After an indoor season that saw him set three masters world records on the track, 40-year-old distance runner Bernard Lagat is set to embark on an ambitious outdoor season, beginning with a return to the fastest road 5-K on Earth, the Carlsbad 5000. We caught up with Lagat and discussed his outlook for the race, his smashing indoor success, and his plans for 2015 and beyond, which include making another U.S. Team, contending for a spot in the 2016 Rio Olympics, and inspiring his son and daughter.

How are you feeling going into the Carlsbad 5000 this weekend?

I feel good. This is the race where I will see how my training after the indoor season has been. I’m testing it out on Sunday.

Did you take a break after indoors or did you go right into training?

No, I went right into training because the time between finishing up the indoor season was only about 30 days. Coach Li thought that it wasn’t good to take some time off because we wanted to go right while I was still in that shape and I think we took advantage of that situation. I was already doing the fast stuff toward the end of indoors so it was good to go back into the volume. Also, when you are getting ready for a race like this that is fast, you have to take advantage of everything that you can.

Looking back on your indoor season, were you pleased with how everything went or are there races that you would like to take a mulligan on?

I was happy with everything except when I look at the two-mile time of 8:17 [in Birmingham]. I thought I would give myself a better time than that. 8:10 would have been really good for me. It’s not like it was something I was not capable of doing. I should have run that race in a different way. I stayed with Mo [Farah] while he was going for the world record and that kind of pace kind of burned me up early. By the time I was finishing up the race, I was tired already. It’s not because I wasn’t fit to run 8:10 but because of the strategy that I used. Mo was much stronger and in a different kind of mindset wanting to go for a world record and I thought, ‘Ok, I am going to hang with him.’ 8:17 is not too bad, but I wasn’t too pleased with that time.

What is your goal and approach to the Carlsbad 5000?

My goal for the weekend really is to be in the top three. This race is going to be harder than last year. Last year I was 39, this year I am 40 but I don’t feel like a 40-year-old. There are good guys returning. [Dejen] Gebremeskel is returning, and he will run as hard as he can. They added a couple other guys who are actually capable of doing some damage to some of us if we are not careful. They can run with it and can win it, so I need to be positioned in the top three. I would imagine that we can even run faster than Gebremeskel’s time from last year [13:16]. The course is going to be faster, there is a really nice atmosphere, and the weather is going to be warm enough. Being in the top three will get me under 13:20, I think. I really want to run 13:20.

Was it difficult for you last year being unfamiliar with the course and do you think you have a better understanding of the tactics you will need to employ now knowing the course?

Last year, for some reason, I had so much fun in that race. I had no pressure and wasn’t feeling like the race was hard at all. At the end of it, Gebremeskel started pushing over the last kilometer and went with it. I thought I ran a good race. This time, I am coming back with a little bit of experience on the course itself. Gebremeskel I think was running for the fifth time last year. The guy knew exactly everything about the course. Coming back and knowing this is where I am going to make my turn, this is where the mile marker is, hopefully I will be able to work the turns better than a year ago and can go with the flow. I am going to run hard and work it. Last year Gebremeskel took off and I tried to stay with him but I was not able to get that turnover. This time I have a different mindset. I want to go with everybody, Gebremeskel, Lawi Lalang everybody that is going to be trying to go.

How is Lawi Lalang looking?

Lawi had a pretty disappointing indoors. He ran 3:52 on the DMR and then during the Boston weekend he got a really bad flu and he ran badly in New York because his body was not there. He has been training through that disappointment, mainly thinking, ‘Man, indoor season was basically a waste.’ He has been so upset and channeling all of those emotions into the training. This guy has been beating us up in training completely. I think he is going to be one of the guys who is going to do an excellent job on Sunday.

Where does the Carlsbad 5000 fit into your overall plan for the 2015 outdoor season?

My outdoor season is going to be an interesting one. I want to run one mile, and I have not run a mile in a long time. We’ve started thinking about maybe running the Dream Mile in Oslo. I want to do that while I can still run the fast ones, like my 3:54 indoors. If I run like that outdoors on a beautiful afternoon in Oslo, I think I could do a good time and try to push that masters world record again. Then we will have a 5K in Birmingham. I want to run a good 5K before our Trials. Leading up to that, I think I will run the two-mile at Prefontaine Classic. A two-mile or 3K is a good one for me to start the season with. I will do those races then come back to the U.S. Trials when I am fit.

Does your approach to a World Championships outdoor season change drastically when you turn age 40?

Yes, it has changed significantly. Last time, when I was in Moscow, I did not medal at all which was disappointing. I put myself under a lot of pressure. After not winning a medal in London, I said, ‘At the World Championships, this is where I need to redeem myself.’ This time, my approach is to go back there relaxed, like I have always done, perform without pressure, be confident. In Beijing, I don’t have to think about how I am going to place and just focus on doing my best. I think that will remove the pressure that I put myself under.

What would it mean to you to be able to make another U.S. team this summer and go back to Beijing and try to contend for a medal at age 40?

That would be awesome. I have been thankful for everything I have had in my career. I know it is not going to be easy. I am 40 years old. But could you imagine me being top three? That would be unbelievable. That would give me another reason to continue. I could see myself running in Rio. If I could make the World Championships team this year, I can go into the Olympic Trials with no pressure and continue trying to do what I have done over the years.

Do you still feel pressure to perform at a high level?

I’ve never really been nervous. I don’t know what it feels like to be nervous. If I have that pressure, I always have seemed to do well under pressure. But sometimes even the best runners can buckle under that pressure. I think that is what happened to me in Moscow. I try to say, ‘I have had an extraordinary career. Why do I put myself under unnecessary pressure?’ I think a certain amount of pressure can keep me sharp. I failed to win a medal in London and didn’t make the podium in Moscow. That is why I ran so hard at World Indoors in Sopot. I don’t want to feel like a failure.

Hypothetically speaking, is there anything that would keep you from trying to qualify for another Olympic Team in 2016?

I think one thing that could impact things is that right now, I think we have the best athletes in the world in my event. I don’t want to get into the 10-K because that is a different thing altogether, but if you look at the 1500m up through the 5-K, people are believing in themselves now that they can be the best. In the USA, I could realistically be No. 6 or something. You really have to go by that. I think the only thing that would really take me out would be injury and other guys being in superior shape than me next year. I don’t see there being a lack of focus mentally on my part, but I could see other people stepping up big time from what they did last year.

Would you ever consider another move up in distance to the 10-K?

No, I don’t think so. I came back from running the 3-K in Boston and was thinking maybe I could even run the 10-K now. I asked Coach Li, ‘Do you think we can do that?’ And he was like, ‘You’re crazy.’ That tells me one thing: I am not ready. The 10-K is a long story and I don’t even want to talk about it, at least not on the track. But on the roads, I could see myself running a 10-K.

How much motivation is it for you to now have masters world records to chase in your races?

It’s enormous, actually. I looked at the times indoors and I thought, ‘These guys did a great job.’ They set wonderful marks. For me, being able to break three of them was huge motivation. As I have said, I now want to see what I can do outdoors. At Prefontaine, whether it’s the 3-K or the two-mile, I am going to go for it. My first priority is running as hard as I can and getting these records. That, in and of itself, is good motivation because I want to take advantage of that while I am 40 now rather than later on. Sometimes you wait and you don’t get it.

How much fun is it for you to continue competing and have this success as your children get older and can understand and appreciate it more?

It’s a great time now, honestly. Whenever I go out to run, Gia says, ‘Let’s go together so I can run too.’ When I used to go away for competitions, they would cry and I used to feel bad. But now they understand that when Daddy leaves he is going to go to work. It’s fun for me now knowing that when Miika and Gia look at me, they see me working so hard and maybe one day they will take up this sport. It’s motivating to me to have small kids to show them how hard work can pay off.