Runner’s Talk with Desiree Davila

Desiree Davila finished 11th at the IAAF World Championships Marathon in Berlin on August 23 in 2:27:53. This time makes her the fourth-fastest American woman in history, behind Deena Kastor, Joan Samuelson, and Kara Goucher. Desi lives in Rochester Hills, Michigan and trains with the Brooks-Hansons Distance Project. Mighty Milers was lucky enough to ask Desi a few questions about her career!

1. When did you start running?

I started running on a club track team when I was in 7th grade. Growing up my parents thought it was really important for my sister and me to be active in sports year around. I played soccer for the majority of the year and filled the off-season with softball. I hated softball; it was too slow-paced for me and just didn't keep me interested. My parents said I didn't have to play, but I had to find another sport to keep me busy. I was pretty quick on the soccer field and could always beat up on a few of the boys in my school’s P.E. mile, so track seemed like a good fit.

2. What do you tell yourself before a race? What do you think about during a race?

Before every race I sit down and write out a really detailed race plan. It is something I learned in college and it's stuck with me ever since. I plan out the entire race from the moment the gun goes off all the way through to the finish. I have a plan for every stage of the race, how to manage the early portions keeping things in control, what to do when it gets tough, how to work through rough patches, and how I'm going to finish it up. I recap all the hard work I've put in building up to the race and include all my goals in the race plan. This serves as my pre-race pep talk, but having it all written down for anyone to see keeps me more accountable on race day.

Having my plan on paper keeps me focused during the race. All I have to do is think about that plan. The trick is to plan for everything! When the race starts to unfold I know when to stay within myself and when to exert myself. It keeps my mind from wondering to things like, how much longer is left in the race or how bad it hurts. When my mind wants to start making bargains with my body I know to stick to the plan.

3. How do you motivate yourself to train every day?

Running is a lot of hard work and it does get tough, at times, to stay motivated. I like to make a goal sheet before the start of every training segment. The sheet has daily, short term, and long term goals. I put down all the things I hope to accomplish during the training segment, some are as simple as stay positive or eat better, others are time goals or finishing a certain place in a big race. I put the sheet on the back of the door I head out of everyday for my run. When I'm having a tough time getting out the door, or doing the extra work, the sheet is there to remind me of what I hope to accomplish and that I won't reach my goals without putting in the work.

Every time I accomplish one of the goals, big or small, it is an incredibly rewarding experience. It reminds me that even though it involved a lot of hard work, I really enjoy the whole process; working out, racing, competing, finding out how good I can be. It's a lot easier to be motivated when you truly enjoy what you are doing.