The Fourth Interview: The Ohio State Man- Donny Roys Interview

The fourth interview is about a great Ohio State Runner, Donny Roys, & what a distance runner he is to watch & talk with.

1. How did you get started in running?
My father got me into running in 4th grade. I was a multi-sport athlete (Soccer, Basketball and Baseball) and he suggested we go run a local 5k and I was hooked. Within the next couple years I added yet another sport and started running in Middle School but still continued to play all those sports up until sophomore year of high school.

2. What do you tell people that don't get our sport of distance running?
A lot of people misunderstand our sport and usually believe it's easy to do. So, I usually tell them to join me for one of my 85-95 mile weeks and do all of my workouts/runs. Usually they are shocked by the mileage and start to piece together that it might be a little harder than they think.

3. What are you current PR's?
800-1:53, Mile-4:08, Steeple-9:00, 5k-14:35, 8k-24:21, 10k-30:46 (Cross Country). I am still getting use to all the mileage so my PR's are sub-par as of right now.

4. How do you manage being a college student with being a college distance runner?
Daily activity lists. Usually I have my day broken down by the hour on what I have to do and how much time I should take doing it. I like to check things off as I go and it gives me a sense of accomplishment when crossing something off.

5. Who are your favorite professional and/or college distance runner(s) past and/or present & why?
It is hard to be able to pick just one distance runner that I admire because of how I find that all runners are different in there own unique way. Two that I admire currently are Brian Olinger and Dan Huling because of the way they carry themselves in training and how dedicated they are to the spot.

6. Best or Worst thing about being a distance running?
The best thing about being a distance runner is the sense of belonging you gain from it because of how your teammates are working together to achieve similar goals. This is a sense brings you closer and makes it easier to get through workouts. I also like how I am able to turn to running with I am down and get me through some troubling times.

7. Your Favorite Moment of your distance running career?
Will all the miles and all the races I have done it is really hard to pinpoint my favorite memory so I will choose the most recent one at NCAA Cross Country Nationals. My favorite moment was racing with my teammates and how there was not a minute we weren't looking around trying to make sure we were together and moving up in the race. If a couple of us got separated we were looking on how we could get back together. It was just a great feeling on how we stayed and worked together like that at the national meet.

I hope you are getting some insight on this distance runners that I interview & I hope there is more to come. I hope there are some Professional Distance Runners that answers my interview questions so you can get some real insight into the world of Distance Running

The Third Interview: The Great Diego Estrada Interview

This third interview that I get and it is an interview of The Great Diego Estrada, from Northen Arizona University, & one of the best guys you will ever meet.

1. How did you get started in running?
I wanted to play football just like any other freshman but I couldn't play to save to life and I i had to be part of a club or sport to be an honors student so i decided to take the "easy? route.

2. What do you tell people that don't get our sport of distance running?
Its not as easy as it looks, there's more to it than just jogging around a track!

3. What are you current PR's?
3:41, 13:26, 28:40 and 2:03

4. How do you manage being a college student with being a college distance runner?
Scheduling things on my whiteboard. I tend to forget things when I am focused.

5. Who are your favorite professional and/or college distance runner(s) past and/or present & why?
I have a lot of runners I have looked up to since I started running, but no one compares to Craig Mottram back in his prime. I want to be as "ballsy" as he was in his prime. No excuses, and be able to enjoy the victories... basically just have fun!

6. Best or Worst thing about being a distance running?
Best: I can eat anything! COLD STONE!!! Worse I'm the little guy in the gym.

7. Your Favorite Moment of your distance running career?
2011 NCAA Indoor 5,000, finally seeing my hard work materialized after so many misses.

8. Goals for 2012?
I want to run fast, but more than that i want to make our sport exciting for the fans to enjoy! Be "ballsy" like the old Buster

Now that I have three Professional/College Distance Runners I hope you guys are liking these interviews and I hope to get more for more insight into the Distance Running World

The Second Interview: Zachary Ornelas Interview

Well here we go again and this is the Second Distance Running Interview. This interview is about Zachary Ornelas, who did a blog about me on his blog- Eat Run Swag & I am repaying him back by doing an interview/blog about him.

1. How did you get started in running?
My dad ran a lot of 5ks when I was really young so I got tired of watching him and I decided to start running too. I did my first 5k as a 7 year old, first 10k at 8, and was running track by 4th grade.

2. What do you tell people that don't get our sport of distance running?
I tell people that don't get our sport to try and imagine what running 15 miles would be like. Then I ask them to imagine doing that every single day. Usually they respond with "that's what y'all do? You're crazy!"

3. What are you current PR's?
My current PRs are pretty weak, let's just say my first 2 years of college were 'learning years' and I didn't fully commit to the sport like I should have. So far I've run 9:07 for steeple, 14:45 for 5k, And 24:34 for 8k xc. I'd like to be at 14:20 or under this year and sub 8:50 for steeple!

4. How do you manage being a college student with being a college distance runner?
Being both a student and a collegiate athlete is pretty tough. My freshman year I struggled with time management and both my running and my grades suffered from it. Thankfully I've got it down now and I've been Academic all-big 10 several times now with a gpa of 3.2. It's all about maturity and discipline really, it's up to you to set aside time to do your work and studying.

5. Who are your favorite professional and/or college distance runner(s) past and/or present & why?
my favorite distance runner on the guys side is Nick Willis because he's a friend of mine and he's one of the nicest people you'll ever meet in addition to being one of the most dedicated athletes I've ever known. My favorite athletes on the girls side are Sheila Reid and Kara Goucher because, well, they're pretty.

6. Best or Worst thing about being a distance running?
The best thing about being a distance runner is the fact that I get to test my limits and push myself close to the edge. You really learn a lot about yourself in the challenges you face in this sport. My least favorite, hmm, well 20mi runs when the temperature is below 0 degrees isn't much fun.

7. Your Favorite Moment of your distance running career?
my favorite moment of my career so far was my trip to the NCAAs this xc season. Our team was closer than ever before and getting the opportunity to go to the national meet with such a close group of friends was great. We're hoping to do much better next year though!

I hope you like the second interview and I hope there is more Professional/College Distance Running Interviews to come

Parker Stinson Interview

Parker Stinson one of the most underrated college, I think, & one of the nicest guys out there in Distance Running that ever know. I have asked a few Professional and College Distance a few question just like Zachary Ornelas did with me on his blog, "Eat Run Swag." So here is the Parker Stinson Interview

1. How did you get started in running?
My running "career" began very early, around the age of 10 I believe. I was always a very active kid and played 3-4 sports a year and sometimes even two sports at one time while growing up. I dabbled in baseball and basketball but I ended up being best at soccer and hockey. One day my dad convinced my older sister, Candace who is four years older than me, to come out and run a few miles with him before school a few times a week in order to get into shape for club soccer tryouts. I always wanted to be involved in all things athletic and I especially wanted to try and outdo my sister at any and everything. So I went out and ran with my dad and sister and I tried my luck at a few kiddy road races and I was hooked.

2. What do you tell people that don't get our sport of distance running?
 I pretty much just tell them that a lot of what has to do with my participation in our sport is because I enjoy being successful and running has seemed to offer that to me. If I was good at the 400 or football I would most likely do that instead, it is hard for people who dont get our sport to understand why anyone would spend so much time, "just running" but i think when you explain to them that you enjoying being passionate about something you are good at then they will begin to understand.

3. What are you current PR's?
 1500-3:52
5000-14:08
10000-29:14

 4. How do you manage being a college student with being a college distance runner?
 Definitely the hardest thing any Student Athlete has to deal with is the balance between academics and athletics and if you're lucky enough to have a social life then you must add that weight into the balancing act as well. I think the key is to be honest and know oneself when it goes to classes you will be taking. I do lots of doubles and I also like to get lots of sleep but I am not much of a nap guy, so therefore I know I need to make sure that I am not scheduling any classes before like 10 a.m. or else it will be bad for my running because I will be rushing and not doing things right in the morning as well as my academics because I will end up skipping that class more so that not in order to do the running things right.

5. Who are your favorite professional and/or college distance runner(s) past and/or present & why?
 I would have to say that my favorite runners would have to be Matt Centrowitz, Luke Puskedra, and Galen Rupp. I do realize that there is an obvious Ducks bias here but that is really not what all three of these guys have in common for me. I think what attracts me the most to looking up to other runners is their ability to inspire me. That being said, since I am around Centro and Luke so often and I get to be involved with what they are doing on a day to day basis and then get to watch how their every day efforts solidify into the amazing performances on race day. Unfortunately, I can not say the same about Galen but the few times and experiences I have had with him along with his incredible performances have left an impact on me.

6. Best or Worst thing about being a distance running?
 Best part about being a distance runner would have to be the purpose, if only for a relatively short time of your life, and direction it offers in my life. Whether it will all work out or not I am very grateful to have such a straight forward goal in my life so that I do not find myself doubting the path in which I am traveling.

 7. Your Favorite Moment of your distance running career?
I have been running for about 9 years now and I don't think I ever choose a favorite moment of my distance running career. So many experiences, and performances have been great and special in their own way. Besides, I like to think the reason why I can't pick a favorite moment is because that moment has yet to come in my distance career. I am hoping the best is yet to come.

This is I hope the first of many Professional and/or College Distance Running Interviews that I do. Thanks Parker, for being my first interview

Trey Hardee

For those who know me I am a distance running freak and that is why they call me, The Hub Of Distance Running, but there is one athlete outside the world of distance running that inspires me more than he know & it is Track & Field Decathlon Trey Hardee. For those of you who don't know what a Decathlon it is where track athletes do ten events over two days both track & field evens. Event like 110 Hurdles, 1500, discus, shot up, javelin & others. The reason why admire Trey Hardee is cause of his deacation to deathlon on the track, filed and in the weight room/gym. Trey Hardee goes as far as some time 3 hours in the gym. Cause of Trey Hardee my deacation to my sport of distance running is always there and I run more mileage like 10-15 miles a day and try to get uinto the weight room and do 8 minute ab routine every chance I get. I think Trey Hardee could out last any athlete that is in the Major Sports ie Football, Baseball, Basketball & Hockey. Trey you are the Shit and thanks for inspiring me more than you know, bro

Santa Run 5K

It as been a couple of weeks since I have blog about anything but last Saturday Dec. 10, 2011 I ran in a road race through Downtown Waukesha, WI. This race was aa 4K last year and this year it was a 5K. Also, I ran this race with a few XC/Track runners that I help coach for Carroll University. As you can see from the picture in this race you could wear costumes and the had a best costume contest award. The guys wear Christmas Trees with Oranments in special places and the girls wear candy cane and ran with canes that were candy canes. Last year three of the guys were the Three Wise Men & the other guys was Baby Jesus. The guys who was Baby Jesus all he wore was an adult dipaer & a blaket. We took a few pictures before the race and then the race was on.

The race started and I was the first guys from our group out of the gate and I was in the lead of our group until about mile & half when the guys caught me and then passed me for the rest of the race. I thought that I was going to beat this guys cause I beat them last year but this year wasn't the case. The guys came in together in third place then I came in at 22:00 even for the 5K. I can say that this year I beat the girls in the race & one of the girls as a 2-time DIII XC Nationals Runner. Also, this year my mom as ran the race & got the time of 32:01. My mom wanted to run in the race last year but had to deal with my Aunt & her only sister who had Colon Cancer dying, so that is why she couldn't run last year. The two year that I ran in the race I would say that I was going to wear a Christmas costume and then I didn't but next I will wear a VChristmas Costume so that I can try to win the costume contest.

My next race in hopefully Jan. 6th, Oshkosh Alumni Meet if Coach Paul Brown will let me run in the meet or I will start my season out on Jan. 14th Stevens Point Alumni Meet, which I know I will be able to get into that meet

Firstt Indoor Track Meet

Today I had my first indoor track Meet of the season at UW-Milwaukee. It was the UW-Milwaukee Tune-Up Mee and I ran in the 3K. For those who don't know the 3K is 15 laps on an indoor track. The UW-Milwaukee Tune-Up Meet is a meet open to anyone high school, college and/or after college/ club runners. In my race, the 3K, I was youngest guy in the race but there was a girl that was younger than me in the race. They combined the men's & women's 3k so there was six guys and one women. I had one of my best races of the year, so far. This year for me has been the year of prs cause I have pred in every race that I have ran. In the race the guy who was ahead of me got a time of 11:07 and I got 11:26, a 4 second pr. Also, in most of my race I usally get a song stuck in my head by this time I didn't I had Wisconsin Runner's Elliott Krause's & Indiana Runner's Andy Weatherford's voices in my head & they were say the whole time if you don't get under 11:30 in the 3K I won't give you my singlet & I thought that was weird. Also, I didn't wear my Greater Milwaukee Track Club singlet which I wear all the time when I race, I wore my Florida State aka #tallytakeover autograph singlet & I think a change hepled me focus on my 3K race and get my pr. All in all it was a great day to race. Next time I will be blogging about my next race, The Santa Run 5K and it is a road race