Goucher Makes It All Look Natural

Whether it's marathons, ten-milers and half marathons, championship 5000 and 10,000 meter track races, or indoor miles, Duluth native Kara Goucher makes it look like every aspect of distance running comes pretty darn naturally to her.

On Friday night, the defending USA 10 Mile champ, who has beaten Paula Radcliffe over 13.1 miles, who was third at the New York City Marathon last fall, and who was the World Championships 10,000 meter bronze medalist in 2007 swamped the women's mile field on Friday night for her second straight Millrose Games title.

Goucher (pictured), who took the lead at the half-way point, clocked a run-away 4:33.19 for the win. Serbia's Marina Muncan was runner-up in 4:37.77.

"I ran 4:39 on my own a couple of weeks ago," Goucher said after the race. "The pace [at Millrose] was out pretty quick, and if I hadn't faded the last couple of laps, it might have been faster. My stride is a shuffle, so my coach told me, when you want to move fast, don't stride out. Try to make it quick."

Goucher, despite the short-distance racing, is training for this April's Boston Marathon under the guidance of coach Alberto Salazar.

"I was ready to do something a little different today," the Duluth East alum said. "My coach talked to me about taking the lead at the half mile and slowing it down, which is something I never do. So I took the lead and was waiting for someone to come up on me, but they didn't."

Goucher reportedly plans one final indoor race -- at the Reebok Boston Indoor Games next weekend -- before zeroing in on her spring marathon in that city.

"The mile tells me I'm not doing too much," Goucher offered regarding her marathon training. "Alberto says doing the shorter races is a good indicator. When you're training for a marathon, you may feel a little burnt. In an 80-mile week, which is what I'll end up at this week, I can still run a 4:33 mile. Apparently, he's not pushing me hard enough. I'm running 18 miles on Sunday."

Photo by Victor Sailer/Photo Run