Running success

PROFILE

Hooked on racing Andrea Rediger remains successful

Andrea Rediger recently won the Hot Dash in Minneapolis and placed third at the Shamrock shuffle 8k in chicago. She is an illinois native and ran for the university of minnesota. Submitted photo

BY NATE LECKBAND

Andrea Rediger is no stranger to success. In her junior year at Rockford Auburn High School in Rockford, Illinois, Rediger broke the school record in the 800 meter run. Recently, Rediger finished third at the Shamrock Shuffle 8K in Chicago. Before that, Rediger won the Hot Dash in Minneapolis.

Rediger got her start running early. After a presidential fitness test one mile run, a friend’s dad recommended she try a local running program. “I got started when I was 11 or 12… and there was a kids’ running club in the city called the Rockford Wildcats,” she said. “I almost quit in the first few months, but once the racing season started I was hooked.” Rediger also enjoyed soccer, but eventually gave it up to focus on track.

Rediger’s focus on running paid off. Although she missed her sophomore season of cross country with a stress fracture and her senior year with plantar fasciitis, she made it to the Illinois State Track Meet in the 800 meter run her junior year.

Rediger planned to walk on and run for the University of Minnesota, but her plantar fasciitis kept her from starting her freshman year. She worked through the injury, spending a lot of time on an elliptical, and eventually returned to running. Before walking onto the team her junior year, she trained for and completed the 2009 Twin Cities Marathon. After running consistent mileage, she felt ready, and joined the team for the indoor track season.

Rediger joined a team of talented runners. “I was a little star struck at first,” she said. Though she was in a new and competitive environment, Rediger was still able to make the traveling cross country team. During her time running at the University of Minnesota, Rediger met Katie Dyson, whom she sometimes ran with in the same training group. After three seasons of track and two of cross country,

PROFILE

Rediger still felt the urge to compete. While visiting with Katie Dyson, Rediger mentioned that she was thinking about finding a coach. Dyson told Rediger that she should call Dyson’s mother, Marybeth Dyson.

Marybeth Dyson is a seasoned runner and running coach. She was Minnesota’s state champion in the mile in 1975. She went on to run at the University of Wisconsin where she was an All American in track and cross country. After volunteering as a high school coach, Dyson began coaching at the collegiate level at the University of Illinois at Champagne. Eventually, Dyson left coaching and went on to work at Mercy Hospital as an exercise physiologist in cardiac rehab.

Dyson enjoys her job, but is still involved in coaching. When Rediger gave her a call, Dyson was ready to help out. Rediger had a long term goal of qualifying for the Olympic trials in the marathon and to run well at races along the way. Together, Dyson and Rediger began working on a training schedule to help Rediger achieve her goals.

Dyson works with another athlete besides Rediger, and she approaches her coaching in a flexible manner. “We formulate training plans that work around their lives — a long range plan and a short range plan,” said Dyson. Dyson’s plans focus on 12 to 16 week cycles arranged around specific races, and lead up to a goal race. Training cycles keep the big picture in mind, such as planning a late spring or early summer race as a building block to a late fall race.

Dyson and Rediger meet to talk about the goals and the training plan, and otherwise communicate with a computer training log. “Details are put in,” she said, “but there’s leeway according to the week’s schedule. Coaching is a real collaboration, and the workouts are a work in progress without a lot of detail until closer to the workouts.” Dyson tries to watch Rediger race when she can, but otherwise she goes online to follow Rediger during races. andrea rediger started her running career with the rockford wildcats. she nearly quit, but found she enjoyed racing and got hooked. Submitted photo

The coach and athlete relationship between Dyson and Rediger has been a productive one. Rediger nearly qualified for the Olympic trials in the marathon, but came up short — partly due to a warmer than expected day. This spring, things have started coming together for Rediger. In March, Rediger raced the Hot Dash 10 Mile in Minneapolis. Her goal was to run 58:00 or faster. “I prioritized the time goal going into the race,” she said. “With such a strong Minneapolis running community you never know who might show up.”

Some fast runners did show up but none of them were faster than Rediger that day. She ran well under her time goal with a time of 57:24 and finished first.

Rediger followed her victory at the Hot Dash with a strong performance at the Shamrock Shuffle. Besides finishing third overall, Rediger also managed to run almost a minute faster than her goal time. “It was a huge PR — I wasn’t expecting to run quite so fast,” she said.

Besides working a full time job, Rediger finds time to train with Andrea Rediger Races in the boston marathon.

Submitted photo

other runners — a coworker and the Mill City Running Team. She plans to continue working with Dyson and this fall she’ll make another attempt at qualifying for the Olympic Marathon Trials.