T&FN INTERVIEW by Jon JennyJenny SimpsonSimpson Hendershott he last steeplechase Jenny Simpson ran—an Pre really was only my fifth 1500, TAmerican Record 9:12.50 for 5th in the ’09 then the sky’s the limit. World Championships—came some 18 months ago. T&FN: Does the level of competition Since then, the 24-year-old Colorado grad has matter? had mixed fortunes: her first pro year covered just Simpson: I think my own four outdoor races as a stress reaction at the head of racing in the past has shown that her right femur forced her to end her season early. really difficult and challenging But she has run well this winter. competitions bring out the best in Even though she has considered a future in me. I think I’ll be most challenged the 1500 (T&FN, March ’10), she asserts that she and closer in the 1500 and that’s “Something I definitely isn’t finished with her flagship event: exciting for me. And I think the 1500 and steeple is a good match not only feel I learned T&FN: Last year, we wrote about the prospects for this ability that I didn’t discover of U.S. women in the 1500. Are you still mainly I had until much later, but also for throughout a steeplechaser, my personality. Simpson In or are you T&FN: Have you learned from your college is that the weighing your Worlds and Olympic steeples not only A Nutshell prospects in that it’s more a middle-distance race but steeple is more •Personal: Jennifer Mae Bar- other distances also about your competitiveness? ringer was born August 23, and especially Simpson: I think so. Some of similar to the 1500 1986, in Webster City, Iowa; the 1500? my most surprising races in college 5-5/119 (1.65/54). Married to Simpson: were like when I was a freshman than to the 5K” Jason Simpson I’m training and won NCAAs. It was just out of •Schools: Oviedo (Florida) absolutely nowhere. But it wasn’t a surprise to HS ’05; Colorado ’09; now with the intent me because I hadn’t had any other represents New Balance of being strong steeples that year that were for such •PRs: 800—2:02.12 (’10); in both the high stakes. I knew in the Big 12 meet 1500—3:59.90 CR (’09); steeplechase that I would have to come back and Mile—4:25.91i CR (’09); Steeple—9:12.50 AR (’09); and the 1500. run the 5K. Then Regionals were just 3000—8:42.03i CR (’09); Something about qualifying. 5000—15:01.70i OT (’09) I feel I learned But the NCAA was my first race •Coaches: Jay Getty (HS); throughout of, “OK, leave it all on the track.” Mark Wetmore (Colorado, pro); college is that The same thing with the Worlds: Juli Benson (pro) the steeple is there’s nothing after that, so you •Major Meets: 3000—12)NCi more similar to leave everything there. ’07; 1)NCi ’09. St—1)NC ’06; the 1500 than Those meets—NCAAs as a 7)NC, 1)US, 7h)WC ’07; 1)NC, to the 5K. freshman, the Prefontaine 1500 and 3)OT, 9)OG ’08; 1)NC, 1)US, 5) I think the the Berlin Worlds—are the only WC ’09. 5000—3)US ’10 reason steeple places where I’ve had big PRs. •World/U.S. Rankings: 1500— times were So having those types of x/4 ’09. Steeple—x/7 ’06; x/2 slower for opportunities has shown me over ’07; 10/1 ’08; 6/1 ’09. women for a and over that somehow I’m able long time was to muster what it takes to rise to because it was seen as a distance event. But it the occasion. I like to think that really is a middle-distance event. going back to the Worlds is going to You have to be really ballistic and really continue to bring out the best in me. strong, more like a 1500 runner. Especially T&FN: After your injury was when the gears shift in the steeple and you’re diagnosed, you look a lot of time off. Is it shifting with plyometrics in the middle of it. fair to say that missing the running—the And working on one compliments the other. activity that made you famous—wasn’t But to answer your question, I am interested that difficult because you knew the in running more 1500s. When I ran at Pre cause? [3:59.90 CR in ’09], it was like my fifth 1500 race Simpson: Yes. And also it was ever. I hadn’t run it much in college. exhausting to go through the One thing [Colorado coach] Mark Wetmore Olympic year in ’08, then the whole told us was, “You never perform above your ’09 season and up to about January ability.” Whatever you do is what is inside of last year when a lot of shoe of you. You can only perform under your companies made a big splash about potential. I believe that what I did was no my coming out of college. fluke. I’m excited about it and I own it. So if All of that was more exhausting 32 — Aptil 2011 Track & Field News than I realized. So quite literally, a time like that is in my sights. So it wasn’t as difficult as you T&FN: Mark Wetmore directed you to the might think to step back and be steeple? a little selfish for a while. Just Simpson: I give Mark 100% credit for spend some time on my own putting me in the steeple. It wasn’t run in high and with my husband, and also school in Florida, so I hadn’t even seen one getting to know my coach Juli until like two weeks before I first raced it my Benson better. frosh year in ’06. I give a lot of credit to him for T&FN: While there were Jenny Simpson many circumstances, your American Record was your last Collegiate Finale A Downer steeple. Have you missed it? After the ’09 Worlds, Jenny Simpson Simpson: For me, the returned to Colorado for her final semester of steeple is a really thrilling school (as a dual political science-economics event. So I miss the thrill major) and last NCAA cross country season. that goes with it. Also in the She ran unbeaten at the Pre-Nationals, steeple, the people next to you Big 12 and Regional. But in the NCAA are the least of your concerns, she shockingly collapsed after 4K before yet that’s something I’m struggling home in 163rd. It was an inglorious learning. end to her college running career, but she has I know it sounds kind of put it in perspective: amateur [laughs], but I really “Most people don’t ask about that, like it’s am kind of amateur when something you have to tiptoe around. But I it comes to racing people feel like I have a pretty good grip about it. It instead of thinking about the was just the perfect storm: first, I was in my barriers and time-trialing. last semester of school and I had built that into I don’t say that in any [something] bigger than life. I wanted to get conceited way, because I’m straight A’s to finish college with a 3.8 GPA. humbled by it and excited to [Plus] I was exhausted from the long track really learn to be intelligent seasons back to ’07 and getting into school late and tactical in races. I’m after returning from championships. discovering it’s a really “Then the gun went off at the NCAA and fascinating skill that I think instead of being in race mode, I thought, is, in many ways, inherent. ‘Wow, this is it.’ That’s not a good position You either have it or you to put yourself in. I didn’t have good mental don’t—and if you don’t, you control as far as how I approached the race. have a lot to learn. But yes, I “The one thing that sets that race apart in do miss the steeple because my mind is that I love to race. And wherever it’s super-fun and exciting. I finish, I hope that it’s so apparent that I just T&FN: You call it really enjoy running. It should have been fun, “thrilling” because of what? but it was the one race of my entire career that Simpson: I think it’s I was really dreading. because of an absence of “[But] I just refuse to let it be a kind of dark tactics. There aren’t many smudge on my career. I also can say, ‘Look, top-level steeples that have I’m human.’ That was made very obvious to ever been tactical. You just me; I was very humbled by that race. run it hard. I think it’s a totally “The ironic thing is, since I have been out different feeling running a of school, résumés have gone out and not steeple. Typically, there aren’t one person has asked me what my GPA was. huge gear-changes. So I look back and think that what seemed It’s really a great race for so important then… you have to be realistic. a strong person and I don’t ‘What are my priorities?’ But as a side note, I mean that just because of the did make a 4.0 GPA that semester, so I had an barriers.