Setting a world record may not be John Trautmann’s most memorable recent moment. “I actually got married this past August in Bermuda to my wonderful wife, Grace,” he writes. “No kids yet.” I wrote John to learn more about the newly minted M45 mile king. He graciously responded — adding to what we learned from Alison Wade in her wonderful Runner’s World profile. I asked John if he had pets, and he revealed: “I did have a cat that we actually had to have the vet put down the night before my Boston race.” He went to Georgetown University and studied economics and finance. “I have worked as a credit trader on Wall Street since 1998. The firm I was working at shut down its credit desk this past July, which has allowed me the time to really put 100% into my training.” And he knows fellow mile star Anselm LeBourne (another Wall Street vet). “I first met Anselm when he was working with my coach [Frank “Gags” Gagliano] and running for the NJ*NY track club. Actually hearing about some of the things he was doing inspired me to run at the masters level.”

Here’s my quickie Q&A with John after his Boston WR:

Masterstrack.com: Did you suspect you were in 4:12 shape?   

John Trautmann: I did. My workouts have been very strong and earlier in the season my coach (Gags) told me he thought I would be able to run 4:12 by the end of the indoor season.  After my 4:18 at the New Balance Games [at the Armory in New York] I felt that with the proper pacing 4:12 was within my fitness range.

How much did the collegiate pacing help?  You didn’t have it at New Balance. (What were your splits?)

Yes, but the one problem with some of these collegiate races is that some of the kids go out way too fast. I like to run pretty even splits and usually end up in dead last after the first lap. Then it is a matter of weaving in and out of traffic the rest of the way which isn’t the most efficient way to run. My splits were pretty even: 64, 62, 63, 63, I think.  

How did your Section 6 rivals in Boston react to your mark?  Any good stories?  

There were 30 heats of the mile that day, and they try to move them along as fast as possible. I don’t think that many of the other athletes in my heat knew what I was trying to do. They finally made an announcement that I had broken the record about 30 minutes later, but I was outside going for a run and never heard it.

How did you celebrate the WR? Reactions of friends and family?

My wife and I were planning on spending Saturday night in Boston and having a nice Valentine’s Day/world record celebration. Unfortunatly, a blizzard was moving in, so we got a 9:30 train out of Boston that got into NYC after 2 am. So I guess Amtrak Entenmann’s cookies was as crazy as that night got!

What form of dieting did you do? Use a commercial service like Weight Watchers or Nutrisystem. Follow a book or website plan? (Share your secrets.)  

Pretty simple. Over the past three months I have cut out all junk food from my diet. Over the fall, I was running anywhere from 80-100 miles a week and couldn’t get below 155 lbs. I cut all junk food out after January and came down 5-7 lbs. pretty quickly.  

How fast can you run a 400 these days?  Will you shoot for at Sal Allah’s M45 WR in 800 (1:54.18)? Any plans for a 1500 or 3000 indoors? What time goals do you have?

My top-end speed is really not that fast. I think I may be able to break 55 for a quarter with a flying start.  I’m actually racing an 800 tomorrow night (Thursday). [Editor’s note: He fell on last lap despite sub-2 pace. See comment below.]  My goal is 1:57-1:58 ish.  

I guess it’s possible I can run faster but I wouldn’t put money on it 🙂  
I think I will run the 1500 in Boston at the Masters Invitational portion of the USATF championships. I would like to try for the American record, but we’ll see.

Gags is very kind to train you. Is he charging for service?

He does charge a little, but it’s really a nominal amount. Our club survives mostly on donations; we don’t have any real athletic company sponsorships.  This is the link to support us. 

What major meets do you plan to attend this season? Indoor and outdoor masters nationals? Open meets? Lyon worlds?  

At this point I’m not sure. My one goal was setting the mile record. I would like to find a fast 3000 at some point before the indoor season is over. I really love the indoor season and earlier this year was planning to wind it down after March, but I may re-evaluate that plan.  

How did you repaired foot feel during the Boston race?  Worried about the strain of awkward gait?  

My gait is definitely affected. I had 2 titanium screws put in my toe 6 or 7 years ago, which I managed to break. Now I have 3 half screws embedded in my bone. The toe doesn’t bend, but there is no pain at all. I have managed to roll from the outside of my foot and to just push off with the toe at the very end. Not the most efficient way to run but seems to be working out!

Do you worry that age-group competition won’t be motivating enough (since few can keep up with you)?  

No. With guys out there like Brad Barton and Christian Cushing-Murray here in the USA, our age group in very tough. Hopefully at some point we’ll all be healthy and fit at the same time!

You’ve had incredible success at HS and open levels. Can masters competition match the thrill?

I’m having more fun now than ever with my running!