Lanni Marchant before the NYC Half

The Canadian record holder in the marathon and half-marathon, Lanni Marchant, will open her 2015 season this weekend in New York City Half. She again spent time this winter training in Kenya preparing for what could turn out to be a busy, championship-heavy 2015 season.

We caught up with her for few quick questions before her weekend race.

Canadian Running: You’re opening up the season this weekend in NYC. Any goals for the race?

Lanni Marchant: I really have no idea what to expect this weekend. I am excited that it is a women’s only start and am hoping to hit something around the 1:10:47 that I opened up with last spring.

Canadian Running: You went back to Kenya to train again this winter. Having been a few times, what continues to surprise you about the country or the training the Kenyans follow?

Lanni Marchant: Every year I am amazed at how little people over there have but how generous and grateful they are. The amount of talent never ceases to amaze me. Every year I feel like I come back from training there with more focus and respect for our sport.

Canadian Running: How has the build-up been different than other years, if it has been? Did you learn anything in the last year that made you change how you approach this season?

Lanni Marchant: This year I did a pretty good training block before I headed over to Kenya, which was a bit of a change-up from previous years. We also focused a lot more on speed and workouts while there as opposed to logging tons and tons of miles. Last year we tried the super high mileage approach and, though I found it made me feel really strong all year, I never felt like I was lining up ready to kill it.

We are hoping that the strength from last year and some more speed this year will pay off.

Canadian Running: Are you planning to race world championships or the Pan Am Games? Both?

Lanni Marchant: Yes. Right now we are planning for the marathon at Pan Ams and then hopefully (if I can run a fast track race) run the 10,000m at worlds.