Olympic Trials Talk With Sinclaire Johnson
Note: Heading into the Olympic Trials and Olympics we’ll be doing a series of Q&A’s with athletes about their goals, processes, and experiences. Stay tuned to our Olympic Trials page!
Do you remember when you first set the goal of making the Olympics? When did
it begin to feel like a realistic one?
My first hopes of making the Olympic team was probably around my sophomore year of
high school. I started to gain some success on the track and I followed the sport a little
bit more outside of my high school bubble. I remember watching Allyson Felix win the
200m at the 2012 London Olympics and thinking I wanted to compete in the Olympic
Games one day. The goal of making the Olympic team became realistic in 2019 when I
finished 4th , one spot out of qualifying for the World Championship team. It set in that I
was at the level to really contend for an Olympic team and these childhood dreams can
become a reality.
You made the decision this fall to move from Oklahoma where you had been
training with your college coach out to Portland. What made you decide to make
the switch?
Sinclaire and Gabriela ripping at Utah Valley University.
I wanted to train with the best of the best.
And I thought the Bowerman Track Club
had that. I think being surrounded
everyday by people who have
accomplished things you want to
accomplish is invaluable. And I knew to get
the most out of my career I need to be
pushed by the best.
What has surprised you most about joining the team?
A lot of my expectations about joining the team have been pretty accurate. However, I
was honestly most surprised by the average weekly mileage on the team. Going from
college if you were running 70 mpw, then you were doing heavy mileage. Now, if you
run 70 mpw you are definitely on the low end of the mileage chart. I am still hanging on
to my 55 mpw until Jerry starts moving me up.
Altitude: love it or hate it?
I love getting to live with my teammates and getting to know them more. I love that we
go to beautiful places for altitude camp. And I love changing up the running scene by
being in a new place. I do not love how much harder the workouts feel. And I do not
love being tired majority of the time. So, I would say it’s a love/hate relationship!
How did the postponement of the Games last year affect your thinking? Were you
feeling ready to go and bummed it got moved or were you happy to have another
year to prepare?
I think the postponement was a blessing in disguise for me. I was obviously bummed
initially because it was an exciting thing I was looking forward to. But, with being a new
pro and navigating life after college running I think it gave me time to figure things out.
Knowing where I was mentally last year with having made a big change to my plans, I
think it would have been hard for me to be completely prepared to make the team. With
that year behind me and a solid 8 months of training with BTC, I think I am in a much
better position to turn my dreams in reality!
Sinclaire set an 800m Personal Best of 1:59.91 at the USATF Golden Games in May.
What’s your mental prep like in the weeks before a big race? Are you someone
who gathers all the data on your competitors and visualizes all the possibilities?
Or do you prefer to try and relax and put the race out of your mind?
For a 1500m race, tactics are crucial. I have been preparing outside of training by watching
old race videos of successful 1500m runners. I can gain insight on how to race or how to
put myself in the best position by watching these race videos. I am still figuring out my
competition at this level, but have a pretty solid idea of how people race. And I like to
visualize the race a couple times leading up to it.