RunBlogRun: 4) In our Sport’s history one can trace what you’re doing to how New Zealander Rod Dixon – a 3:33 1500 1972 Bronze Olympic medalist who won the NYC marathon in 1983 – eventually gravitated up in distance racing – do you see any similarities?
Ben Blankenship: “Rod Dixon is a legend in this sport. To quote him: “All I want to do is drink beer and train like an animal.” – I think many college kids followed this logic, but his talent and abilities were far greater so it probably worked a bit better for him. To be compared to him is an honor but his career is one for the ages. A lot of individuals have taken this path, focusing on the track, and then slowly moving up. Reading Molly Huddle’s & Sara Slattery’s book, I learned a ton. One story that I’ve thought about is Marla Runyan. She finished 8th in 1500 at the Sydney Olympics and went on to run a hell of a marathon. Both Rod and Marla were competitors at heart and that’s hopefully where we have similarities.”
RunBlogRun: 5) If one follows the Sport they’d observe that your progression up is not unusual – a few years ago you won the USATF Club Nationals individual title – do you agree with this view?
Ben Blankenship: “I always wanted to keep running as exciting as possible. Toss my hat in the ring and see how competitive I can be. In 2020, I ran a track 10k and that opened my eyes to the possibility of running the marathon.”
RunBlogRun: 6) You’ve posted quite a few of your recent workouts on Instagram- can you describe 1 or 2 workouts that have given you the greatest confidence going forward?
Ben Blankenship: “This has been my favorite training period in my career. It’s fresh, it’s new, and everything is unknown. I’ve also been able to share the miles with my partner Jessi Gabriel. To spends 2 hours plus out on the road as you run and she accompanies me on the bike, it’s been wonderful. Makes the miles go by but it’s also this relaxed environment where we’re out there living our best lives. I’ve felt extremely privileged to have the opportunity to do this.”
RunBlogRun: 7) Does weight training/rest/nutrition play a big part in your training?
Ben Blankenship: “I’m a bit of a “let the running take care of the running” kind of person. I do lots of random exercises without much consistency; I’ll get hooked on something and look up and it’s been two weeks of the same routine. Always had the idea that the…
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