In our weekly Q&A segment we asked Blake Theroux a few questions about life on and off the course. We caught up with him right after he and the rest of the Colorado Buffalos won the Men's Team title at the NCAA Championship.

Take us through the NCAA Championship win this past weekend, how was the race and what was it like to come away with a team title at the end of your NCAA XC career.

This past weekend was a mixture of nerves and excitement to say the least. I'm sure it goes without saying that my teammates and I came in looking for a dominant win. With the way we have been racing and training in these past months we felt ourselves a head above the field. That of course is not to say that we disrespect our competition in any way. We carry an enormous amount of respect for the teams we faced and continue to face, in some cases even maintaining friendships with them. But, we were very confident. We knew that if we ran to our ability, we would come away with the win. The procedure was normal as usual; we didn't do anything different or special in the days and hours leading into the race. Speaking on the race itself, some of us had differing opinions on how we felt it would play out whether that be fast or slow or what have you, while others didn't care at all (i.e. Good ole' Pierce).

I expected the race to play out exactly as it did and so I was more than prepared. Without going into too much detail, our plan was simply to place ourselves in good position and let our fitness carry us through to the end of the race. I believe it played out more or less exactly like that. Some of us were a little higher placed early on in the race like Ammar and Connor, but I wasn't. I was tucked in like I expected to be and just tried to maintain my cool with the knowledge that in the span of a quarter mile I could make my way to the front if I needed to. I moved towards the front around 6 or 7 kilometers in I think. At the 8k mark Stanley Kebenei made his move although I didn't quite realize it was him, I just felt the pace quicken and that's when I knew that the race was really starting. The last 2 kilometers were really tough. I tried my best to keep my breathing easy and legs under me until the last straightaway. Ammar and Ben really gave me motivation over the end of the race in that respect. Coming into the last straight I was working hard for sure but was hesitant to go to my last wheels because it's such a long finish. When I finally did start moving in my final kick I was racing some really tough guys Ben, Stanley, Maksim, John, and Ammar were all there and I just wanted to give it everything I had left which I did. When I finished I was exhausted but my first thought was to turn around and cheer for my 4 and 5. So I moved far enough to get away from the grabbing officials and watched the rest of the finishers. I saw Connor and finally Pierce and was really relieved but not too happy because you never know until its official.

After that we met with each other and Ammar brought us together into a huddle. In the huddle we told each other that no matter what the result, we loved each other and we were proud of each other. We made our way out to the media and it was a noisy crowd. There I saw my other teammates and Billy my assistant coach and my parents and friends and all of our other support. I finally celebrated once I got enough people telling us that it was official. We did the interviews that everyone who wants to watch them has seen by now and it was a great time.

To answer the last part of the question on what it means, it obviously feels great for many reasons. At the end of the day, all of us want to run what we are capable of, and I feel like that goes for not just my team but also all teams. As my coach once said "It's impossible to run better than you're capable of, but to run what you're capable of at NCAA's is pretty tough." For us, running what we're capable of meant winning and so we were relieved and happy to do that for each other and all of our supporters. It felt great to help Jake get his title because he unfortunately couldn't celebrate with us and it was awesome to watch Ammar run so well because he has been waiting for a day like he had; so there were some great individual stories. I am also always ecstatic to get a win for those who came before me. Guys like Joe Bosshard, Richard and Martin Medina, Andy Wacker, Christian Thompson etc. These guys were my elders and mentors when I was just a freshman and I truly believe they deserved to stand up there on the podium with my team this year because they really pushed and inspired a lot of us. And of course it feels great to get a win for our coaches, Mark, Heather and Billy because they work so hard for us. I don't really look at the title as a capping of my cross career despite it being that way. I treat each year and season, cross indoor and outdoor differently, so this was a great way to cap this season and I'm excited moving forward. Although I will surely miss cross country with all my heart.

Describe your childhood dream.

My childhood dream, that's a great question. It's funny because I've thought about it in terms of running. I always see people and friends who say that they always dreamed of going to the Olympics, which is awesome but definitely not the case for me. I think my childhood dreams were about the same as any others. I wanted to make lots of money and be happy. I wanted to be an actor for a long time. As I got older my dreams became more realistic and humble, wanting to make a good living like my parents, have a family and be happy. I still feel that way. I never really had any fantastic sports aspirations. I've always treated sports and my running in a day-by-day way. I have one goal for the season and I do my best to achieve that goal. I also do my best to tell myself every day that if I stopped running this second I would be happy and I've done that. I've been able to stop and be happy since long before I enrolled at Colorado. If anything I need people like Mark to tell me to "dream bigger and push higher" but I really am a runner of humble goals despite what it may seem like. Anyone who has trained with me knows this. I just want to be the best that I can be, compete and have fun with my boys and if I do that then I'm happy.

Describe your fondest race memory.

This is a really great question but so hard to answer; kind of like asking a parent to choose his favorite child. I have a few; one being my national championship sprint medley relay victory my senior year at Nike indoor nationals. That was a really amazing feeling and one I still cherish today. The video gives me chills every time. It was the first national title for a men's team at Western Branch and I was on cloud nine afterward. The national title races these past two years were amazing obviously and both very tough, and all of the PAC12 victories were awesome too. So I hate to say it but I don't really have a favorite memory. I have many memories from races in high school that no one will ever talk about to ones that will be in college programs in 100 years. They are all very special to me and I'm blessed in that respect.

Describe your worst habit.

Anyone who knows me knows the answer to this question and it's for sure my eating habits. I don't eat very well at all. If Taco Bell or Ramen need an athlete to sponsor I'm their guy. I eat fast food and candy and things like that. At the grocery store in Indiana I bought a bag of redvines, M&M's, eggnog, chocolate milk, and Yoo-hoo. Mark and Heather just looked at me and shook their heads. I always try to eat well the week of big races but it's definitely my Achilles'™ heel. I'm also just not a very hungry person in general I think given my size. I don't need to eat 3 big meals a day. I eat a small breakfast every morning and a decent dinner but I just really don't need that much fuel. Guys like Ben Saarel and Pierce eat like diesel trucks but I'm like a squirrel as Jake tells it.

Describe what it is like training in Boulder and running for Colorado?

I could go on for hours, but it's great. I love Boulder it's a beautiful city with a lot to offer and training in CO is great; very, very tough in the winter months though. Running for Colorado is nothing short of a blessing, but it's also all I know now. For me it's just home. I don't wake up everyday in Boulder starry eyed. Boulder and the University of Colorado is my home. When I was choosing a college to attend my senior year I had only a handful of choices. I wasn't Ben Saarel, or Jake Hurysz or Ammar Moussa. I was a 9:13/4:14 guy. I was good in Virginia but no one in California knew or cared about Blake Theroux. One day I just asked my high school coach "Who should I contact?" He named some schools and one he named obviously was CU. He said, and I'm paraphrasing, "One school who is in a bit of slump now but always produces great runners is Colorado." So I emailed Mark, got a response and flew out there. One thing that I was shocked by was how much Mark was invested in me despite my humble times. I even told him that he had spent more time with me on my visit than any other head coach despite the fact that his program was the greatest. He had coached these amazing athletes like Dathan and Adam and Jorge and he didn't talk about any of them. He talked about me. And he said something I've never forgotten which was "I don't have hobbies, I don't build model trains in my basement. This is my job." There were some other great schools, but I knew that if I didn't run for Mark Wetmore, I would never know how good I could have been. My parents gave me the OK and the rest they say is history. I won't get into specifics, but for some college programs coming out of high school, I wasn't good enough. I wasn't even good enough for an email response saying "No thanks Blake." Mark and Heather believed in me, and I've trained every day to repay them for the opportunity they gave me.

Describe the kind of kid you were in high school.

I think I was pretty much the same. I'm a bit of an eccentric, a little loud at times. I've probably quieted down a lot which I think just comes with maturity, but pretty much the same. Same taste in comic books and movies and TV shows and all that good stuff. High school is high school. I was as blessed in high school as I am now in college when it comes to running. I was surrounded by a great group of people and peers. Claude Toukene is the greatest high school track coach in this country and I really believe that. Ryan Carroll, the distance coach and my coach is a passionate man who always pushed me to be the best and I'm very thankful to them both as well as everyone else at that school who helped me grow. I was a part of 5 state track titles during my time in high school and I still love Western Branch to this day and will always be proud of where I came from. Bruins baby!

If you had a day off from your everyday responsibilities, describe how you would spend it.

I live a pretty humble lifestyle and often enjoy my solitude. I've actually had a dream in recent years of just going out into the mountains for a week or so like a short Walden's pond type of thing. Just alone to read and write and spend some time off the grid. That would be great, so I'm gonna go with that.

Describe your most embarrassing moment as an athlete.

There was one time my freshman year in high school. It was my very first invitational cross country meet out in Williamsburg, VA. William & Mary put it on and I was pumped. The gun went off for my race and I was literally still putting spikes into my racing shoes like 100 yards away. And so I didn't even get to run the race. I was just a freshman and so I had no sense of when to be on the line or anything like that. It was pretty embarrassing. My coach took all the blame for not having me ready though so I felt better. Good times haha.

Tell us about your favorite memory with one of your current or past training partners.

So many great memories training both in high school and college. I think that goes for any runner honestly, I don't care who you are. Since I talk so much about CU though I'll throw it back to high school. One memory that really stands out was my junior year. It was a Sunday and my team met out in Virginia Beach for a run at a place called seashore state park. A lot of great runners in the area trained there. I can'™t remember how long we were going out for that day but it was me, my coach Ryan and my teammates George and Chris. We were doing our run and at one point we came up on a group from one of our rival schools Ocean Lakes. We passed them and when we did two guys from their school latched onto us. It just turned into a race basically, because my coach is just such a competitor. No words were exchanged but the pace just kept picking up more and more and more until we were basically sprinting. I actually just consulted my buddy George on this for old times' sake and he remembers it, saying and I quote "Shit got real quiet and really real. Real quick." Finally we came to a rest stop where everyone always gets water and so we stopped and started jogging but there was just so much tension and testosterone. It was great though, that really stands out today. Shout out to Drew Paisley and Jon Winters! They were the Ocean Lakes guys and they were great competitors.

Describe the perfect post-race meal in detail.

The perfect post race meal for me would probably be my mom's flank steak. It's a rare strip of steak wrapped around stuffing, and it's heavenly; that with a side of mashed potatoes, heavy with butter and green beans. A gallon of chocolate milk to drink which I will finish and hate myself for it. That's the dream right there.

Describe your favorite workout?

My favorite workout for sure is milers on the track. Spiked up with my boys and ready to rip. 5-6 increasing the pace on every one with not much more than 2 minutes of jogging rest. Just the thought of that workout gets me pumped up and I don't know why. I really enjoy it a lot. It's probably one of the only workouts I look forward to. It's pretty simple and just tough enough to test your metal. If you can kill a session of milers and close the last one in the 4:20's or under, you're ready to crush a race and you know it. So it's a real confidence booster.

Who is your childhood hero and why?

I'm gonna have to say Bruce Lee on this one. I've always really admired Bruce and it's tragic that he's not still with us. He was such an inspiring figure both physically and mentally. I was never a very big kid and here I see this 130 lb guy soaking wet, who is just an absolute specimen. He could mop the floor with guys twice his size. Martial arts aside he was incredibly wise and driven in all aspects of life. He is still a hero of mine for sure.

Describe your guilty pleasure.

One guilty pleasure, and I'm adamant about this, is the Biebs. I've always been a Bieber fan. And before I get torn apart for this answer, I do realize that he has been a serious tool and a half over the past couple of years and he's been lettin' me down on that end no doubt. But I dig his music. I'm a pop music guy for sure. Michael Jackson, Timberlake, Usher, Biebs are all on my playlist.

If you could give one piece of advice to any runner that is looking to compete at the next level, what would it be and why?

Every runner is different and anyone who's been in the sport long enough knows this. There is no magic recipe. What works for one runner doesn't work for another. The only constant is dedication and good hard training. Patience is the key. Take your goals one-step and one day at a time. As cliché as that sounds, its true. Like I said before, I never dreamed of going to the Olympics as a kid. I didn't think about being an Adam Goucher or a Dathan while I was in high school. I took my days one at a time. When I was a freshman in high school, I wanted to run under 18 minutes for 5k. When I was a sophomore and junior, I wanted to run under 9:20 for 2 miles and make footlocker. When I was a senior, a little faster, and so on and so on. Here I am now, and it's a blur. So to all the high school runners out there that want to be a national champion one day wearing a Colorado jersey or an Oregon jersey or a Stanford jersey I say; run tomorrow. Focus on that run, and when that's done, think about the next day. Because that's the only way you can get to the next level is one day at a time. Training hard, smart, and healthy.

Describe your favorite place to run or train.

Now that I think about it truly, my favorite place to train, again as cliché as it sounds is Magnolia Road. It's a place that's in the book and touted as this crucible of fire and all that good stuff but for us buffs it's just Mags. It's a great run, beautifully scenic and one that if you're fit enough isn't insane. (Gold Hill is harder in my opinion). If you can average around 6 flat for a good long run up at Mags you're ready to rock. I encourage any runner to give old man Mags a twirl before you die.

If you had to listen to 1 song in your head every time you ran for the rest of you life, what would it be?

I'm not a big fan of listening to music while I run. I can count on one hand how many times I've done it in my almost 9 years of running honestly. But if I had to pick one song it would probably something classical. I really love classical music, as hipster as that sounds. I'm a history buff (no pun intended). So I'm gonna go with Beethoven's Symphony No.9. That track is fire AND it's an hour long, so perfect for a daily run.

Dinner for 3 (living or dead) who and why?

Ok for this question I'm gonna say Bruce Lee, William Shakespeare and Leonardo Dicaprio. Bruce Lee I already covered, he's a god. William Shakespeare is another one of my heroes. I have a quote from Twelfth Night tattooed on my left forearm. I'm an English Literature and History major here at CU, and the dream for me after college is a job writing and working in publishing. I'm a voracious reader and I really devour Shakespeare. His writing is incredible. And Dicaprio, I mean, need I say more? The guy's a dreamboat. But seriously, he's one of my favorite actors and such a recluse so I would love to pick his brain about his favorite movies and Hollywood stories and all that good stuff. Movies and theater are two more big interests of mine.

Describe your pre-race ritual.

I don't really have any pre-race rituals. I like to keep it light and fun when I can. I've been known to read one of my comic books before a big race. If anyone saw me before NCAA's I'm sure I was scowling but that's rare. I usually just try to stay positive and remember how much fun it is to race with my boys and be in the moment. I don't like to focus on the seriousness; I like to joke around. So being a cut-up is my pre-race ritual, much to Mark's chagrin. He knows I race seriously though so he puts up with me... sometimes.

What does racing/training look like for you in the next 6 months?

I'll take a short; much needed break after NCAA's and get back to work for indoors. My goals for indoor are a sub 4 mile and an all-American performance at NCAA's, two things I've yet to achieve. For outdoors, I'd love to win a PAC12 title in the steeplechase and get an all-American in Eugene in June. But as I've said many times before, I'm already so blessed having achieved everything to date. Times and medals are all great but this is my last year as a Colorado Buffalo and so the most important thing above all for me is to have fun with my teammates and cherish the time I have. I am truly being sincere in that. Because in 50 years when I'm an old man I won't care about what my time was at such and such meet, I'll care about the jokes and the cutting up and the friendships I made. I realize that right now, and I don't plan on wasting a second that I have! Go Buffs!!!!