Jenny Simpson on track for Boston

Jenny Simpson travels all over the world for races. This Saturday, Feb. 10, the three-time US Olympian will be running in Boston at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix.

Simpson won a bronze medal in the 1,500 meters at the 2016 Olympics, but at the Reggie Lewis Center she will be doubling her distance. She said it will be her only indoor meet of the season.

“I’m just taking a break now [from outdoor work],” she said. “I will go back to more training after this.”

Simpson was calling from her home in Boulder, Colo., as she paced around her guest room. She said she was in the middle of base training, doing aerobic training, doing more miles, getting her body prepared

Simpson said she will stay with 1,500 competitively for a couple more years. She typically runs 15-20 races a year, and those races are all over the world. She explained how her competitive season is from April to September. When that is over, she will take a two-week break, and then it’s back to training.

She runs every day, wherever she is. She said that while she’s running for fun, she lets her mind wander.

“Well it’s really different, depending on the workout,” she said. “If I’m on a normal easy day, sometimes those are my favorites because my mind really gets to wander and I think all the things that you think about when you daydream in class.”

The best part for her, she said, is running with friends. But running is her job.

“There’s definitely an element to my everyday running that is very much like a job,” she said. “You can’t show up to your job every single day and love every moment of it. So there’s days that I’m out running not because I love it, but because it’s my job.”

For workouts, she is goal-oriented, working on things like pace and her start and hitting the interval times. For a race, she tried to hit plan she puts together with her coaches. And she stays positive.

“The biggest difference between workouts and race, I really try to to have as positive thoughts as possible [in a race],” she said. “So if there’s any doubts or fears of any of the competitors, or if I get tired, I really try to block it out of my mind, push it away and really bring those positive thoughts to the top.”

As there’s no world-class events in Boulder, Colo., she’s always on the move.

“Traveling is a really big component around your training,” she said. “There’s no world-class races happening in Boulder, so every single time I race I have to leave home and travel somewhere to compete.”

And this weekend, that somewhere will be Boston.

(The New Balance Indoor Grand Prix will be Saturday, Feb. 10, 2018, at Reggie Lewis Center. Doors open at 3:45 p.m. For tickets, competitors, and schedules, go to http://www.nbindoorgrandprix.com/.)

–Feb. 7, 2018–