Q&A with Cathie Twomey Bellamy

By Don McLean

Who?  Surely you jest, or are you the most uninformed runner in Eugene, OR?  Consider: About the Coach

And she has an intensely loyal, obedient, and grateful following.  And a has a side job at a local winery.  What's not to love about her?

1.  OK, in the beginning...  How did you get into running, literally back in the pioneer days of women running? 

In short:  I had brothers. Three of them, all older and all runners. Being the youngest by quite a bit (they are all still WAY older than I) I was the proud little sister. I became a student of the sport watching biomechanics, taking splits and then assuming that since we had the same parents, I too could do this.         

2.  What was it like back when?  Did your male contemporaries accept you as equals? Opportunities for obtaining quality coaching, like treatment and professional opportunities?

I am a Title IX athlete even though I didn't know it at the time. I was very fortunate to have a progressive coach in high school who put together an AAU team that traveled throughout the country (by car!) to various meets, like the Jr. Olympics and AAU Nationals. I was a sprinter in high school thus my earliest memories are of those killer 4x4 teams we had. I was also fortunate to enter the University of Minnesota on it's first women's teams. We had a coach. I thought I hit pay dirt. It never crossed my mind to compare things with the men. I was so grateful to have something that was not in existence the previous year. Yes we rode the bus from Minneapolis to East Lansing, Mi for the Big Ten Championships while the men flew but we HAD a championship.. and it was a charter bus!  The only time I was upset, no angry, was the fall of my junior year at Minnesota. I had won the inaugural Big Ten Cross Country Championship the year before as a Sophomore and we were set to host it my Junior year. About a month into the season our AD (a woman) decided that we were not going to host AND not going to take part because the Big Ten was a men's organization and not a women's. I never got the chance to defend my title. But my career evolved as women's track and field evolved and I am profoundly grateful for the opportunities that came my way.  My last two years at Minnesota, the women were allowed into locker rooms of the athletic building. All athletes passed through the halls into their respective team's locker room. This meant all athletes now had to be clothed in the hallways and training rooms. At first some team sport athletes resented this and I remember vividly Tony Dungy, who was the quarterback while I was there, was the first football player to welcome us.

3.  You were in Athletics West, the first Nike post collegiate supported running team, along with the best, like  Mary Decker Slaney and Joan Benoit Samuelson.  How cool was that?  Inside stuff we should know?

It was an honor to be a part of history yet again. Athletics West (AW) was expanded in the fall of 1980 and receiving the opportunity to be a member allowed me to remain in Eugene and continue my running career. I never took the monetary aspect for granted and was constantly amazed and grateful that I could be paid for developing my competitive lifestyle. Because Nike had not developed their apparel division, I was asked to go to Eugene Athletic, a local sporting goods store, pick out a white singlet with a red band and they would screen it with the traditional Athletics West lettering. Thus the AW uniform was born. My very first AW uniform is a Sub-4 brand singlet... crazy to think of this, what with the huge Nike apparel line of today.  Meeting Mary Slaney, Joan Benoit, Kathy Mills and all those of that era was and remains the joy in the memory bank. We had great times traveling together. To this day, Mary and I are best friends. It is because of this sport that she and I along with Ron and Richard have become such good friends and continue to do things together. I cherish that.

4.  Other great and/or memorable runners and coaches of yore?

Oh my! The memories of back in the day. I was kind of a practical joker on many US teams and known for antics so there are a lot of things people who know me today would be surprised about. While I was fiercely competitive on the track, I loved to be around my fellow athletes and play jokes on them. I got my own back when I was mooned by four very famous male athletes of the day while doing my final track workout at Hayward Field before the Olympic Trials. To this day I have always wondered what that 200m time would have been because it was one of those rare moments when you just "know" hey, this is on baby... this is going to be a good one!  Moment gone. When I came around the top of the curve and saw them drop, I tried to continue but I collapsed in laughter. Mike Manley who was my coach at the time, witnessed the 'event' and thought I'd pulled up with a hamstring.  And Mike. What a savior to have him in my final years. We had a blast. He came at a time when I needed the most support in my career and brought the humor and fun back. I learned so much from him. His best line ever to me and one I use to this day, giving him credit each time, was:  "Cathie, sometimes you have to slow down to get faster."  No truer words.

5.  Tell us about the Eugene Running Club, including how you can manage individualized, detailed coaching for all? 

Again, Mike Manley was the vision for masters coaching. It was unique back in the 80s for a master's athlete to actually get coached. He asked me to help him and I fell in love with coaching. I was still competing and was amazed to discover that desire, work ethic and competitiveness exists beyond the elite level. I chose to work with masters and sub-masters and thus the Eugene Running Club was born. It is a passion. It is a different situation from a drop in training group in that I have individuals with whom I work regularly. The weekly schedules are sent to each one individually and are written according to what they are capable of doing mileage and intensity wise. Many cross train and that is taken into account. Many only run a few days a week. I can keep track of each one because I document everything and see people regularly. We have a lot of fun and I love getting to know what makes each person click and design workouts and approaches accordingly. Bottom line, I am not the magical workout fairy. There are no secret workouts, although I have some pet ones.  Basic physiology is just that. The key element is consistency rather than burn and crash. So what I am really, is a second set of eyes being able to watch the individual and monitor warning signs and adjust accordingly.

6.  What are some basic principles as to stretching, core work, and cross training?

Being that fitness has exploded in today's world, I am ecstatic that there are so many resources available. I am a running coach. I am the first to bow to the expertise of others in helping me with the overall strength and conditioning of an athlete. I have become extremely confident in balancing workload with rest when it comes to the running program and I encourage dialogue regarding what cross training takes place and how we change the mileage to accommodate. We are so fortunate in Eugene/Springfield to have many facilities that focus on strengthening. I rely on their help so that I can safely continue each person's program.  

7.  Details on a typical workout?

I would have to say that typical doesn't exist. Variety in both the configuration of workouts and the venues change regularly. I am known for my 3-Part workouts where they are broken down into chunks/segments. Part A may be 1000s or 800s on the trail; Part B to Masonic Cemetery; Part C back to the trail or the track for something shorter (or if I'm really feeling feisty, something longer!). What this does is spread out the stress, allow for mileage within a workout without tearing down, and also it enables me to discuss how someone is doing at each juncture of a workout and make adjustments instead of hammering out "X" number of repeats. These workouts also provide variety within and pass the time quickly. In my own career I was not easy to coach. I got bored and needed variety. I was just not all that interesting to myself to be able to go out and do a 20 mile run without doing "something" within those 20 miles. And, I found if I did the same workouts repeatedly I focused too much on beating my times from the previous workout.  Thus, I change things up while still covering and balancing the physiological principles. Additionally, we do different periods of training based on the time of year and have different programs for those doing a marathon vs the others. What we do in the winter is unique and is really key to changing things up and covering bases that we normally would not do on our own. 

8.  What are some key concepts, strategies for the older runners? 

Having the guts to say no. Too much is just that. Too much. I delight in seeing someone's tongue hanging out at a workout but I am also the first to pull in the reins. There is a reason for slow/easy days. They are key.. no matter what level at which you run. Again, there is no magic dust. The biggest word is: consistency.

9.  Favorite running books? 

Wine Spectator  :)

10.  Track or cross country? 

Yes.