For Marblehead’s Flanagan, it’ll be a year of new challenges

It may be difficult to follow up on a year that included finishing second in the New York City Marathon. But Marblehead’s Shalane Flanagan is up to the challenge.”It will be a big year, with big goals,” Flanagan said.Those goals include regaining the US record in the 5K and making another US team for the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, this summer. Then, of course, there are the 2012 London Olympic marathon trials.”I’m focusing really on preparing for my best race for 2012 in London, obviously,” Flanagan said. “There will be two marathons, the trials and the Olympics. That will be my focus for the next year and a half.”As one might expect, she will be off to multiple destinations this year. She is currently training in Portland, Ore. (“fortunately, out here in Oregon, we have moderate temperatures,” she said) and will be in Flagstaff, Ariz., in May. Then, she said, she will be “all over Europe.”Last November, of course, her itinerary included a 26.2-mile trek from Fort Wadsworth to Central Park ? the NYC Marathon.”It was actually really good,” Flanagan said. “I set a moderate pace. I had trained my body to handle a much faster (pace) but it was significantly slower. I still put in 26.2 miles on my legs. I had delayed fatigue in my quads, residual side effects. Other than that, I felt fit, and that I trained well with my coach.”She celebrated finishing the marathon with a vacation with her team and husband, Steve Edwards, in Maui for about a week.”It was a nice vacation,” she said. “I’m finally off the high of the marathon. Now it’s back to work.”There were quite a few fond memories from Hawaii.”The weather was pretty much perfect,” she said, “in the 80s every day and sunny.”She also made a visit to San Diego, to meet with the high school stars of today for the FootLocker national cross country championships (those who ran included Catarina Rocha of Peabody High).Among the questions Flanagan fielded were “how do you deal with nerves,” she said, “and there were a lot of questions about college, being a Division 1 athlete, a variety.”Asked whether she saw any differences between herself in her Marblehead High days and the high school student-athletes she met in San Diego, Flanagan said, “Knowledge. I’m always impressed at how mature and knowledgeable they are. The Internet has certainly helped. It makes you more aware. Training has really risen to another level. I’m impressed with their knowledge and dedication.”And, asked whether Rocha was in the crowd of runners she met, Flanagan said, “Most likely. I’m sure I probably did.”With so much travel in warm, sunny places, Flanagan did not forget her hometown. She was in Marblehead for about a week for Thanksgiving.”I go back to my hometown usually once or twice a year,” she said. “I catch up with friends and family. This was my 10th-year high school reunion. It’s a special place.”When she was growing up there, her father would make up loops for her to run. Her favorite running spot in these parts was Franklin Park in Boston for cross country ? “and Lynn Woods every now and then,” she said.While her love of running has taken her to many heights and destinations, she says her reasons for loving the sports are “actually pretty consistent.”There are two,” she said. “I always want to know how I can fulfill my potential, whatever it is, how far I can take running, how good I’ll be. I’m also highly motivated to run. It’s very gratifying. I’m addicted to how excited I can make my family, how proud. It’s very rewarding to share in the process.”