Chelsey Phoebus a member of Lee's Summit West XC Championship teams from 2007-2011 is the next athete in our Where Are They Now feature.
Where did you continue your running career after high school?
Oklahoma State University
What was the biggest adjustment you had to make to compete at the college level?
The intensity of the runs and workouts! In high school the workouts were fast but when you get into college they are faster, also the runs I was used to starting out slower and then slowly increasing speed where now you go out for a run and it's a pretty quick pace the whole time.
Is there anything you can tell high school athletes to better prepare them for the college experience?
Do the runs and workouts that your coach will send you over summer. I did most of them but not all and felt like I really paid the price at the beginning of the year.
What memories from competing in high school stand out the most?
Winning 5 team state titles, and the 4 national meets that I competed in. It was so cool getting to compete against some of the top people in the nation and seeing people you know, like Colleen Quigley, at the meet's and getting to actually cheer instead of race against each other.
What do you miss most about running in high school.
I miss the girls I ran with! Over 4 years we had some crazy fun and made memories that will last forever! Most people tell me that the friends I had in high school won't be around forever but I know that those girls will and always have been there for me. We all still get together time to time and go out to dinner or have movie nights which is now hard to do since most of us are away at college.
What piece of coaching or advice that someone gave you has been the biggest help?
"You're races are divided into thirds: 1/3 of them will be your best, 1/3 will be average, and 1/3 will be your worst. They can't always be the best." When my coach told me this I thought that he was 100% right, even on your training runs, not all of them will be the best or will you feel the best. Now when I have a bad race I just remember that there are at least 2/3 that I can be happy with.
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