photo credit: Don Rich
Where did you continue your running career after high school?
Columbia University in New York City
What was the biggest adjustment you had to make to compete at the college level?
There definitely have been a lot of adjustments that I have had to make over the past year. The biggest would probably be the practices. I am running more miles than I was before, and every mile is faster. The workouts are longer, faster, and harder. The easy days are not quite as slow as they used to be.
Is there anything you can tell high school athletes to better prepare them for the college experience?
Be consistent and train in the off-season. If you don’t put the work in the off-season, you have to make up for lost time in-season. Just get in the mindset of getting your run done no matter what. There are no shortcuts in running.
What memories from competing in high school stand out the most?
Nothing can really top the State 1600 my senior year. It was just the culmination of so much. David and I had always talked about wanting to go 1-2 at state ever since we first started running in eighth grade. After barely missing out in cross, we knew that the 1600 was really our last chance. To finally go 1-2 with David was an awesome feeling. Also, achieving the time I need to qualify for the adidas Golden Stripes Mile felt awesome to know that I was invited to compete with people I have looked up to and sought to be as fast as them. To top it all off, it was both David and my birthdays. The whole Festival of Miles, Dream Mile, and New Balance Nationals was a fun stretch, but nothing can top that State 1600.
What do you miss most about running in high school?
The people I met through running. From all the coaches I had to the people I met all over the state and country. Running is a neat sport where the people you race against aren’t just your competitors, but they are your friends.
What piece of coaching or advice that someone gave you has been the biggest help?
I can’t name one specific piece of advice that has been the biggest help, but Coach Banta really helped coach me to become a strong runner mentally. Running is such a mental sport and after my junior year I was just at a low point. After just hitting rock bottom one day during summer he walked with me and just talked me into believing in myself as a runner again. As Kathleen Thompson noted that Banta told me also, “Running fast is fun”. Over the summer it was just a process, but the whole idea of believing in myself as a runner has definitely been the biggest help for me and not only made me a better runner, but made me enjoy it more.
