Keri Bland KWIK-E

West Virgina Mountaineer Keri Bland has been one of the most consistently successful runners in the NCAA for the past few years. She was considering not even running in college and is well on her way to grabbing six All-American honors in two school years, a remarkable accomplishment. She's got a fast 800 this year, a fast mile, and is working to get her school's DMR team to Nationals. Let's see how she, and her Mountaineers, do this indoor season.

What are you looking to do at Nationals?

As far as I know, right now, I'm running the mile and the DMR. I'm not taking the eight any farther.

Done with the eight?

Done with the eight.

So, what are you goals then?

Last year our DMR went in 12^th and we got fourth. We'd love to be up there again.

Can you explain a typical training week for you?

A normal week for me is running 70-75 miles a week. We have two hard workouts. One is Monday night usually and the other is usually Friday or Saturday.

And that mileage is over six days or seven days a week usually?

Seven days a week.

After a fantastic XC season you're back down in the shorter stuff. Come outdoor season, are you going to move up in distance some or stick around the mile?

I'm going to stick around the mile. I'll get up there eventually, but right now I like what I'm doing. It's kind of nice to be able to jump around.

Are you in love with the mile or might you move up eventually?

I might move up eventually, but the mile is probably my favorite. What's funny is when I was in high school, I told Sean (Cleary) that I would never run the mile and that I hated it. And now it's my favorite thing.

With your quick 800 times, I've got to ask if you've ever run an open 400?

No, I haven't. We thought about time trialling a 400 at the end of the season last year after the Trials, but I never got around to it.

What do you think you'd hit? Give me a guess?

Around? My best time in high school was 59, but I know I could go 57ish or maybe 56.

How was your Olympic Trials experience last year?

I was just hoping to get in actually. I didn't have high goals of going to the finals and stuff. I just wanted to get the opportunity to go race. Once I got there, I made it through the first round. I ran my personal-best that race, I think. Then I had to go again the next day, but I didn't make it to the finals. It was great. I loved Eugene. It was awesome. To be at the Trials! It was a good experience for me where in four years from now, I look to go do it again. That's a higher goal.

What are your big goals? What's on the long-term agenda?

I'd like to go to the Olympics in the mile or, if I move up, in whatever I move up to.

With the mile being run so quickly this indoor season, are you intimidated, or do you thrive on that sort of thing?

I love it. I love that everyone is in it. At first this season I thought that everyone had moved up to 3K and I was the only one and I was getting left behind. I did the mile last year, but didn't go to Nationals. I was thinking that everyone was moving up to the 3K and it's not going to be as competitive as it was. But everyone is still in it and I love it. I love everyone being right there.

What's the team chemistry like for West Virigina?

We have probably 25 girls, so it's a big team, but we all get along so well. We have a lot of team dinners and team get togethers. Everyone comes and it's really fun. You can always find someone to run with because there are so many of us and we all get along so well that whoever it is you can talk to them. It's cool that most of us are from West Virginia and the ones that aren't are from Canada.

Why did you decide to stay in-state in the first place?

In high school I wasn't really recruited. Sean did talk to me a couple of times. At first I wasn't even going to run. I was thinking about going to Virgina Tech for school. Then Sean talked me into running. Like I said, I didn't want to run the mile. I just wanted to run 800s. I wasn't really that serious about it when I first started. He talked me into it and all these things like, “you'll get to run meets and you'll meet Megan Metcalfe.” I thought that would be fun. I gave it a try. It's worked out really well.

It might be more of a hypothetical question with your rigorous schedule, but when you get free time, how do you spend it?

Well, I am a math major and that doesn't leave a lot of free time with my running. I love math though. I like to do math problems. Yeah, I'm a dork. In my free time I like to do extra homework, like I get ahead...so I don't fall behind. I don't really do much. I watch TV sometimes.

What kind of shows?

My favorite show right is probably “The Secret Life of the American Teenager”. It's on ABC Family. I like ABC Family and MTV reality shows, but that's not something to be proud of.

What's the hardest workout you've ever done?

Our Monday night workouts are pretty intense. This season I had a pretty hard one. I did six by one mile cut down. I got down to 4:40 mid for my last one. 4:46 I think. It was pretty tough. There was a three-minute rest.

That's why you're running 4:34 indoors now.

That's right. I just have to run one mile as opposed to six miles.

Can you give a crazy running related story?

I remember running my first 1500. It was an outdoor race and we went to Texas. The first day I ran a four by eight. It was like 95 degrees and we all got sun burnt and it was hot. The next day we came back and I had to run my first 1500 ever. I had to run it in a hale storm. We warmed up and cooled down in the parking garage because it was just so nasty outside. How is there a hale storm in Texas on the day I have to run my first 1500? That was pretty crazy.

Right after being sun burnt none the less.

So, we're hot and sun burnt and then there's hale. After the race I couldn't move my arms because they were so cold. With the ice hitting you, it hurt so bad. It was crazy. It was a nightmare. No thank you.

What kind of times did you hit?

I think I ran 4:30 something. 35, 38 or something. For my first 1500 it was pretty good. I went 2:12 in the four by eight the day before. That was a personal-best for me also. That was my freshman year.

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#5	Newmar   March 13 at 11:20pm What's the hardest workout you've ever done? Our Monday night workouts are pretty intense. This season I had a pretty hard one. I did six by one mile cut down. I got down to 4:40 mid for my last one. 4:46 I think. It was pretty tough. There was a three-minute rest. WOW! reply
#4	Mrs. Doubtfire   March 13 at 4:22pm Love Keri Bland all American runner and all american girl! Go West Virginia. reply
#3	Bland Fan!!   March 13 at 3:57pm Yeah, Keri!! Good Luck 2nite!!! reply
#2	WOOOHOOO   March 13 at 9:49am Good Luck Keri!! YOU ROCK!! reply
#1	Weirton   March 13 at 6:15am Keri's a stud! Good luck this weekend at Nat's! reply