Liberty's Josh McDougal just racked up his third victory at Pre National's. He has placed fourth, 13th and 27th at the NCAA Championships. The individual championship is his goal this year.

How did Pre Nat's go for you?

It obviously went pretty well. I went there knowing it was going to be a tough race. Every time I race Jacob (Korir) it is. The course was great, the weather was great, and so the times were as well.

What made the times so fast on that specific day?

Generally it's the competition. It's always fast. Pre Nationals always seems to be dry. It wasn't really drier than it usually was. Last year it was a little windy, but this year it wasn't. It was overcast. Warming up I saw the race go out fast and I knew the second race would too. Lopez broke my record so I knew I wanted to get that back.

How can you improve on your running right now?

There's a lot of room for improvement. We really haven't got into our fast phase for training yet. I'm in the middle of a 130-mile week in singles. I'm still not completely race fit. The biggest thing for me this year has been having Sam Chelanga and Dave Cheromi to train with. I'm getting used to running with other people and Pre Nats just felt completely comfortable.

Is the plan to be racing less early in the season so you can peak later, around November 19th?

Yeah, last year our schedule had Coach Jimmerson coming in. We were not quite on the same page for cross country. I think the training wasn't right obviously, and I'm not going to blame him for that because most of that was just me. I didn't have my head on straight last fall. I take a lot of the blame for that myself. We got things back on track late indoors and especially early outdoors. And I ran really well. USA's didn't go so well but that was just the end of a long season. We have a very light year of cross country this year. I was actually thinking on the way back from Indiana, on the way here, last year I had already ran hard at UVA, then Griak, then Louisville and Pre Nats and I had some really hard workouts around then. This year I haven't run really hard yet. Notre Dame was just a really solid opener for me. It was a nice, easy race to blow off some rust. And today was really relaxed and I don't think I've maxed out yet.

So, things are going well for you, sticking to the formula that makes this your big year?

I'm optimistic about this year, but that said, this year I've put so much less emphasis on my running. I get to take a step back and keep things in perspective. And that's given me the freedom to enjoy my running more, not over thinking it and dwelling on it and being so intense about it every day.

What do you say to those people who say you fade away at NCAA's?

I really don't think I've faded. Other than last year in cross country, which was devastating and I don't know where to start on that. It was about as much of a failure as you can get. I'm a consistent racer. I go out and if I'm in a race, I go hard. I don't think my fitness is going to get incredibly much better before NCAA's, but I know I can curve it up a bit and squeeze a few seconds off a mile here and there. I'm not one of those guys who come on really hard at the end, I'm more consistent. It's just my style. I never really came on really hard on the end, but I've also never really faded. As far as this fall goes, I'm not doing many races at all. I'm just putting a big emphasis on training. I think I'm doing it right this year. I just want to give myself a shot. I'm not calling myself the favorite, but with Jacob, that race could have turned out differently. Then you've got Lopez, Galen, Sam, Withrow, if everything turns out right, I might even be the number two runner on my team.

How did you feel in the race with Jacob Korir?

Well the race went out really well. I took it out easy and the race was steady. The second mile, which was uphill, was only about five seconds slower than the first. It was like a steady rhythm, like a tempo run. I've been training with Sam Chelanga and Dave Cheromi a lot and we've been doing tempo runs like that all the time. Going out there and running with Jacob felt like any of those tempo runs I've been doing. I'm really comfortable running at a fast tempo right now. I was completely relaxed, which was my whole game plan. Get out and try to run a solid, hard pace and feel Jacob out. I knew I wouldn't be able to run away from him, so I decided to just wait for the finish because I've out kicked him before and I figured that would be the best way to win. Actually, in the last K I purposely went behind him to monitor him, that way he couldn't see me. As we got into the home stretch I let him make the first move and I responded to it, then I waited for him to make his move to the line and I could tell when he went. I got in the same rhythm as him and went stride for stride with him for about 10-15 seconds, waiting for the first sign of weakness. As soon as his stride lost a little spring he lost a little bit and I just went.

How is your training going?

My mileage will come down a little, but not that much. Last year I went down a bit from 130 a week. And that didn't work for me at all. Last year at Pre Nats I was at 110 miles per week. One of the reasons I think I run really well in the middle of the season is because I'm working hard. I run well when I'm working hard. I mean Mt. SAC, my 3:57, those were during my hardest training weeks. I'm pretty much just going to do things the way I've been doing them. I'm going to go to nationals and treat it like it's any other race, because it really is. If I do that, I don't think I'll have any problems. I'll back off a little bit around that time, but there won't be any huge taper like last year. That would just not be good.

How do your team goals compare with your individual goals this year?

It's so hard to focus on team goals right now because we still don't know who is on our team. It's been a hard season for that because we know we can be so good. Obviously, I'm shooting for nothing less than the national title. I'm not going to NCAA's wanting to be third or All-American. I'm going to go there trying to win, but with my team there with me, it would make me race a little more conservatively than I would if they weren't there. Actually, I've never won nationals, but I've hardly ever lost a race my teams been in. So, I hope they are there, because I run a lot better when I'm running for the other guys compared to when I run individually. Well, it counts more when you know there are guys back there in the race counting on you to pull out those points. You can't give up, no matter how hard you're hurting.

Were you hurting during any point of the Pre Nats race?

The first four miles were completely relaxed. I mean conversational if I wanted to. The last mile there were some rolling hills, I kind of bore down and started focusing really hard, making sure there were no moves. I knew since last week that if it was Jacob and I was going to stay with him the whole race I was going to move on him in the home stretch. That was the premeditated plan and I was able to work it to perfection. The race played out exactly as I planned it to. This time it made me look really good, but next time, maybe it won't. I told my teammates on the way there, "I think I'm going to break 23 today". I knew I was a lot more fit than I was two years ago. The field, also, is so much deeper. Everyone goes to Pre Nats now. The NCAA's depth is really off the charts this year. I knew the competition was going to be there and I wasn't going to run away like I did last year. Then watching Lopez in the first race, I knew he and Bobby had gone under my record, but I didn't know their times. Coming down the home stretch, my main focus was beating Jacob then after I had done that I knew I was close to whatever they had run. It wasn't until I crossed the line that I heard it and knew I had gotten the record back. I was pretty pumped.

What are your plans after graduation?

It's hard not to think about going pro. But I'm trying to take things a day a time now. For my semester, I'm almost graduating. I'll have a few credits left. This Spring will be nice. Last Spring I had 20 credits. Although I ran some good times, my performance was definitely affected by my class load, especially around Stanford and regionals. I think I'll be able to get my load down to six credits. I'll be able to do all the little things right, like eating, sleeping, and core and strength training. I don't think I'll race much indoors. I'd love to get my qualifiers out of the way right after cross country and then open up with indoor nationals. I have no idea what next summer will bring. I really like the training group we have, so I'd like to stay around here for a few more years. I have my brothers coming up and they'll be coming to Liberty in a few years. I'd love to be a part of their running. Sam is going to be here for a while and Dave is talking like he wants to stay for several years and train. We're talking to some guys coming up and I think we may have a training group second to none.

Do you have an all-time favorite pair of running shoes?

I generally adapt to whatever I'm training in. In high school, I trained with the Nike Zoom Elites. I always wore those and loved them. The first year of college I trained in the Pegasus. Now I wear the DS trainers. They are all lightweight shoes, but no matter what rumors are going around I'm not a minimalist trainer and I don't do my mileage in bare feet.

What does your diet consist of?

When I'm home, it's pretty balanced and good. At college, I have a typical college guy's diet "whatever I can get, whenever I can get it". Definitely too many microwave dinners. Not what I should be eating, basically. I live to get enough calories by the end of the day and I'll fit it in wherever I can. Sometimes I'll just get junk if I'm really hungry.

Are you more of a track or cross country guy?

I might have said that a while ago but I really don't see myself as more of a cross country guy or more of a track guy. I think I'm pretty well rounded. As I've grown up, I've gotten a lot stronger and faster where I used to be more of a pure aerobic guy. I showed at Pre Nats that I've got pretty decent wheels now. I wouldn't say I'm a kicker either. I just don't have any big weaknesses. I've been working on posture and muscling up a little bit. It's a little confusing, where two years ago I was a pure aerobic guy. My racing has come around a lot. I've learned tactics better and I'm confident in my speed. I feel like if I'm in that less stretch with anybody, I've got a shot. Obviously, Lopez (Lomong) has got an amazing kick. I'm not going to concede the race to him, but I definitely respect his kick.

How does Liberty's program differ from other Division I programs around the country?

Being a Christian school, our mission is different. We're trying to glorify God with our lives, with our performance, with every aspect of what we do. So, that's different. Other than that we train just as hard and go to the same meets. We're a very up and coming team really. We may not have the claim of Colorado, Wisconsin, Stanford, Oregon what have you. Our results speak for themselves. Look at my brother (Jordan McDougal), at Pre Nats, he beat basically all the guys I made Footlockers with in cross country, except Lopez and I. Most of them he beat handily. He's improved far better than the guys we graduated with. Jarvis Jelen, he ran 24-flat. He beat all the Footlocker guys from our class and he was a 9:38 guy in high school. Then Josh Edmonds never made Footlockers and six months out of high school he beat the high school national champion and made the World Junior Team. Our coaching is second to none. I think people are beginning to see that. I think we've proven that you don't need to go to a big name school to succeed. Liberty is growing a lot and their commitment to athletic success is improving. When I came to Liberty, yeah I probably had to make a few sacrifices to come here. Now the incoming freshman will have to make no sacrifices to come to Liberty. Facilities, training partners, meet schedule, everything, we're just as good as anyone else.