Ryan Vail KWIK-E

December 21, 2007

Ryan Vail of Oklahoma State University recently placed 11th at the NCAA XC Championships individually as his Cowboys placed third as a team. His indoor track season is going to kick off at the Tyson Invitational.

Can you give me a brief history of you and your running, when did you start seeing success?
I started running track in eighth grade, but I really wasnâ€™t any good. As I grew I started to see a bit of success early in my high school track career, but I didnâ€™t take the sport seriously. I played football in the fall, wrestled in the winter and did track in the spring to stay in shape for football. I did this until my junior year of high school; at that point I decided to focus on running and I went out for my first XC season. Ever since that point my dedication, race intelligence, and training have improved and Iâ€™ve made big jumps every year. It also helped a ton running against guys like Galen Rupp, Stuart Eagon, Kenyon Neuman, and many others all the way through high school. Iâ€™ve been fortunate in having great competition at every point of my running career.

What kind of training do you typically do?
I have two periods of base work throughout the year: the summer/early fall and winter. Iâ€™ve tried to consistently increase my mileage each of these periods, but Iâ€™ve had some injury problems, including a stress fracture last year, due to high mileage so Iâ€™ve leveled out for the time being at about 100-105 miles per week. I do that in six days though, and I save every Friday for an aqua jogging workout in an attempt to stay healthy. I add in at least 90 minutes of cross training (aqua jogging or elliptical) per week to supplement my mileage. It seemed to work this fall so Iâ€™m going to stick with it for the winter.

As for workouts we do a lot of tempo running and long cross country type intervals, even during the track season. Usually we do four mile steady states on the track and ten mile tempos on hilly dirt roads each week. We donâ€™t usually start hard track intervals until fairly late in the season.

How do you think OSU is different from other DI programs?
Nearly every person on the roster is from out of the state or the region which makes for an easy adjustment coming far from home. Also, we do not have a single Footlocker finalist on our team. Our success has been built on great talent, but it has come from athletes that have been underrated or maybe just under the radar during high school.

What was it like to take third at the NCAA Championships?
Taking third was the greatest experience of my collegiate career to date. After so many months of tough training focused on one single race, it is an incredible feeling for it to all come together like it did. We didnâ€™t celebrate for too long though. Shortly after the race we were already talking about what we needed to do to improve upon that finish next year.

What is Coach Smith like?
Coach Smith is a great coach. Heâ€™s honestly the reason that Iâ€™m at Oklahoma State. He has the unique ability to relate to his athletes while being an intense and motivational coach. He really knows how to light a fire under his runners. At the same time, however, he knows a lot about the sport and is great at making is athletes understand. His understanding of the physiological side sport is strengthened by his PhD in pharmacology/neurobiology as well. Heâ€™s completely dedicated to his job and expects the same out of us.

Are you doing indoor track and what are your goals?
Yes, Iâ€™m competing in my final indoor season this winter. We donâ€™t usually put a huge emphasis on the indoor season in order to better prepare for the outdoor season, but Dave and I still feel that I can PR pretty big on the track indoors. Iâ€™m going to focus my efforts on the 3,000m, and I hope to qualify for the indoor nationals and finish as an All-American. At the moment weâ€™re gearing for the Tyson Invite.

What are your long term goals for your running?
This summer I would love to be competing in the Olympic trials in the 5,000 meters. That will be a major focus during this yearâ€™s outdoor season. Obviously my goals next year revolve around improving our cross country finish and running faster on the track. After finishing my final year as a collegiate runner I definitely want to continue my running career, but at the moment I have no idea where that will be. Iâ€™ll have to analyze my opportunities after my next two track seasons.

What are you asking for for Christmas (if you give me your parent's email, I will sent it to them, if you'd like)?
I was hard pressed to come up with ideas this year. Iâ€™m asking for some airline mileage so I can spend some time with my girlfriend in her native Czech Republic this summer. Iâ€™m also asking for a gym membership for the three weeks Iâ€™m home so I can continue to supplement my mileage with cross training.

Favorite pair of running shoes ever?
The Brooks Adrenaline is my favorite running shoe. Brooks makes great trainers.

What does your diet consist of?
My diet varies, but I do consistently eat a fair amount of pasta and a fair amount of steak. As long as Iâ€™m getting enough calories, calcium, and iron, Iâ€™m pretty relaxed about what I eat.

What's the hardest workout you've ever done?
Thatâ€™s a tough question to answerâ€¦there have been a lot. If I had to pick one Iâ€™d have to say 10 x 1000 meters on our cross country course. Starting slow and getting faster each of the 10 on a hilly, muddy, grass course.

What's your winter break going to be like?
Iâ€™m going to be spending most of my time training and hanging out with old high school friends. Iâ€™ll be working on a solid base for the track season.

Post a Comment

#2	Cara Hawkins December 21, 2007 at 11:52pm Yeah the 10x1000 meters does not sound fun.. reply
#1	Vano December 21, 2007 at 12:03pm good interview reply