Lemoncello turns his back on track in bid to be king of the road

Published on Friday 31 July 2009 23:31

ANDREW Lemoncello has made a name for himself as a rising track star in Scottish and American athletics, but he has now headed on to the open roads and will pursue a long-held desire to follow in his mother's footsteps.

The 26-year-old admitted that the disappointment of failing to get through the first round of the 3,000m steeplechase in the Beijing Olympics last year made up his mind that now was the time to switch from track to road-running, but he explained how it had always been in the back of his mind.

"The decision was made after the Olympics," he said. "When I was younger I always dreamed of being at the Olympics, and always kept the belief I could do it, but it was a disappointment last year.

"So, when you finish and start to look forward you're looking four years to the next one. That's London 2012, and my great memories of running, and my inspiration, was of watching my mum (Phyllis] running in the London Marathon.

"I used to go down with her, from about 13 to 16, and from picking up the numbers, the atmosphere, the crowds willing you on, waiting for her to come through the 18-mile mark and then at the old Cutty Sark finish, the whole buzz was just incredible, and that got me going in athletics.

"I did a lot of road running growing up in Fife, and though I switched to the track as you naturally do, and all the hype and interest when I went to university in America was on the track, I always kept the dream of one day road-racing and competing in the London Marathon. Beijing has been a blessing, because all my focus now is on the London Marathon next year and then returning, hopefully, to compete in 2012."

Lemoncello stands out in Scottish athletics in more ways than one. The distinctive surname comes from his Italian grandfather, Antonio, who settled in the USA after the Second World War. Andrew's father, Stephen, is American and met his Scots mother in Japan, where he and his sister, Simone, were born, but the family moved to Scotland when Andrew was five and he grew up in Ceres.

The long winding roads of Fife might suggest that road-running was more natural than track for the former Madras College pupil, but only in recent weeks, pounding out 140 miles a week at 7,000 feet in Arizona, has he begun to feel comfortable in more unpredictable traffic.

"It's so different to track work, where you get into a 400-metre lap rhythm," he explained. "Certain athletes are very good on the road, but no so good on the track, whereas I've been good on the track and not so good on the road.

"I've done road races all my life, from when I used to go out with the Fife Athletic Club and run with senior members, who were great for encouraging you, but I've not concentrated on it or gone to really big races. So, I've found it tough, but it's been better in my last seven weeks back; it's clicking more now.

"The good thing is that I've always enjoyed distance running, and the great advantage of turning to marathons is that you have one goal – one type of race. When you're running 1,000m to 10,000m you have lots of little goals, different races to prepare for, different events, times and styles of running to worry about.

"It is easier now with one goal, and it's also easy to go from distance training to half-marathons. I would have liked to have taken part in the Great Scottish Run, but it's the same day as the British trials and they've given me a race in the US, the Virginia Beach Half Marathon, which I can run without altering my training schedule much by flying to the UK and back.

"On my 27th birthday in October I'll be back in Birmingham though for the world half-marathon, and then the build-up really gets going for my marathon debut in London. Because it will be my first marathon I want it to be a very positive experience. It will be several months of serious block training, which is new as well, but I'm really looking forward to that."

Turning 61 next week, Lemoncello's mother is still a keen athlete and fan of mountain races, with the Scottish over-50 cross-country title among her achievements, and her son is looking forward to her support on the roads of London this time around.

He added: "Some people are adamant that they'll never run a marathon, because it's such a long event and so much can happen; some of the best athletes in the world break down and can't run, whereas others who maybe don't seem top-class pull out brilliant performances.

"It's that challenge of not knowing what can happen that gets me; it's exciting. I want to be in control of what I'm doing and winning of course, but you never know – if you have a good marathon it seems to be a really good one, and if you have a bad one it's a very bad one.

"I never saw my mum blow up or hit the wall which helps. I just remember the sheer enjoyment of everyone taking part, coming down the Mall and crowds going crazy, and if I can do well next year, maybe finish in the top ten or something, then I can start to imagine the London Olympics with that kind of support behind me."

&#149 Andrew Lemoncello was speaking to promote the Great Scottish Run, supported by Bank of Scotland and Lloyds TSB.

BEGINNER'S HALF-MARATHON PROGRAMME

THIS programme is a ten-week training schedule geared towards you completing the Great Scottish Run on 5 September following on from the 10k schedule you used to complete the Ignis Asset Women's 10k.

The long slow run (LSR) is excellent for your aerobic training.

Before each session, warm up properly by walking briskly. After each session, spend at least 15 minutes doing cooling-down stretches. Stretch the quads (front thigh muscles), hamstrings, calf muscle, Achilles heel and hips. Do not force the stretch or bounce in it. Hold each stretch for at least 40 seconds on both sides.

WEEK ONE

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 30 mins easy pace

Wednesday: 25 mins medium pace

Thursday: Rest

Friday: 30 mins easy pace

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: 5 Mile LSR (Long slow run)

WEEK TWO

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 40 mins easy pace

Wednesday: 25 mins medium

Thursday: Rest

Friday: 40 mins easy pace

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: 6 mile LSR

WEEK THREE

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 40 mins easy pace

Wednesday: 30 mins medium

Thursday: Rest

Friday: 40 mins easy pace

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: 7 Mile LSR

WEEK FOUR

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 40 mins easy pace

Wednesday: 35 mins medium

Thursday: Rest

Friday: 40 mins easy pace

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: 7 Mile LSR

WEEK FIVE

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 40 mins easy pace

Wednesday: 40 mins medium

Thursday: Rest

Friday: 40 mins easy pace

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: 9 mile LSR

WEEK SIX

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 40 mins easy pace

Wednesday: 45 mins medium

Thursday: Rest

Friday: 40 mins easy pace

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: 10 mile LSR

WEEK SEVEN

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 40 mins easy pace

Wednesday: 40 mins medium

Thursday: Rest

Friday: 40 mins easy pace

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: 10 mile LSR

WEEK EIGHT

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 40 mins easy pace

Wednesday: 40 mins medium

Thursday: Rest

Friday: 40 minutes easy pace

Saturday: Rest day

Sunday: 11 LSR

WEEK NINE

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 40 mins easy pace

Wednesday: 40 mins medium

Thursday: Rest

Friday: 30 minutes easy pace

Saturday: Rest day

Sunday: 7 miles LSR

WEEK TEN

Monday: 30 mins easy pace

Tuesday: 15 mins easy pace

Wednesday: 40 mins medium

Thursday: 20 mins walk

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Walk 20 mins

Sunday: Race Day