With the conclusion of this past weekend's NCAA East Regional Championship, Princeton Tiger Donn Cabral qualified for the NCAA Championships in two events. Having options in the 5,000-meter run and the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Cabral is leaning towards focusing on the longest hurdle event. Running eight minutes, 35.60 seconds for the steeple after a 24-hour weather delay is no easy task, but Cabral wants more. A national championship, for example.

Generally speaking, can you talk about your double at the NCAA East Regional meet?

I was really excited to have the 3K steeple one night and all 24 hours of recovery before the 5K. I knew I was getting in really good shape. I had a tune-up mile last week, which I ran a really comfortable four-flat in—which was a seven-second PR. I knew that things were coming together. You train all year so when it's time to race, you take advantage of it. I was excited to get my races in this weekend. It kind of sucked when they, because of the weather, had to bump the steeple to the morning of the 5K.

Was that curveball hard to deal with?

The NCAA meet director was really pretty great about it. She called up our coached and asked and gave the option of scratching if I wanted to, because I was the only person...actually in the country...to double from the steeple to anything else. They gave me the leeway. I decided that I've got 10 hours between races pretty much. As long as I do my part in recovering, I should be fine. I think I still had the fitness to qualify. I ran the race, ran it comfortably. The Louisville guy did all the work and I just got to sit on him. We kind of just ran it in. I ate a nice and big steak for lunch, did recovery, iced my legs and by night, I was ready to go. I didn't feel 100%. I was definitely feeling fine enough that I knew I would qualify. It was a great weekend and I was happy with how everything went.

With your 5K not really being “balls-to-the-wall”, was that helpful?

I was actually hoping that someone would go ahead and take it in 66s or 67s and get a chance to race. My PR is 13:58. I think I've more potential than that and was hoping I'd get a chance to get a good time. I'm perfectly fine with running 14:13 and qualifying. Right now, my sight is on the steeple. If I had run a “balls-to-the-wall” effort—as you said—it might have taken something out...maybe from my health or with how ready to go I am two weeks from now at nationals. It's probably for the best that it went slower.

Now that a full day has went by, are you pretty taxed or pretty well recovered?

It felt fine during the race. It wasn't killer. I'm definitely feeling it. I felt it last night. I'm feeling it this morning. Running is one of those things where the running motion doesn't bother my muscles. Waking up and walking and stretching...I'm tight all around. I think that's to be expected.

Are you not getting in a long run today because of the double?

I'm not going do a long run today. I might got a little longer tomorrow. Today, I did a shake-out in the morning and I'm flying in a few minutes and I'll shake-out when I get home. Tomorrow, I'll go long and get in maybe one or two workouts this week. Then, on Saturday, I'm considering going for another sub-four attempt. We've got to see how that fits in with the ultimate goal of winning nationals in the steeple.

You're talking like the focus is on the steeple. Is there a chance you don't run the 5,000 or are you going to be doubling again?

I've yet to decide. It depends how I'm feeling and how I run in the steeple. If things go great and I feel like I've had a great weekend and I just want to end it there, I might not run the 5K. If things go great and I feel like I'm fine, I might see where I could stack up in the country in a 5K. I would definitely love to do that, but the other thing that I've got to consider would be that I want to run USATFs for the steeple. I've got to consider if running three hard races that weekend affect my chances at USATF. I don't know. That's going to be a decision that's going to be made that day.

Do you have a time goal or a place goal?

A few weeks ago, the goal was to make nationals in the steeple. A couple days ago, the goal was to be an All-American in the steeple. Today, I'd like to win! I'm sure there are a bunch of people out there saying the same thing. I don't think there's anyone in the race that I fear and think, “this is the guy to beat!” I think the other guys fear me just as much as I fear them.

What's your mileage and training like right now?

Right now, my training is based around getting ready to run fast. I've cut out doubles almost completely. But, during most of the outdoor season, I would be running between 100-105 miles a week, doing a lot of plyos, doing four morning runs a week, usually six miles a piece. Some of them fast, some of them with strides in them. I'll do two morning runs at like 5:45 pace. Then two morning runs with five or six 100-120-meter sprints in the middle of them. That keeps it so I'm working hard. The workouts are meant to like...I don't want to go too far into that (laughs). It's a good way to keep me ready to run fast at most parts of the season, but also, I'm training through a lot of races. I'm keeping the mileage high through most of the season. I've started to drop to 90 and 80. Now, it's probably around 60-70. Now, it's rest, recover, moderate workouts...nothing too impressive right now. Just become a more-efficient hurdler, becoming more efficient at faster speeds. I really haven't been training to run the 1,500 and mile. I've been training for the 5K pretty much. Somehow, I've become in good mile shape and 60 or 59-second quarters don't tax me as much as they used to. All speeds have become more efficient and all this season with this training.

What's the Princeton sub-four minute mile club look like?

I'm no statistician, but we definitely have a few. I know Bill Burke holds the school record. Craig Masback, I think has gone sub-four...I'm pretty sure while at Princeton. The big guys of late, David Nightingale, Michael Maag and Frank Kinney, those guys were all like four-flat or 4:01. I think they never got under at Princeton.

What trainers are you doing the bulk of your mileage in?

I usually wear the Equalons or the Vomeros.

Where are you setting your peak for?

I think with the miles I've put in since summer, I can have a pretty long, drawn-out peak and sustain low mileage for a while. I kind of started taking down the mileage around IC4As. I'd say the peak will be for NCAAs, but I don't think that after that I'll be trying to hold on to the fitness that I do have. I figured that I'd be able to do shorter runs and faster reps for USATFs. I don't think I'll be past the peak or anything.

What are you studying at Princeton?

Economics.

Paul Krugman from the New York Times is a professor there?

Yeah, he's still a professor here. We've got a bunch of well-known guys here.

What is the long-run plan for you and economics?

I couldn't tell tell you. Just be happy. Have a career and be happy.

Do you want to stick with economics or go with chasing low-eights in the steeplechase?

I don't see a reason why they have to be one or the other. I had a chat with Augie Wolf, he's a Princeton alum and an Olympian in the shot put. I was talking to him about how he made it to the Olympics and he basically told me, what he suggests when college is over, focus on whatever you want to focus on. Focus on being as fast as I can in the steeple. Focus on being as fast as I can in the 10K. Make that your life. Spend four years on that or eight years on that or however many Olympics you want. Once that's done, then you can go and build your career. He says that he was kind of half-assing it and it made his career search not where he wanted it to be and it made his throwing and his training not where he wanted it to be. The benefit of having a Princeton degree is that I can do whatever I want for a couple of years and then the diploma that says Princeton will kick in and help me pursue a career in whatever I want.

It's running economics versus financial economics? You're only a sophomore. You don't have to make those big decisions yet.

I'm an econ major and I'm going to have a certificate—that's our version of a minor, we don't say “major” or “minor” because we're strange. I'll be getting a certificate in Russian language.

Is that something you're pretty passionate about?

I've been taking Russian since high school or middle school. I've actually been there twice. I pretty much speak it. I'm close to fluent. I figure that it's a cool skill that might set me apart. It could be practical.

Can you say, “I'm going to run sub-four!” in Russian?

(Laughs) . Which sounds like, "Ya probegayu odnu milyu menshe, chem za chetireh minuty." (Thanks for the help, Donn!)

Is it tough to juggle it all, going to a school with such an emphasis on education and being a top-level distance runner in the NCAA system?

Yes, it is! There's no way around it. I struggle to deal with the academics here. It took me a semester to realize that I have to make a decision. In high school, I could do all the work I needed, get above average grades and dedicate 100% of my effort to running. All the effort that running required, I could give it. Here, there's absolutely no way. Other people can do it. I can not. I can't give all the attention that school requires, I can't give it AND give running all the attention that it requires. There are sacrifices and I have my priorities. I get by in school and get good grades. I'm doing all right.

I've got to ask: I was down there for IC4As last year at this time and I went down and ran on that canal, on the narrow path with water on both sides. I was nearly assaulted time and again by those geese down there. How do you handle them?

Yeah. That's happening a lot. Especially when you were there. That's when all their eggs are hatching and they're walking around all their babies. They hiss at you and stuff. Just hiss right back and go around them. It's fine. They work for Princeton. They could tell that you were an outsider.

If you could have one meal, prepared by anyone, what would you have and who would make it?

Oh, man. That's a really random question. (Laughs)

Yeah, yeah it is.

It's been so long since I've been home. I'd have to say, prepared by my mom and dad. I'd like a nice big steak and pasta with pesto sauce.

You seem to be a big steak guy.

That's the pre-race meal with me. I'm a believer in the protein and the benefit that it brings. Steak and basil pesto pasta would be ideal...with a nice glass of milk.

That's a hearty meal! Is that what they eat in Siberia?

No, there's no sour cream or herring or blini. Anyway...(laughs)

That's what you'd eat when you were there?

Oh, I'd eat cow tongue sandwiches crazy stuff.

Are you planning on going back?

Yeah, I do. I don't know when. Princeton provides a pretty cool experience where they take certain people every four summers somewhere in the world. We compete against the team. About three years ago, the track team went to China and competed in a couple of track meets over there against the Chinese team at the University of Beijing or something. The next trip will be next summer, most likely. Apparently Russia is one of the possibilities.

Can you share a crazy running-related story?

I've got a good one. I was running in this state forest in Connecticut and I was running with my friend James on the other side of this lake. We heard gun shots and got freaked out. We heard more and heard the bullets going through the leaves about 20 feet over our heads. The gun shots were coming from the other side of the lake and the bullets going over our head. We got really freaked out and ducked in behind the trees. Every three, four or five seconds, there would be another shot, right around our vicinity. We sprinted out of there crouched down and came around the lake and kept running. Once we came around the lake, we saw a mom and her son, sitting on the dock, in the middle of the lake...firing a handgun into the woods. We finished our run and left.

Did you bring it to her attention that you were running where she was shooting...or letting her child shoot?

I don't want to mess with hicks with handguns. I stayed out of that one.

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