Athlete
Spotlight on Brandy Erholtz
by Kaylyn Christopher, USMRT.COM Writer
An interview with the 1st time team member as she
prepares for the upcoming WMRT in Switzerland.
Brandy Erholtz, a high school teacher from Colorado, will
make her first appearance as a member of the US Mountain Running Team
for 2008. A native of Minnesota, Erholtz holds PR’s of 17:29 for
5k, 36:32 for 10k, 1:19:31 for the half marathon, and 2:49:16 for the
full marathon. Erholtz recently claimed top honors at the Pikes Peak Ascent
with a time of 2:41:26 in less than favorable weather conditions and is
aspiring to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials. We wish Brandy
the best of luck as she represents the US on September 14 in Switzerland!
What does a typical
week of training look like for you?
For the past 3 1/2 years, I have been averaging 80-100 miles a week. Usually
this consists of a long run of up to 3 hours, a couple of 90+ minute runs,
one tempo run or some sort of speedwork. The rest of the runs are EASY
recovery runs. I have learned to take my easy days really easy to make
the important ones count. I vary the terrain I run on trying to include
hills, trails, road and some treadmill running. I live at almost 9000
feet and have mostly hilly dirt roads by my house. The treadmill is actually
the only place I can find flat! Since I have been training for the mountain
races, I have been doings some pretty long climbs in preparation.
Brandy Erholtz at the 2008 USA Trail Championships.
I have been working with the same coach for the past 3 ½ years Gary Lepisto. He uses the Lydiard method of training to develop my workouts. I feel fortunate to be working with him as I have set PR’s at every distance and (knock on wood) been relatively injury.
How do you think training in Colorado
has been beneficial to your mountain running?
I feel very fortunate to live in CO. If you look at the history of the
U.S. mountain running team, a large number of the runners have been
from CO. On top of having the altitude advantage, there are endless
amounts of trails and hills to run/climbs. It is a mountain runner’s
playground! J
Do you think that the US team has a chance to
defend its title from the past 2 years?
I definitely think we have a legitimate shot at defending the U.S. title.
We have two returning members one of whom was third in the world last
year. Megan and I have big shoes to fill, but I think we are up for
the challenge!
What sparked your interest in Mountain running?
I have always loved the mountains. In fact, the reason my husband and
I moved to CO from MN was for the mountains and lifestyle. I found out
about the mountain running team as I was reading my Running Times magazine
a couple of winters ago. It was the year they went to New Zealand. I
remember thinking that was pretty cool, but at the time I lived in MN,
so didn’t have any opportunities to run in the mountains. The
first year I was out here, I was reading CO Runner and saw an advertisement
for the Mtn Running team, so I emailed Nancy Hobbs to find out more
as she was listed as the contact person. I ran in the Teva Games 2007
for my first mountain race.
What were your thoughts after your incredible
race at Mount Washington?
I was on cloud nine when I finished. It was definitely
a surreal experience; I did not expect to win. I had trained really
hard the past few years to try and make the Olympic Trials in the marathon
and missed the standard by 2 minutes. When I won Mt. Wash, I felt like
all the hard training from the past 3+ years had finally paid off. I
thought of the 4:00 A.M. runs, the 3 hours in the freezing cold, wind,
and snow and all of the time/sacrifices I had made to get there. I also
thought about all the reasons I run and how perseverance truly pays
off and how fortunate I am to have the ability to run. I also thought
about my faith and how I have always trusted God had a plan for me.
The entire race, I repeated the mantra “I can do all things through
Christ who gives me strength.”
Previous
Athlete Spotlights |
|
| 07/08 | Kelli Lusk |
| 05/08 | Rickey Gates |
| 03/08 | Chris Lundy |
| 02/08 | Dan Verrington |
| 01/08 | Erica Larson Baron |
| 12/07 | Eric Blake |
| 11/07 | Maria Dalzot |
| 10/07 | Laura Haefeli |
| 09/07 | Jay Johnson |
Is it difficult to balance your training with your career?
I love teaching and I love running. However, at
times it is very difficult to balance both. My husband I are both teachers
at Evergreen High School which is about 40 minutes from our house. I
am fortunate that my husband is often willing to drive, so I can eat,
read the paper and drink my coffee in the car. This leaves me a little
more time to get one run in before school as we have to leave our house
at 6:15 A.M.. Also, there are many times on the way home he will drop
me off 7-10 miles away and I will run home. I am very fortunate to have
his support. The hardest thing about having a career and trying to run
at a somewhat elite level is getting enough sleep. There are just not
enough hours in the day! I am fortunate to have Christmas break, spring
break and the summer! I also have a great principal who is supportive
of my athletic aspirations.
Can you sum up your thoughts regarding your placement
on the team and the future trip to Switzerland?
Representing the U.S. in Switzerland feels like
a dream come true! I can’t wait to wear the U.S. jersey. I have
been training hard and am leaving the rest to God. I hope the U.S. teams
can come back with some medals.
Athlete Spotlight highlights a current or former member of the U.S. Mountain Running Team. A new athlete will be featured at least once a month. Athlete Spotlight writers include: David Hunt, a writer who resides in Virginia and is an avid trail, mountain and roadrunner; James Doak, a track and XC runner at Liberty University, and Kaelyn Christopher, a track and XC runner at West Virginia University. David and James also both work for 100write.com, a writing and website development company.