Mar/Apr 2012 - Level Renner

Q and A w/ Greg Hammett The (Semi)Elites
the same page, doing the same
workout, but often times everyone is
doing their own thing. The camaraderie
keeps us all motivated. We often
get together for Sunday long runs too.
We’re not only a training group; we’re
also great friends.
Q: You have tremendous range, having
raced 50K to 800M within a couple
months. Any secrets as to what allows
you to race competitively over such a
vast array of distances?
A: I do year round speed workouts
and year round long runs. I really
think that helps
a runner be versatile.
It also
helps you cut
down on injury
risk. I like to
race a lot. In
2010 I raced
over 50 times. I
think by doing
some race pace
specific stuff for
a couple weeks
leading up to a
goal race, you
can be successful
in many different
events.
For example, I’ll
make sure to
get some long 3
and 4 hour trail
runs starting 8
weeks out from
the Pisgah Trail
50K.
Q: You do most
of your runs on
trails. Why do
you choose
t r a i l s o v e r
roads?
Photo by Ted Tyler
A: I just happen
to live right outside
of the largest
state park in New Hampshire, Pisgah
Park. My parents live in Rhode
Island, right near Burlingame State
Park. I think having access to great
trails right out your front door helps. I
also just love being in the woods.
Training on trails is a great way to cut
down on injury risk as well. The softer
ground and uneven surfaces are much
more forgiving and mentally invigorating.
Every run in the woods is an
adventure.
Q: As an ardent follower of your blog,
I know that you are involved in other
extracurricular activities besides running.
Does your involvement in these
sports—saying refereeing a game or
lifting weights—assist or detract from
you development as a runner?
A: I think that lifting weights is helpful
to my running. It keeps me well balanced
and helps reduce the risk of
Greg Hammett (on left) duking it out with HFC stalwart Lee Danforth at the finish of the Carver 5 Miler last July.
Don’t tell Lee that Greg ran The Blessing of the Fleet the night before. And in the middle of their final sprint did
these two harriers literally reduce that unidentified runner to his knees? Bloody likely.
injuries. I also do yoga, which is
great. I have a goal of being 90 years
old and still being able to touch my
toes. Refereeing basketball games
cuts into my running, but I try to tell
myself that it’s kind of like doing an
easy run with strides and drills (I’m
accelerating, backpedalling, and
moving laterally all the time). My legs
and body usually feel really good after
a night of reffing. I’m also a P.E.
teacher, so I’m constantly moving at
work and doing activities like floor
hockey, skipping, rock climbing, tag,
and dodgeball. It might not directly
help my running, but it does keep me
well balanced.
Q: You continue to challenge yourself
by setting lofty yet attainable goals.
How do you go about setting goals?
And could you recount one goal you
reached of which you are particularly
proud?
A: I’m going to
sound like a
broken record
here, but my
first goal every
year is to remain
healthy
and avoid injury
at all cost. I
usually set my
goals for the
year on New
Year’s Day. I
look at my past
running logs (I
have every run
I’ve ever done
recorded) and
set my goals
from there. I do
a lot of races
but I usually
pick 5 or 6 key
races a year.
The other races
I do, will usually
be there to help
me get ready
for my goal
race. A good
example of this
was doing the
Savoy 22 mile
trail race and
the Wapack
trail race in preparation for the Pisgah
50K.
I think I’m proud of any good race that
I’ve had and by racing frequently I
can forget the bad ones and quickly
move on. Some of the best races are
where you surprise yourself and run
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