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**Since hanging up the racing flats, American marathon legend Alberto Salazar has been living in Portland, Oregon and working as a consultant for NIKE. He's currently heading up the Oregon Project - NIKE's super-tech distance-running experiment. Six of the most elite U.S. runners have been hand-selected by Alberto to test the "live high, train low" theory. They push themselves to the limit each day and sleep in a house that's been wired to simulate high-altitude living each night.
**Alberto also coaches a local high school team. We recently caught up with him at "Run to Liberty" in New York City.Q: How does it feel to be back in "the city that made you?"
A: Well, the New York City Marathon really changed my life. I mean, I went from a relatively unknown collegiate track & field runner to an internationally known road racer because of the NYC Marathon. It really broadened my horizons and changed my whole life. It gave me the opportunity to concentrate on running and basically become a professional runner. I was able to work to my full potential, and it all started with my first NYC Marathon.Q: And you won your first NYC Marathon on your first attempt. Was that your goal, to go for the win, or did you find yourself in a situation that was unexpected and push yourself to that limit?
A: I came into the race confident that I had as good a chance as anyone else in winning. I felt that I could run with anyone. Whether I would actually win in the end, no one ever knows for certain. But I felt I had the strength and the speed to stay with anyone in the race.Q: Would you ever consider living in Manhattan?
A: Sure, if I was going to live in a city. I think about New York as a second home. I like the Portland, OR lifestyle. I like the Portland space. Not that that's going to change, but if I were to live in a big city, New York would be the one.Q: Describe the vibe of the NYC Marathon.
A: I have very special feelings for NYC and not just because of my three victories here. I've won races around the world. New Yorkers showed me real generosity and really opened up their hearts to me. I always felt very welcome here. Of all the places that I've been, New York feels like my home away from home. I grew up in Boston. I live in Portland. But New York feels like my second home.Q: Back at your first home, you've been immersed in NIKE's "live high-train low" experiment - The Oregon Project. How's it going?
A: The Oregon Project is proceeding well. It's really a long-term project. You can't develop marathoners overnight. So we try to keep down the publicity to some extent. But we did allow one Wired exclusive article and we've had several other offers - the NYTimes, 20/20, and 60 Minutes. We got the cover of [Wired] magazine, but we had to play it down a little bit. We don't want to go too far on it. At least not yet. It's a matter of separating expectations publicly. It's been less than a year, and it will take maybe two or three years before we have any of these runners trying to place highly in a top marathon. There's no quick fix. If there was a quick fix, somebody else in the country would have already done it by now. So if they think that we're going to do it in a year, that we're going to bring guys in and win, that's ridiculous. If runners aren't doing something correctly, it's probably something that needs to be addressed so there are at least a couple of years in any individual runner's case. That's the way we're looking at it. Keeping focus on what it's going to take for each of these runners to reach the level where they can compete in NYC, or Chicago, or Boston. And we've still got a way to go.Q: How's the technology working?
A: We're really pleased with it. The technology is something that's been around for a few years. Literally only a few years. It's not anything we invented. We're probably just the first to embrace it in terms of lifestyle.Q: We've heard of athletes sleeping in altitude-adjusted tents, but you're actually using an altitude-adjusted house?
A: Individual runners need to try out the technology. And to do this correctly, you really need to do it scientifically. That's where NIKE has an advantage. This isn't just separated cells, or checking monitors to see how these runners work. We've got our dedicated Sports Research Lab working on this project. They're the ones checking the blood chemistry changes, deciding what the different options are, and how to use those altitudes to really get the best benefits for these athletes. It's a real advantage for me as a coach. I've talked to other runners, top runners around the world who have their tents, and it's amazing because a lot of them don't have an inkling how to really measure the effects of it. I mean, standard blood tests don't do it. You've gotta do some very expensive tests, and regular blood tests from a blood drive lab don't cut it. It's uncharted territory.Q: Of course, this technology wasn't available when you were seriously competing. Did you have a favorite pre-race ritual, or anyt special training techniques you used to prepare for New York?
A: I ate at an Italian restaurant the night before, and that was about it. I'd go down to Little Italy - Mama Leone's one year. But the fluid replacements, the altitude training, the nutrition you get in base performances has really come a long way.Q: Do you go on training runs with the Oregon Project runners?
A: No, no, they're probably too fast. I run with the local high school team that I coach. But usually on Sundays I'll run with the Oregon group. That's when I'll go my 12 to 13 miles, at a 6:45 pace or so. That's the fastest I run. It's a great mix for me. The Oregon Project is what I usually focus on, but having high school runners is really great. There's no pressure there, and it's a lot of fun. And there's no conflict at all. Those Oregon Project guys get their workouts done in the morning, like 10 or 11, so at 3 o'clock I'm usually done with them. Then I head over and go with the high school team. It's a great break. I think overall it actually makes me a better coach. Things that I learn from the high school athletes dictates a lot of the things that I do with the Oregon Project runners later on. Changing form, different sorts of drills. The principles are pretty much the same. And the better coach I can become at either of the two ends of the spectrum, the happier I'll be.Q: At the Oregon Project, you have a bunch of elite runners living in one house - all with one goal. Do egos clash? Do they get along with each other? Do they work together?
A: There hasn't been any major conflicts. All the guys that we've got are great. We didn't put anyone in there until I'd made sure they were going to fit in, and that the other guys were all going to like him. Even in the closest of families there are occasional conflicts. But overall, it's been great. The chemistry is very, very good. Group atmosphere is important. It's not just about Alberto Salazar or NIKE providing resources, it's about getting an elite group of runners together, to work.Q: Do they consider themselves a team?
A: Oh, definitely. It's not really a team in terms of scoring in a particular event, but more a training club. They all have pride and are interested in the other members running well. They know it reflects on them, NIKE, and myself. So there's good camaraderie there.Q: What motivates you now?
A: Running is being revitalized here in the U.S. The number of runners at major marathons is going up. and I really believe that we are at the tip of a real big improvement in the performance of U.S. runners in the marathon. Not just the runners involved with us at NIKE, but overall in the U.S. That's already happening in track as runners are running faster times again. It all starts in high school. If you've got good high school runners, they're going to be good collegiate runners. And then they're going to be good post-collegiate runners. The real decline started in the disillusion of high school runners. Once that starts, you've got 10 or 15 years to recycle. But starting about 6 or 7 years ago, we had a real upswing in high school running again and I think that is just starting to make itself felt at the open level. I'm really hopeful that we're going to have runners from a lot of different parts of the country now. You know, American born, American felt. The best in the world at that level. We've got to think about developing our role here at American high schools, and I think we're on the verge of doing that again. And I'm proud to be a part of it.