Puskedra is Back at it in Houston

By Scott Bush

The Aramco Houston Half Marathon, host of the USA Half Marathon Championships, has been a friendly place to race for Nike Oregon Project runner Luke Puskedra. The former University of Oregon All-American debuted at the half marathon distance in 2012, shocking the distance running community with his 1:01:36 performance. Following up in 2013, Puskedra finished fourth overall in Houston with a 1:02:32 performance. 

Marked as one of the pre-race favorites heading into Sunday's USA Half Marathon Championships, we caught up with Puskedra as he prepares for a big 2014. See what Luke had to say about his training, being part of the Nike Oregon Project and much more.

SB: The USA Half Marathon Championships are this weekend. You have to be excited to open up your 2014 racing season, right? How's training going?

LP: I am very excited to open up my season, especially with the first race being the Houston Half! The meet directors do a great job organizing an event that excites all the runners involved.

Training is going really well. I’m excited to go out there and see where I’m at.

SB: You've had tremendous success in Houston the past two years, finishing top five and running terrific marks. What's your secret?

LP: I enjoy my time in Houston while I am there. The relaxed atmosphere, and the course make for fast times.

As for my secret…you have to pull the goalie and not scratch on the 8 ball. 

SB: 2014 is an interesting year for many athletes, testing new events or training techniques. What does this season hold in store for you?

LP: My big switch in training techniques was last year when I joined the Oregon Project. This year I’m hoping to continue improving and have consistent, healthy training. 

SB: Any chance we'll see you take on the marathon?

LP: I get that question a lot from family and friends as well. We will have to see. Right now I am putting my focus into the Houston Half and I’ll go from there.

SB: Your teammate Mo Farah is prepping to run the London Marathon and your other teammate Dathan Ritzenhein is ready to test himself in Boston. Are you training with these guys primarily? What type of work are you putting in right now?

LP: Our group has a very cool dynamic in that many of us run different events but we are still able to mesh our workouts together.

To answer your question, on any given day I might be working out with Mo and Dathan in the longer stuff and other times with everybody (Centrowitz, Galen, and Cam Levins). I really look up to the guys in the group and try to learn as much as possible on a daily basis. 

SB: You joined the Nike Oregon Project about a year ago now. How has being part of the group allowed you to evolve as an athlete? 

LP: Being in the group is great; there are so many areas as an athlete I was not working on and training properly for. Before joining the group I was just training to be a better runner instead of a better all around athlete. Now I feel I am working hard on all the right things in training.

SB: I am asking all of the top competitors this question...what's your non-running New Year's resolution?

LP: I have accumulated a lot of clothes and things over the past few years that I don’t use and I would like to do a better job of sorting these things and giving them to the less fortunate.