If you have run a road race in Colorado, than you probably have heard the name Adam Rich. Rich has been running (and winning) events in the state for nearly 20 years. There are many runners who were hoping that when he turned 40 he would begin to slow, but that has not been the case!
Most recently, Rich took home top honors at the Flyin’ Lion 5K (16:17) and the Golden Gallup 5K.
We caught up with Adam (barely) and asked him a few questions about what keeps him motivated through the years.
Quick Stats
Name: Adam Rich
Age: 41
Hometown & Current: Colorado Springs
Professional & Educational background: CSU Pueblo 2010, Elementary Physical Education Teacher School District 11
Racing Team: Square State Striders
The Long Run
What are some of the biggest highlights in your racing career?
In years past I would have said winning the Boulder Race Series, or the USATF Colorado 5K state championship. I had some fantastic moments while running for Western State College as well. I also think that due to the volume of races I have run and won over the years it’s hard to pin down very specific events. I think as I’ve gotten older, I look at the experiences of racing in Germany for a year as incredible. I have fond memories of running the Rodenbach Torch Relay or the Landstuhl Weihnachtsmarktlauf (Loosing to my Nemesis and friend Tim Konnel in both of those events) or setting course records on various races I ran while living over there.
What are your long-term goals? What do you want to achieve as an athlete?
What a tough question! At this stage in my life, I still want to be as fast as possible and try to break 15 minutes (in a 5K) as a master’s runner, which is a tall order. I also want to continue to be competitive and try to win the races I run. I always have a goal of being in 15 minute shape from January through December, and for the most part can hit that target and want to continue to do so.
What makes Colorado so special for endurance athletes? What makes Colorado special to YOU?
I think overall, Colorado has the elevation, and weather that is conducive to training well and racing well. You can go to the mountains and get all the vertical gain you would ever want, or you can run somewhere like the highline canal for faster efforts. There is a good amount of variety that gives all runners many different options and places to go.
As a Colorado native, I think the state is special because I’ve lived here almost my whole life. There are still parts of the state that I have never visited and so many places I’ve been that I will always remember. It could be the days of going to the family cabin in Westcliffe when I was a kid, or the trips I’ve taken with my wife and kids. It’s all about memories.
Middle Distance
Take us through a “day in the life.” What type of training regimen do you follow?
I think the easiest way to explain my training would be to say pedal to the metal as I’ve been told in the past. I have what would be considered a strange and cringe worthy training style…..
I tend to run most of my runs at a pretty fast clip. I pretty much run 13.5 miles a day, all in single runs. I don’t really do any specific workouts outside of 15×1 min on, 1 min off runs or a run where I give myself a 10 minute warm up then run hard until I hit 40 minutes. This has become one of my key runs and gives me between 7.1 to 7.4 total miles of quality running. I don’t run on the track at all anymore and use the treadmill when I need to. I will add that I run too many miles. (Don’t follow this plan!)
What are one or two things you currently do in your training that are keys to your success?
I would say overall how I train is what makes me successful. I know most people don’t understand or think my training is smart, but it has worked for 20 years now, and seems to keep me in top fitness year round.
I would also add in that I believe in using the treadmill in your training if possible. Some people hate the idea, but I can say it has been a valuable asset over the years for me.
I also think the fact that I’m able to stay injury free specifically allows me to train at the paces and level that I do.
Do you follow any specific nutrition plans? What are you favorite recovery meals, drinks, etc.?
I’ve never really had a specific nutrition plan, but I would say I try to eat well balanced meals. I did use Hammer Nutrition products in the past and believe that they have a benefit in hard training. I think personally if someone is serious about really getting to the top level with running, nutrition/recovery meals become very important.
Do you have any recommended resources to share (books, seminars, websites, coaches)?
- Running Tough by Michael Sandrock
- The Lore of Running by Tim Nokes
- Jack Daniels Training method (runsmartproject.com)
- And as a shout out to a guy that was chasing the sub 15 dream: www.brianokelly.com/posts/sub15-5k/
What is your biggest challenge, and what do you do to manage this challenge?
If we are talking running specifically, I never see anything I do as challenging. I may run a ton of miles, and never take days off however I learned over the years that I just enjoy getting out every day and training. I don’t know if it’s the idea of pushing myself hard, or just logging the miles. I do my best thinking and processing while running and it allows me to go places that I normally can’t get to. I always have believed that the day running becomes a challenge, or I lose the fire is the day I need to step away and find something else to do.
What are your favorite races in Colorado? Why?
Most are now gone or changed (Monument Downhill 5K, Manitou Springs Mayors Cup, the old Autumn Color run in Buena Vista, Sailin’ Shoes). But of the current ones, I would say the Run to the Rim 5K, the Golden Gallop, the Woodland Park Mayors Cup, the Pumpkin Pie 5K as well as the Run Denver races along with the South Suburban Parks and Recs races. I will always have a high regard for the Monument Downhill 5K as well as the Autumn Color run as I ran some of my fastest races ever at both events. Outside of Colorado, the Carlsbad 5000, the Torch Relay Run in Rodenbach Germany as well as many others I ran over there.
Where do you like to train in Colorado? Why?
I don’t know if I have a favorite place that I train. I do like the Highline Canal trails when I get up to Denver. I like City/Washington Park and also like the South Platte River Trail. I guess locally where I live, I would say the Cottonwood Path, Rockrimmon, the Woodmen Valley and High Chaparral Open Space. There are many places additionally that I like to run, but I tend to run from home or work almost every day.
Sprints
Favorite running shoe: Current Nike Pegasus
Racing: Nike Zoom Streak LT4 or the Nike ZoomX Streakfly
Favorite post-run/race beverage: Mountain Dew or Melo Yellow!
Favorite post-run/race meal: Granola bars, fig bars, post-race meal Freddy’s!
Role models: Nolan Ryan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Michael Jordan and Michael Johnson.
Day job: Physical Education Teacher
Solo runner, running partner or team/group? I like to run with others, but train mainly alone almost all of the time.
Podium
Have you experienced a breakthrough, and if so, what led to it?
I think I would have to go back to 2004. I started to understand and train like a runner. I was running 70 miles a week, doing workouts and racing a lot. That was the first year I ran in the 15’s for 5K. I learned that in running, for the most part, you only improve by training more and learning how to run faster.
What was the best advice you were ever given?
Always work hard, never forget where you came from and be the best person you can be.
What keeps you motivated? Where do you draw your inspiration from?
I think the motivation for me is that I can still run close to the times my mid 20 year old self ran. I haven’t slowed down much at all over the years. I’ve never really felt that I draw inspiration, but rather I have a desire to push myself hard and see what happens.