Reid Coolsaet grew up in Hamilton, Ontario before studying and training at the University of Guelph, where he became a multiple-time C.I.S. individual and team champion. Along with several Canadian titles, Coolsaet had personal bests from the Mile (4:00) to the 5000m (13:21.53) and 10000m (27:56.92), before making the move up to the marathon to place 25th at the 2009 World Championships. Heading into the Scotia Bank Toronto Marathon on October 16, 2011, Coolsaet is one of a handful of runners taking a shot at Jerome Drayton's thirty-six year old Canadian record in the marathon and a qualifying spot for the 2012 London Olympics. Tnfnorth caught up with Coolsaet:

TNF: Many of our readers are young athletes. If you had one piece of advice to give a young athlete what would it be?

RC: Have fun and enjoy what you do.
 
TNF: What's your highest volume week ever?

RC: 232km
 
TNF: What is your favourite workout?

RC: Tempo in the trails.
 
TNF: What does racing in Canada mean to you?

RC: Racing in Canada is absolutely amazing because of the support I get from everyone.  Often, especially on the track, I have to travel to compete against top runners so it's great when top runners come here.
 
TNF: What do you think it take for you to break Jerome Drayton's record?

RC: Great training leading up to the race, perfect weather, fast course, good pace makers and competition and, of course, feeling good on race day.
 
TNF: What has been different in this year's build up as compared to your previous marathons?

RC: The schedule is very similar to last year but with improvements across the board. This year I've been doing a little more mileage, our workouts have been a little longer and the paces a little faster.

TNF: What advantages does having run the A standard give you?

RC: Having run the AC 'A' standard last year is a huge advantage for me in respect to going after the Canadian record.  I still have to break 2:15 to qualify for the Olympics but I don't need to be conservative and aim for 2:11:29.  I can risk a little more and really go after a sub 2:10 clocking.  If I blow up, hopefully I can still salvage a PB, or at least a sub 2:15.
 
TNF: You and your coach Dave Scott-Thomas have been working together for nearly 13 years, what is it that has made that relationship work so well?

RC: The easy answer is that Dave is a great coach and I have seen big improvements in my running since coming to Guelph.  Dave has both the technical knowlegde and the ability to read runners.  Dave is also a great friend and it's easy to bounce ideas off of him.  He's also good at adapting and looking for ways to get better all the time. He's never complacent.
 
TNF: What do you learn from training with Eric and Rob on an everyday basis?

RC: Rob and Eric are quite different runners and I think I fit somewhere in between the aggressive and conservative nature of the two.  I guess we all learn from each other's mistakes and successes.  Having those two as training partners for the marathon has been instrumental in any success I've had.
 
TNF: You were one of the first Canadian runners to develop a blog, how did you get started ?

RC: In 2007 I was training in Victoria for a week and Flagstaff for a month with a bunch of athletes (Jasper Blake, Simon Whitfield, Kyle Jones and Jim Finlayson) whom all had blogs and convinced me to start one up.  I had a lot of free time in Flagstaff so I got it going. 

(Editor's Note: the blog is www.reidcoolsaet.com)
 
TNF: Do you ever feel any pressure to protect your "training secrets"?

RC: Yeah, for sure.  That's why I usually just give examples of one workout a week at most.  I don't mind sharing some things but I don't feel comfortable giving the whole picture.
 
TNF: What are you aspirations heading into October and then 2012?

RC: I really want to break 2:10 in the marathon this fall.  If it doesn't happen it's not the end of the world, I would be very happy to PB, or content to be consistent around what I've already run.  The main thing is getting to the Olympics and from there I'd like to take a run for the top 10.

TNF: Good luck.