominantly gymnastics, but she also enjoyed hockey, waterpolo and gym.
At the ripe age of 12 she began to focus more exclusively on running, as by her own admission, she’s too competitive to let other activities jeopardise her running potential.
Coaches:
From age 12 Alice was coached by Olympic 5000m finalist Anne Hare, then by Terry Harlan for a few years.
For almost 2 years now she has been under the guidance of NZ Athletics Selector, John Bowden, after a suggestion from Wellington’s former World Mountain Running champ Kate McIlroy.
Run Program:
Alice’s run schedule has changed dramatically since starting with John. She has not only increased her weekly mileage from 70k to 120k, but has learnt to contrast the pace of her runs more.
“Most runs, including my 90min long run, are at a faster pace, (3min50s/km to be precise) but my recovery runs, which I do three times a week, have become easier”.
Alice feels it is the ‘quality’ of her runs rather than the quantity that has resulted in her gains.
iPod or not:
Not
Injury Prevention:
Despite the common prevalence of injury in runners, Alice is lucky not to have been struck (she touches the table top as she says this).
You could conclude that youth and limited years of high volume running are on her side, however Alice seems to take a very intelligent, and professional approach to training that I believe will minimise any future chances.
Some of the techniques she utilises are;
- Aquajogging in the sea twice a week, as a recovery session
- Keeping recovery runs slow
- Varying run surfaces, including easy sessions on grass
- Regular stability and strengthening work at BodySmart gym, with her trainer Roger Gooch
- Weekly massage
- An emphasis on recovery nutrition (thanks to Anne Hares’ early input, and consultation with a Dietitian)
- Run technique analysis with John Sloane in Wellington
- Shoe rotation – Alice has two pairs of Asics 2130 on the go, which get changed every three months (or 1000km maximum). These were professionally recommended to her many years ago, and she’s almost superstitiously sticking with them… “Don’t change it if it ain’t broken” she says!
- Also in the interest of her feet, Alice invested in Thorlo socks for training, and has a thinner pair of Asics socks to race in.
Have a great month of healthy eating and exercise.
Marnie Oberer
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