MileSplit - How is your fitness now that you are in the middle of the 2013 season. What excites you most about the meets to come?
Kai - My fitness is coming along quite well, and I am excited for meets to come because my season last year ended shortly after this point, so I would like to complete goals from last season.
MileSplit - After your big win at Bob Firman, and getting a berth at NXN last year, what expectations do you have for the rest of your senior year in XC?
Kai - My hope is that I stay healthy and can give everything I've got in the post season, I would be happy with that.
MileSplit - When & how did you get started in cross country?
Kai - I got started in cross country by attending our teams cross country camp during the summer before my freshman year. I hadn't wanted to go, because I was really focused on soccer, but I went because I had already signed up. Then at camp there was a 4 mile camp race and I took 7th and decided that I kind of liked running.
MileSplit - Person/people most influential to your success in cross country and why?
Kai - The North Central cross country community has been quite influential in my running success, because they give me a reason to fight during races and have helped hold me together when it felt as if my various injuries would never heal.
MileSplit - Who has influenced you the most so far in your life and what they mean to you and your success?
Kai - I really can't decide who has been the most influential person in my life. I have met and learned from too many people to make an honest decision.
MileSplit - What are the keys to your successful cross country training program and what work did you put in to start off so well this year?
Kai - Over the summer I put in a fair amount of time training in the pool as I recovered from a stress fracture, and since then I have just slowly increased my mileage and intensity of running.
MileSplit - What are the keys to your team's unity and how you train to reach your goals?
Kai - The team's keys to unity are having fun but working hard, and doing it together. It's hard not to unify when everyone is working hard together and chasing the same goals, so that is what we attempt to do.
MileSplit - Your favorite past performance in a cross country race and why?
Kai - My favorite performance in a past cross country race is last year at NXN, when our usual 4th and 5th men had a bad race, so our usual 6th and 7th, Isaac Kitzan and Nik Taylor rose to the ocassion and finshed hard for a team 3rd place.
MileSplit - What is your greatest non-running experience in cross country so far and why?
Kai - My greatest non-running experience in cross country is when after the race at NXN last year, our team and the Kamiakin team tore down the wall separating our tents.
MileSplit - What are your goals for the 2013 cross country season?
Kai - My goals for the 2013 cross country season are to race in the front pack of the post season meets, and for my team to continue our success on the state and national levels.
MileSplit - What was your favorite performance from the 2013 World Champs?
Kai - My favorite performance from the 2013 world championships was Mo winning the 5k, because Andrew Vandine, a member of the team, had no faith in Mo's ability to win the double.
The Fun Run
What music do you rock while working out…
Kai - I don't listen to music when I workout.
Do you like to run in the mud or the grass…
Kai - Trails.
Do you hang out on Facebook or Twitter...
Kai - Facebook.
What gear is your favorite while running...
Kai - CEP compression socks.