NE Runner dev site
HeubnerÛªs Day in the Sun
by John Barbour
The marathon has an
unwritten rule. It states that there exists a quantitative point beyond which
training returns diminish significantly. It happens that the point for men is
2:30, 3:00 for women. How poetic,
how ideal; Plato would delight in the perfection. Many runners have found that
getting down to 2:30 can be tough, but with training a good athlete can knock
chunks off each time. But going from 2:30 to sub-2:20? Dribs and drabs, pilgrim,
dribs and drabs.
Good thing no one told
Andrew Huebner.
The 27 year-old from
Portsmouth, NH, a 2010 graduate of Bucknell via The GovernorÛªs Academy of
Byfield, MA, didnÛªt attempt the distance until two years after college. His
first one, Philadelphia, resulted in a creditable 2:27. His next, at Boston the
next April, was a few seconds slower. See? See?
So Huebner, training on his
own, puts marathoning off a year. In January he gets a coach and aims for the
venerable GrandmaÛªs Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota. On June 21, he proceeds to
PR by a whopping 10 minutes in 2:17:05, nearly a minute under the Trials
qualifying standard and placing him, presently, ahead of Ryan Hall on USATFÛªs
list of qualifiers. That crinkling sound you donÛªt hear may be that of an unwritten
rule on nonexistent paper being tossed into an imaginary trash bin.
ÛÏMy girlfriend Ali was a great support,Û Huebner says. ÛÏIt
got down into the 40s and like an idiot I didnÛªt bring any tights. She managed
to keep me calm.Û At GrandmaÛªs a pack took off at sub-5:00 pace, tempting
Heubner. ÛÏI wanted to go with them but knew the pace was way too hot,Û he says.
ÛÏThen I found a second group of guys talking 2:18 (the Trials B standard). I
trusted that and ran with them. We were right on at the half (1:08:59); I
wanted to go then but knew it was better to wait until 20 miles. Then, I didnÛªt
want to risk waiting for the last 5K. I told myself, Û÷I can run for half an
hourÛª and went as hard as I could.Û
Huebner left his group in
arrears, though ColoradoÛªs Sean Brown bridged up at 23 miles. ÛÏHe said, Û÷I
think weÛªve got it, letÛªs just maintain.Ûª We traded places and passed runners
who fell off the lead pack. I made the last turn, knew I had it, and it was such a great feeling.Û Huebner becomes
the third-fastest ever Granite State marathoner behind twins Casey (2:15:26)
and Pat Moulton (2:15:35) from 2006.
Huebner might never have
been in this position had he shown more patience with soccer as a high school
freshman. ÛÏI didnÛªt make varsity and my parents wanted me to stick with JV
soccer. But after meeting with Abu
(now-retired GovernorÛªs coach David Abusamra) I decided to try it. I took to it right away and have
improved every year since.Û
ÛÏAndrew had an immediate
impact,Û says Abu. ÛÏHe was our MVP all four years, a young man with good
insight and good suggestions about workouts. He is a true student of the
sport. Other
coaches admired his competitiveness and respect after the race, his easy-going
manner, his support of younger runners. WeÛªd go to meets his senior year and
other kids would ask for his autograph, thatÛªs the kind of respect he
engendered.Û
Mileage went from 35 a week
at GovernorÛªs to 90-plus at Bucknell, where he often did the arduous
steeplechase-5000m double outdoors. This made fast PRs hard to come by; still,
his 8:52.68 steeple for fourth at the 2010 IC4A meet ranks third on BucknellÛªs
all-time list. Most vividly, though, he remembers a team accomplishment. ÛÏWe improved each year, and in 2010 won the
Patriot League meet by three points. I took second in the steeple and we went
into the 4 x 400 relay needing at least fourth place to win. Our anchor runner
crushed it and won the race at the line. The whole last turn the place was
screaming, and when it as over I just went to my knees and cried.Û
An English/creative writing
major, Huebner left Bucknell ÛÏknowing I wasnÛªt going to be one who gives up
running. I knew I was in it for the long haul.Û He took the summer off, went to
work at RunnerÛªs Alley in Portsmouth, then started training again. ÛÏI was totally
relaxed about my training, not as structured as in college and didnÛªt have a
whole lot of direction. I was serious but floated around a lot.Û Racing
frequently, he broke through at the 2012 Hollis Fast 5K (4th, 14:37) followed
by a third-place 51:54 at NewburyportÛªs Yankee Homecoming 10-miler. Then came
the marathon and that pair of 2:27s.
In the fall of 2013 Huebner
won the Granite State 10-miler (51:39) and took second in the Manchester City Half
(1:08:41). Teased by the marathon (ÛÏI thought I could be good at it, and the
grind was appealingÛ) he looked for a coach and came upon Portsmouth triathlon
coach/massage therapist Shawn Crotto. ÛÏWeÛªre not cut from the same cloth at
all, ShawnÛªs more Type A and focuses on the execution of workouts. IÛªm more of
a spiritual type of runner.Û
Heubner sees their differences as complementary; thus, ÛÏThis felt like a
low-risk move.Û
A course record at the
Eastern States 20-miler in late March, albeit with a tailwind, suggested that
AndrewÛªs fitness was at a new level. A few weeks later a long run confirmed itÛÓnot
just any long run but a pace-controlled three hours 15 minutes, mostly at
threshold (5:45-6:15/mile) with a handful of eight-minute segments at race pace
(5:10-5:15). That is correct. Huebner figures he covered 32 miles. ÛÏIt was
hard, but the crazy thing is that I wasnÛªt totally wrecked, so that night I
went out and did another few miles to shake it out a little bit, then got up
the next morning and ran again.Û
One might wonder how often, and over how many years,
a body can accept such stress, though some may recall tales of 200-mile weeks
by past greats Gerry Lindgren and BritainÛªs Dave Bedford. Crotto says, ÛÏIt
might sound like a method for disaster to run that distance, but because of
previous training loads and test results we decided it would be beneficial. I
knew he was capable of running the duration and recovering quickly. Not
everyone could handle it, but Andrew is truly in a league of his own.Û
Huebner is now pondering how to prepare for the 2016
Trials. ÛÏIÛªd like to give myself the best opportunity. IÛªm trying to decide
whether that means staying in New Hampshire or moving somewhere to train.Û Whatever
the future holds it will be motivated by the day in 2003 when, at the end of
his sophomore cross country season at GovernorÛªs, he lost his father to complications
from diabetes. ÛÏMy dad was a huge part of my running
life. He mustÛªve come to every meet, and I remember talking back
and forth with him about runners and goals.
ÛÏI remember feeling that one of the
worst things about losing him was not seeing him by the starting line of my
races: there was a massive void physically and mentally where he shouldÛªve
been. I couldnÛªt help but think of him before every race whether I liked it or
not. So I got into the habit of thinking of him in those
timeless, suspended-in-air seconds before the gun went off. I still
do before every race. ItÛªs my little ritual to remember him, connect with
him, and keep him updated on my running career.Û
Whether he stays in Portsmouth or makes
tracks for Boulder, Mammoth Lakes or elsewhere, Huebner knows ÛÏthere are a lot
of things to consider. But I think I owe it to myself to do it as well as
possible.Û WeÛªll bet that his dad, and a whole lot of others, would agree.
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