MileSplit - How is your fitness now that you are in the middle of the 2013 season. What excites you the most about the rest of the season and what you want to accomplish?
Ben - I am really happy with my fitness right now! Coach Hovis is awesome at making sure that we are running our best later in the season so that makes me excited to get into our Conference and State championships. I am most excited to see how the team runs at these championship races after a long season of hard workouts.
MileSplit - You are an NXN finalist and accomplished runner. However, you just hit it out of the park at Great American on a very hot day. What are your initial thoughts on your race and your obviously effective tactics at the end?
Ben - This was my first year running Great American, so I was just hoping to be in the mix for the top 5. The course at Wake Med is by far my favorite course so I knew that I could finish well up the long final hill. Throughout the race I sat on the back end of the lead pack and just told myself to stay relaxed and hang on to the quick pace. At the very end, I just gave it all I had to pass the Brentwood guys for a big PR!
MileSplit - Where do you go from here and continue to focus for your upcoming races?
Ben - I have to thank all my coaches and teammates for keeping me focused on the next race. Whether I have a good or bad race they are always there to remind me that I have to keep working.
MileSplit - When & how did you get started in cross country?
Ben - I started running cross country in 7th grade because I enjoyed running around during my sister's soccer practices as a way to entertain myself. After I started, I fell in love with the sport.
MileSplit - Person/people most influential to your success in cross country and why?
Ben - My parents have been SO supportive of me, traveling to every meet, even in Oregon or California, and paying for the countless number of shoes I've worn over the years. The person most influential to my success, however, has to be my coach, Ben Hovis. He is so passionate about running and helping everyone on the team improve. He is also has a scary good memory so he can tell us exactly what we ran during workouts since we've been running for him. Although he loves to make us hurt during workouts, Coach Hovis has been one of the main reasons that I have been so successful in running.
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?
Ben - Mileage is one of the big keys to a successful training program. Over the summer and continuing into the season we run lots of base work to get aerobic fitness. Long runs, double runs, and mile repeats are some of the most important parts of our training.
MileSplit - What are the keys to your team's unity and how you train to reach your goals?
Ben - My teammates are like my family and I love spending time with them, which makes training so much more enjoyable. I think the team's unity comes from everybody working really hard to improve and our desire to do well as a team. Also, we love to joke around and have fun, sometimes more than our coaches would like!
MileSplit - Your favorite past performance in a cross country race and why?
Ben - I think Great American this year ranks really high among my favorite performances, but winning our State championship as a team last year has got to be my favorite memory from cross country. We all worked so hard during the season and had a great day which allowed us to win our 3rd consecutive championship.
MileSplit - Who are the cross country competitors you most enjoy competing against and why?
Ben - I love running against any of the many talented guys from North Carolina. Wyatt Maxey, Ian Milder, Phillip Hall, and Patrick Sheehan, have all been killing it this season. I especially like racing against William Roberson from Broughton. He is an awesome competitor and I always have to watch my back when he's in the race.
MileSplit - What is your greatest non-running experience in cross country so far and why?
Ben - This is a hard question since I have had so many great experiences! Traveling to Australia with my family as a part of Down Under Sports' trip was one of the best things I have ever done so that has to be one of my greatest non-running experiences thanks to cross country. Also, making tons of great friends on my team and around the country has been amazing.
MileSplit - Do you have any long-term goals in running?
Ben - I want to run in college, but beyond that I would love to represent the USA in some international competition during my career.
MileSplit - What was your favorite performance from the 2013 World Champs?
Ben - Despite the awesome performances by tons of Americans, I have to say that Mo Farah's win in the 5k was my favorite race. He is such a great racer and he showed it in that race!
The Fun Run
What music do you rock while working out…
Ben - Imagine Dragons, and The Killers are two of my favorite bands to listen to while I work out. After a hard run, I love to listen to Rogue Tape by Ty Crane.
Do you like to run in the mud or the grass…
Ben - Although NXN was a lot of fun last year, I have to say that I like grass better!
Do you hang out on Facebook or Twitter...
Ben - Twitter, go follow me!
Do you like going out or chilling at home...
Ben - When I have time, I love going out with my friends.
What gear is your favorite while running...
Ben - I'm a little obsessed with shoes. I love my Saucony Kinvaras for workouts and Nike Flykint Trainers for longer runs. I also think compression socks are one of the best pieces of recovery gear I own.
