Live chat replay: Cam Levins and Mo Ahmed

1:01
Canadian Running – Mihira: As we wait for Cam and Mo to get setup, just some quick background….

1:01
Canadian Running – Mihira: Both Cam Levins of Black Creek, B.C., and Mo Ahmed of St. Catharines, Ont., have set the Canadian distance world on fire this season. Levins, who has run 27:27.96 (10,000m) and 13:18.47 (5000m), has amassed a huge following among U.S. track fans as well, after winning the NCAA titles in the 5000m and 10,000m. Ahmed also had success in the NCAA this year, and has represented Canada well before, including a 4th place finish at the 2010 world juniors.

1:02
Mohammed Ahmed: hello It is Mohammed I am set

1:03
Canadian Running – Mihira: Hello Mohammed! Thanks for joining us today. We’ll get started, and hope that Cam is on in a moment.

1:03
Mohammed Ahmed: oh so I just answer the questions on the left side

1:03
Canadian Running – Mihira: Mo — Tell us how you’re feeling at this stage with the Olympics just a couple weeks away.

1:04
Mohammed Ahmed: I feel really good. I have been training hard and getting back to doing my higher mileage, so I feel really fit. Hopefully I am as fit as Payton Jordon meet.

1:04
Canadian Running – Mihira: (Mo as soon as you see the questions and comments in the main centre box you can respond)

1:04
Canadian Running – Mihira: What’s your plan for the next two weeks?

1:05
Comment From Adam
Hi guys, I am a huge fan

1:05
CamLevins: Hey it’s cam. I’m ready

1:05
Canadian Running – Mihira: Welcome Cam!

1:05
Canadian Running – Mihira: Cam, tell us how you’re feeling and what your plan is for the next two weeks.

1:06
Comment From Guest
Dumb question, are they already over in London?

1:07
CamLevins: I would be happy to. I am completely healthy now, and training is going real well again. Hoping to keep my mileage high until the week before the Olympics, and really work at my speed and tempos.

1:07
Canadian Running – Mihira: I think Cam and Mohammed are still in the U.S., right guys?

1:07
Mohammed Ahmed: We are heading to London on July 21.

1:07
Comment From Jeff Weinstein
what is your diet/sleep schedule like? how about staple workouts?

1:07
CamLevins: Feel a little rusty at the moment so I am hoping to do a 1500 time trial at our training camp in Germany.

1:08
CamLevins: Hey Mo. I actually am heading to London tomorrow.

1:08
Mohammed Ahmed: Being a student my sleep is not ideal as I like it to be. but I try to get 8 hours of sleep every night.

1:08
Comment From Gingerbread man
Cam, how have you developed speed and your kick while running high mileage?

1:08
Mohammed Ahmed: Hello Cam really lucky. I will be there on sunday. see you then cam

1:09
Canadian Running – Mihira: Cam, how fast are you hoping to go in the 1500m time trial?

1:09
Comment From ronb
Hi Mo, Hi Cam – congrats. on your great running this year, and we’ll all be cheering for you in London!

1:09
CamLevins: I just try to balance out my diet as much as possible, and my sleep schedule is far more erratic than I would like. However, I try to sleep before midnight, and 8 hours would be nice.

1:09
Mohammed Ahmed: Thanks Rob Appreciate the support

1:10
Comment From steve
enjoy wisco camp–see you in london

1:10
Mohammed Ahmed: I will do see you there Steve

1:10
Comment From Guest
MO and Cam, i am curious of an athletes of your caliber, i know a lot of young athletes get excited about one big mileage week, and not a longterm average. in your training do you have an 6week weely average you maintain?

1:10
CamLevins: I always try to do a few fast 100s during the week. Just working on form and make sure it feels comfortable to run fast.

1:11
CamLevins: and sorry I am having trouble keeping up with this chat haha

1:11
Comment From krs
Will you guys walk in Opening Ceremonies? AC has advised against this in the past with some push back from the athletes.

1:11
CamLevins: Thanks ronb! I truly don’t know what I am capable of in my 1500, but the point is just to simulate a hard fast race. So we will see what I end up at.

1:12
Mohammed Ahmed: I try to put together as consistent mileage weeks as I can. Some times once I get 5 straight weeks of 90 to 100 mile weeks I am fatigued and I bring the mileage down and take a down week .but kids should not that one week of high mileage is not going to get them any fitter it is putting back to back weeks, months and years.

1:12
CamLevins: I am not able to walk in the Opening Ceremonies.

1:13
Comment From krs
For Cam & Mo, have you guys changed anything in your training since NCAA’s, or in you buildup going into Mt.Sac/Stanford

1:13
CamLevins: But I am completely focused on trying to run the best I can. So I will do what AC wants me to.

1:13
Comment From steve
hey cameron–see you also in london

1:13
Comment From Adam
Cam, are you still running both distances in London? I couldn’t find your name under the 10000m on the AC list

1:13
Mohammed Ahmed: Unfortunately Athletics Canada will be taking us out of London on July 24th to Germany and we will not be walking on the Opening ceremony. but is all in good fun and we will have fun in Germany.

1:14
Comment From Kevin Liao – Flotrack
Any pre-Olympic races for either of you guys?

1:14
CamLevins: I just try to stay above 150 miles a week, but sometimes I drop down if I am feeling excessively tired.

1:15
Canadian Running – Mihira: Cam mentioned that he’s doing a 1500m TT, but Mo won’t be racing until London

1:15
Mohammed Ahmed: I was injured leading into NCAA’s so I was pretty much on down time, so I am back to doing 90 to 100 mile weeks. I am doing normal stuff.

1:15
Canadian Running – Mihira: Mo and Cam, are you completely healthy now?

1:15
Mohammed Ahmed: I wont be doing any races, I will be doing some hard workouts and I think that will be enough for me leading into the 10k on Aug 4th

1:16
Mohammed Ahmed: I very healthy now and have been hitting 90 to 100 miles weeks. little stuff, but those are always going to be there.

1:16
CamLevins: Same sort of thing for me. I was injured for a little bit so I was just focused on getting healthy and getting my workouts back to the level I want them. The 1500 TT will hopefully simulate a race the best I can.

1:16
Canadian Running – Mihira: Mo – you ran against some high level African competition at the world juniors in Moncton and came 4th. What did you learn from that experience that will help you in London?

1:17
Canadian Running – Mihira: Cam – you’ve dominated your NCAA opponents this season, but haven’t run against many of the world-class competitors you’ll face in London. What are you expecting to be different?

1:17
Mohammed Ahmed: The experience that I got from competing at the Junior level has taught me that with hard work I can catch up to those guys one day.

1:18
Mohammed Ahmed: and that anything can happen on the day.

1:18
Comment From krs
For both, what are your goals going into London?

1:20
Mohammed Ahmed: I would like to finish as high as I can and maybe get a PB. I really dont know what to expect. I am the moment kind of person and the moments before the race I will know what I want to get. I really have not thought about the race too much yet since I am not in London.

1:20
Canadian Running – Mihira: Both of you will likely face a series of pace changes in the middle of the race. How have you trained your bodies to handle that?
What kind of race do you prefer? Fast even pace, slow and tactical with a fast finish, or uneven pace?

1:21
CamLevins: I don’t know exactly what to expect, but my understanding is there are a lot of shifts in pace. I know that there are going to be a lot of athletes stronger than me, and that I should relax and not panic when something goes like I didn’t anticipate.

1:22
Mohammed Ahmed: I know that the winners will be around low 27 and there will be a big push the last half of the race and I actually like that kind of race. even race would be better but that is not going to happen I already know. but the fast push towards the end is something that I like with a slow first 5k

1:23
Comment From krs
What were the injuries you were both dealing with

1:23
CamLevins: I agree with Mo. The pace will not likely be pushed at the beginning of the race, but the last half of the 10k will be blazing. Just need to be prepared for it and position yourself accordingly when it happens.

1:24
Comment From Canadian NCAA Runner
Mo and Cam, When you were a freshman just beginning your collegiate career, did you picture yourself being at the level you are now?

1:24
Mohammed Ahmed: I had an Achilles problem

1:25
Mohammed Ahmed: I did not picture it but I wanted to be at that level, ever since the last Olympics I wanted to make my debut at London and I have been training very hard to get here.

1:25
CamLevins: I had a bit of problems with my knee. I guess it was due to just a tight muscle in my thigh.

1:25
Canadian Running – Mihira: Mo – You’re a Wisconsin Badger, the same school that Canadian Record holder Simon Bairu attended. What influence has Simon had on you? What was it like beating him at the Payton Jordan meet?

1:26
Canadian Running – Mihira: Cam – Now that you’ve signed with Nike, will you continue to train in Southern Utah with Eric Houle after the Olympics?

1:27
CamLevins: I certainly dreamed of getting to the level I am now. I hope to continue improving as well. However, if I had told anyone 4 years ago that I would become an NCAA champion and Olympian by the end of my collegiate career, I probably would be laughed at. They would have every right to looking at the athlete I was.

1:28
Mohammed Ahmed: He influenced me becoming a badger. he gave me a great advice in not basing my college decision on weather climate. so he really made me thing bigger than I was thinking when I started my recruiting process way back in the summer of 2008. it was sad beating him at Payton jordon, because I wanted him to be at the games with me. But it is an honor to beat that caliber of an athlete. I hope to run with him on the 2013 world cross country team.

1:28
Comment From J from Calgary
Mo, ‘a slow first 5K with a fast push at the end’ sounds like the race you ran in Calgary.

1:28
Comment From ronb
You guys have both had big breakthroughs, timewise, this year. Is this just ongoing progression, or did you make major training changes within the past 6 or 8 months?

1:29
Mohammed Ahmed: Calgary was tough race for me because I have never been at altitude so I was hurting the last couple of laps breathing wise. but I have gotten fitter sine and my confidence has been boosted by some good workouts have done lately.

1:30
CamLevins: I am planning on continuing to train in Southern Utah at least for another year. I may be looking for a training group after that. My girlfriend has one more year to finish her undergraduate degree, and then we may start exploring more options.

1:30
CamLevins: That is all ideally though.

1:31
Mohammed Ahmed: I have never be able to put any consistent mileage in the 90 to 100 mile range, but last summer and all the way through the fall and winter I was able to do that. so that really helped me get strong. but I think if I ran a serious 10 last year I would be around 2810 and another 30 second is realistic to jump to.

1:32
Comment From eddieb
How do you both approach setting a race plan knowing that a number of the guys at the front have run significantly faster than you guys went at Stanford? Do you just go with the pack and try to get some experience running at that level, or do you run what you know for sure you can handle and try to pick people off?

1:33
CamLevins: I have always upped my mileage a bit each year, but coming into indoor season we added in some more workouts and tempos into the week. I certainly attribute the improvement to a few different things.

1:34
Comment From Michael
Do both you guys see yourselves running track in Rio in 2016, or the marathon?

1:34
Mohammed Ahmed: going into races I never really have plan. I just have a goal and i look at the race and see where I need to be to get that goal.

1:35
CamLevins: I will just go out and try to compete with the top guys. Eventually I will have to be running in the front pack with these caliber of athletes, and it’s just not my style to aim for anything less; even if I blow up entirely.

1:36
CamLevins: If I stop improving on the track I may start looking to the marathon, but I believe that I have the speed required to be competitive on the track so I see no need to look at other events yet.

1:36
Mohammed Ahmed: I really don’t know. I would like to think the track, but and then the 2020 make the marathon jump. I will be 25 so I think that might be the best age to try and win a medal or run fast time in the Marathon, I am not to excited about the training for a marathon yet. we will see though. things can change.

1:36
Canadian Running – Mihira: Do either of you do much weight training, and what kind of stuff is it?

1:38
Mohammed Ahmed: I lift cow bells or cattle bells which ever one you them by. I do body weight because if you can not lift your body weight I think it is not smart to be lifting weights. I plan to do some the coming season though as I get stronger and bigger and become more of a man.

1:39
Mohammed Ahmed: My body as not reached full maturity I feel

1:39
Canadian Running – Mihira: There are Canadian men representing every event from 800 to the marathon at the Olympics. What does that mean to you?

1:39
CamLevins: Actually I didn’t do much weight training in college. Just not enough time in the day to do much of it, and I would do mileage instead. I do a bit of push-ups and pull-ups because I don’t feel that I have the same drive with my arms without them. I certainly plan on doing more weightlifting now that I can focus completely on training.

1:40
Mohammed Ahmed: having a guy in every event means a lot. it means that the new blood of athletes are developing and we can get medals. the more athletes the more our chances are to getting medals.

1:41
CamLevins: Well maybe we aren’t just a nation of sprinters and throwers anymore. I hope this is just the beginning of a rise in distance running in Canada.

1:41
Comment From Michael
Cam, what’s your plan for keeping the legs feeling good between your races in London?

1:41
Mohammed Ahmed: I think kicking his roommate out of the room and sleeping might be one option lol.

1:43
Canadian Running – Mihira: So I take it Mo and Cam are both roommates! Hope neither of you snores!

1:43
Comment From bob k
what do y’all think of the message boards?

1:44
Canadian Running – Mihira: You guys both have a strong fan base from the Letsrun.com message board.

1:44
CamLevins: haha I could definitely consider that course of action plan. I want keep the mileage low between races, and make sure I’m doing a fartlek style workout just to get my legs moving fast again before the 5k.

1:44
Canadian Running – Mihira: Ok — time for a couple more questions before we wrap up….

1:45
Comment From Nate
Cam and Mo, How long were your tempos runs as you prepared for your seasons?

1:45
Mohammed Ahmed: I really dont go on there. I use to when I was in high school and it is just lots of hype and nonsense talk. but I guess it is fun for the fans to do that. but I dont go on there.

1:46
Mohammed Ahmed: The longest tempo I do is during the fall and it was 10 miles

1:46
CamLevins: I try to avoid it. There are some positive talk on there, but there are also comments made just to try and get a reaction out of other posters.

1:47
CamLevins: Ya generally my longer tempos are generally from 6-10 miles

1:47
Comment From Guy
Cam and Mo, what are your VO2 max test results if you’ve ever had them tested?

1:48
Mohammed Ahmed: I have never done a VO2 test I dont plan to unless my coach suggests it is necessary for my training.

1:48
CamLevins: I had my VO2 max tested right after I ran under 4 minutes in the mile a couple years ago, and it was 62. So not as great as I would like.

1:48
CamLevins: Thanks so much!

1:49
Canadian Running – Mihira: Thanks to everyone who joined us on the chat. Come back again tomorrow at the same time for a chat with our marathoners: Dylan Wykes, Eric Gillis and Reid Coolsaet.

1:49
Mohammed Ahmed: Thank you so much it is great idea to chat with the Canadian running community and it would be nice to do it again. thank you

1:49
Comment From Guest
Good luck Cam and Mo Speed!

1:49
Comment From ronb
Thanks for your time, guys, have fun in London!

1:49
Mohammed Ahmed: Thank you

1:49
Comment From ronb
Thanks Mihira – go get it guys!