2014 has been a breakthrough campaign for junior Madeleine Davison of North Allegheny. Davison started the season with a course record at Red White and Blue and a win at PIAA Foundation. Her postseason included a runner up finish at District 7, a state bronze medal, and a 4th place finish at Foot Locker Northeast and a ticker to San Diego on Saturday. Davison caught up with Phil Grove to reflect on what's been a special season!
It was four weeks from the PIAA
championship race in Hershey until the Foot Locker Northeast Regional and then
another two weeks before the National Final in San Diego. What have you done to
maintain your conditioning and race sharpness that you showcased back on November 1?
After states, I had several weeks of
pretty tough workouts before tapering down for the regional race. The workouts
we did helped simulate the effort and speed of a race, without
the psychological pressure and anxiety. I also think that the regional
race was a great experience in that it allowed me to shake off the mental rust
that tends to build up during a month without races.
With a top 10 finish
getting you to San Diego, were you counting heads throughout the race at Van
Cortlandt Park as you prepared for the long finishing straight where so many
things can happen?
Absolutely. Having never run at Foot
Locker Regionals, I made it my main goal to put myself in the top 10 and run a
conservative race to make sure that I had enough left in the tank to finish
hard on that final stretch. When I passed the mile mark, I counted off to see
where I was, and since I was already in the top 10, I decided to try to hold my
spot as best I could without taking too many potentially costly risks. Then, in
the last mile, I picked up the pace and gave it all I had.
How do you prepare – on
race day and before – for a course that you have never seen before in person or
raced, especially with such a talented field and so much to gain with a high
finish?
Prior to the race, I got some
excellent advice from different friends of mine who have run Regionals before,
which really helped me feel more confident about the course itself. The day
before the race, I got to jog the course with Bri (Schwartz), and it was
extremely helpful to be able to ask questions and get a feel for the layout
before I actually had to run the race. Other than that, my main mental
preparation was basically trying to convince myself that I had a chance to make
it and that it was just like any other big race.
How important was it
for you – as a junior – to qualify for the Foot Locker National Final?
I would say that, for me personally,
there was a lot riding on this regional race. Not that anyone was putting
pressure on me to qualify, but that I wanted to prove to myself that I could do
it. Getting to go and race some of the nation's top runners in San Diego is
something I've dreamed of since I was in seventh grade and first found out
about Foot Locker. It's also great to have a successful cross country season
before the college search begins in earnest.
At the end of last
year’s track season, you finished third in the mile at the New Balance Outdoor
Nationals. How much did the experience of racing against the nation’s best help
you this cross country season?
For one thing, it definitely gave me a taste of that kind of competition– where everyone is semi-anonymous, except for a few favorites, and you get to go out and give it your best shot without feeling any pressure except the pressure you put on yourself. It also helped give me a broader sense of perspective that you don't usually get racing the same people over and over. It was fun to walk into a race without any real preconceptions about who was "supposed to" win. NB Nationals also taught me that no race result is set in stone until the race is over. Especially in post-season races, anything can happen depending on who has a good day. I think I definitely carried that knowledge into my racing this cross country season.
