Thomas Toth Interview:
SLR: How is training in Kenya going? You told me it is your very first time in Africa. Is it how you pictured it would be?
TT: My training is going well. The first week or so was a death March for sure. When you come in fit and all of a sudden find yourself struggling to do the simplest things, it hurts. I've had to take that with a grain of salt and set my ego aside for the greater good of my training.
I came in with some fairly high expectations of the athletes in the area. I was not disappointed. Watching some of the guys absolutely rip up the track at 7,200ft was pretty impressive. Getting to sit down with some prominent runners and hear their stories of races and workouts is always fun. I've enjoyed my stay but look forward to being home where I can watch YouTube, catch the basketball game, and not feel like my lung is going to blow up like a car in a Jean Claude Van Damme movie Everytime I start to squeeze the pace down.
SLR: How did you find the Houston Half Marathon went for you personally?
TT: Houston was fun that's for sure. I went in fairly confident in my ability to PR. My workouts were much better than the year before and I felt incredibly strong. Once that Texas sun came up I knew I was going to suffer. The heat and humidity were aweful. The head wind killed just as much. Although it didnt go the way I wanted, I still enjoyed every step. Competing against those athletes is amazing and any day you can run is a good day for me.
SLR: You were named to the Canadian World XC Championship team, what does that mean for you and how do you prepare for a cross country when usually people are gearing up for a spring half marathon or marathon?
TT: Being named to the team was a huge honor. When I look at the rest of those gorgeous gents on that roster I feel confident in our ability to surprise a lot of people. We have a great group of hard working young studs and I think this will be a team you see making a lot of national teams in the future.
Gearing up for cross doesn't really throw a wrench in my schedule. Last year was my first year on the road as I ran my first half in Houston and then my second in Calgary. So coming into this year I wanted to be on the team and knew if I made it I wouldn't have to change my training much as I find road strength translates very smoothly onto the cross course.
SLR: It may be a small town just north of Peterborough, but you call Lakefield Ontario home. As I call Peterborough my second home and have spent most of my summers there, do you have the chance to go back home to Lakefield during the year and get out to do some training?
TT: Over the last 5 years I've been fortunate to call a lot of places home. First Lakefield where I lived for 19 years. Then Lawton, Oklahoma which is where I went to school. Lawton will always be a special place for me as I think it's where I realized I could make the step to the next level. My coach is from there and still lives there and that's where I met most of the people I'm close with today. Oh and I met my wife there.. So let's call it a draw. And now I call Boston home.
Lakefield is where my family still lives and unfortunately we don't get to visit as much as we would like to. Then again my family is completely ape so maybe it's a good thing. The area is a beautiful place to train come the summer time. Soft ground, beautiful trails, and the good ol' kitty litter track at the high school.
SLR: You first started training with the Peterborough Legion Track and Field Club when you were younger and had Richard Borek as your first coach. My brother and I had the pleasure of meeting Richard while we were up in Peterborough this summer. How would you say that first starting to train with a club, and having Richard as a coach, influenced your future in running?
TT: Richard has influenced my running so much I can't even explain. When I got to the Peterborough Track Club I was a pretty raw runner. I didn't know a lot about properly training. I've been fortunate to have some great coaches in my career, but Richard really shaped me and gave me the confidence to compete and train at high level. At the time I really wanted to go to the NCAA and Richard made that possible. I still talk to him and get advice from him. I would recommend any athlete in the area to talk to him.
SLR: Do you have any upcoming races or plans for 2017, after World XC Champs that is?
TT: After world's I'll probably be looking for a fast half marathon. I would like to return to Calgary to defend my national title but I'll probably gauge my fitness and health before committing to any races. I love to compete but I also love the grind of daily training, so for me it's just about what seems like the best option or us at the time.
SLR: As some people already know, you have the ultimate goal of representing Canada at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the marathon. I believe in an article one year ago after the 2016 Houston Half Marathon, you mentioned that you were thinking about debuting in the marathon a year and half later. Are you still on track to debut in the marathon?
TT: I would love to run a marathon if the right opportunity presented itself. I think the marathon is the most intriguing event but also the most dangerous. Being under prepared can absolutely destroy your hopes of a good race. At first I was completely apposed to the marathon but I've been coming around to it over the last two years or so. Any time someone asks me about running they start with the same two questions "How fast can you run a mile and how fast can you run a marathon?"
Canada has a great group of marathoners and I would love to put myself in that category but as of right now nothing is concrete.
Source: The Sunday Long Run