Schmidt looks forward to the NCAA Champs and beyond this season (Jim Rhoades) |
1. After coming off the 2002 NCAA Outdoor title in the 800 meters, you proved to be a favorite once again with your win at the Boston Indoor Games. Your time of 2:05.75 bested a field of eight that included no fewer than two Olympians. How confident do you feel right now heading into the NCAA Indoor Championships?
I'm in pretty good shape right now, but I can't say I ever feel super confident heading into NCAA's. Right now, I'm just focused on ACC's, then on hopefully getting a 4x400 relay qualified. I'll start focusing more on nationals when the time comes. Even then, I'm more focused on my own racing strategy and mental toughness than I am confident.
2. How does your distance medley relay look heading into the meet as well?
The DMR is a big focus on our team. We all look forward to the team aspects of track & field, so it's a really fun race. Our team has 4 strong legs in the relay, so we are hoping to be contenders for the title this year.
3. North Carolina always seems to perform well at the Penn Relays every year. How much are you and your teammates looking forward to that meet again this season?
My teammates and I love Penn. It's always a little nerve wracking because it's the weekend following our ACC Championships, but once we get in Philadelphia, which is 20 minutes from Erin Donahue's home town, we all get really pumped up. The UNC women have won 3 Penn Relays Championship of America Relays, and Shalane Flanagan and I have been lucky enough to be a part of those. It's a really big and fun meet, and we've thoroughly enjoyed our success.
4. On your team, is there any variation in terms of how one athlete may train compared to the next?
Everyone on our team has a program that's fairly tailored to our events. We have three big groups that do different workouts, but coach still varies certain intervals for each runner within a group (if this makes sense). Still, there are days where we will combine groups and get a big group of girls together for some fast 200's. It's nothing competitive -- we have a lot of fun with it. Surprisingly, we all work out together really well.
5. What are some of the most challenging workouts you have ever done during your tenure at North Carolina so far?
The most difficult workouts I do are during cross country season, when I'm struggling to hang on with the pack. Since I have a history of 800's, the longer intervals and tempos are the most strenuous and difficult. On the track, we do longer intervals at the start of each season, and these have proved to be the most challenging for me.
6. How do you balance out your studies and other priorities when you have to travel so much on the road during the season?
It's tough to balance the travel and classes. I've missed almost every other Friday since the beginning of this semester, already! But, I always talk to professors ahead of time and let them know that I'm not just skipping, so the vast majority of teachers have been understanding. Nevertheless, all of my work has to be turned in ahead of time, which can be really stressful some weeks. I'm also a person that requires A LOT of sleep. In an ideal world, I would get 9-10 hours a night. So, I try to plan ahead as much as possible in order to get the sleep I need (at least 8 hours).
7. Now that you have your guaranteed trip to Arkansas, does that relieve any kind of pressure on yourself for the rest of the season until the national indoor meet?
Definitely! It's so much easier for me to get into races and compete...not just run for a time. So, knowing that I can just race like natural for the rest of the season is awesome. It allows me to focus on myself in races, as opposed to being nervous about whether or not the race is going out fast enough.
8. Have you thought about what you would like to accomplish during the outdoor season and at the U.S. Outdoor Championships?
I have been focusing mostly on indoor right now. However, my goals for outdoor are similar: I want to get to NCAA's and compete tough. I also really want to get my PR down a second or two! As for U.S. Championships, it will be a new experience for me, so my goals are less specific. I know I'll be fighting my own nerves to stay aggressive, and I want to make sure I put myself in a position to compete with the professionals.
9. Who do you contribute your success the most to?
That's a really tough question. My Coach (Michael Whittlesey) is awesome. He makes great workouts for me and is really smart about my training. He's also got great advice going into races, which probably comes from his own success as a runner. But, my teammates have been equally important. It would be tough to go out on the track every day and do workouts alone. Our team has a really positive outlook, and we all inspire each other to work hard and succeed.
10. How often do you incorporate speed work into your workouts during the competition season?
Since I would consider speed as any interval 300 meters or shorter, we do speed in almost all of our track workouts, which are 2-3 times a week. Generally, we'll start with some longer intervals, but we usually finish up with some faster stuff to get our legs used to running fast when we're tired.
11. Where would you like to see yourself 5 years from now?
I don't have definite plans for myself in 5 years. Although whether I'm running competitively or not, I want to make sure that I'm doing things that still make me happy.