Blogs : NCAA Division III Blog

Interviews: Brian Respeliers of Central College

(Photo courtesy of the Central College athletics website)

Respeliers is a senior at Central College (IA).  Last year at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships he led off the Central College DMR team that placed fourth.  During the outdoor track and field season he qualified for nationals in the 800 meter run.  He recently competed in the 800 meter run at the 2007 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships held at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

By: Derick Lawrence (3/06/2007)

Could you tell us a little bit about yourself (where you’re from, what high school you went to, how you got started running)?

            I’m from Council Bluffs, Iowa, and I attended St.Albert Catholic High School. After a less than successful junior high football campaign, I was faced with the choice of what to do my freshman year in high school, football or cross country. It wasn’t big or good at football,  but if it wasn’t for my sister, who ran cross country, I probably wouldn’t have gone out for CC. My sister made what should have been an obvious choice easier for me by introducing me to the team.

What were your PR's in high school (cross country and track)?

            In cross country I ran a 16:45 5k, although at a meet in Omaha I somehow ran a 15:15…the course was obviously short. 

            My senior year in track I ran a 4:36 1600, 10:23 3200, and a 2:03 800.

What are your current PR's (cross country and track)?

            Cross country my best time came from Rock Island (pancake flat), where I ran 26:44. This year, at Wartburg, I ran a 12:56 4k.

            All of my Indoor track are from this year. My first and only mile of the year was a 4:20 at Illinois Wesleyan, and at Iowa State I ran 1:52.78, and I’ve also ran a 2:31 1000.

            Outdoor I have ran a 3:58 1500 and a 1:52.33 800. I run on our B team 4x400 occasionally, but nothing much to brag about, about a 50 low to 49 high split.

What made you choose Central College (IA)?

            When I made my initial visit to Central, it felt like the right place to be. I don’t know what specifically about the school made me want to come here, but it was the overall picture of the academics, the campus, and the running program.

You ran an 800 meter provisional qualifying time of 1:52.78 (1:53.68c) on March 3^rd at the ISU NCAA Qualifier currently placing you ninth on the NCAA Division III 2007 Men’s Indoor Performance List in the 800 meter run.  Tell us about this race and your thoughts looking back at your performance.

            The 800 at Iowa State was definitely a huge race for me. I had pretty well talked myself out of a good race before the gun went off. Mentally I was paying way too close of attention to how I felt. When the gun went off I just sat in back and ran my own race, but I felt comfortable and started to move up after about 400 meters. Once I started to move up I just kept going and made my way up to the front of the pack, and by that time it was the bell lap…so I just started kicking. By the time I made it to the backstretch I was leading it, and knowing who was in my heat, I was really surprised to find myself there. Coming down the homestretch, I watched the clock tick and tried to finish strong with thoughts of qualifying in my mind. Once I finished they announced my time and I was jacked…I knew that I was going to nationals.

What are your goals heading into the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships and upcoming outdoor track and field season?

            This weekend at nationals, the main goal is to get All-American. But that might change depending on how the prelims go, if it goes really well I might have to rethink my goal.

What did your training consist of during the winter months prior to your first indoor race (mileage, workouts, etc.)?

            Training over Christmas break was brutal. I was working full time for my dad doing some manual labor, so I was tired a lot of the time. Most days I would just go for a solid hour run, occasionally I would do a hill fartlek or a tempo run. But for the most part my pre-season training was base mileage, averaging 50 miles per week. I really hate training by myself, especially in the winter. If I had my team to train with and didn’t have to work, I probably would have been doing 70 miles a week, but the cold and my work just wouldn’t allow it.

Could you provide us with a snapshot of what your training log has looked like this past week?

            No, top secret information….just kidding. Sunday is my long run day, usually during track it is anywhere from 8 to 12 or more miles. Monday was a quality workout to prepare for nationals. 2x200, pretty easy in 30 and 28. Followed by 3x400 in 60, 56, 55. Then another 2x200 to finish in 26 and 25. Tuesday is recovery day, run around town with the team. Thursday is another lighter workout day. Friday is pre-meet, which is usually an easy run and/or some light 150s and 350s.

What’s your favorite 800 meter specific workout?  When does this workout occur during the season?

            I’m not sure what my specific favorite would be, but generally my favorite are the late season workouts when we spike up and only have a couple fast intervals. One that comes to mind is 1x500, 8 minutes rest, 1x300. Anytime we do a workout like that its is 90-95%, and the way I see it, the only way to go any faster is to be wearing a jersey and have competition. I think the 500 was 67 seconds and the 300 was 35. I love the hard days in practice, it is like having a race day mid week.

Do you incorporate strength training into your weekly training?  If so, could you describe what you do.

            Strength training is an important part of my training. Our weight lifting schedule has three days:

            Day 1 is legs and core (squat, RDL, stability ball leg curls and crunches).

            Day 2 is more upper body (hang clean, bench...).

            Day 3 is a plyo workout (box jumps, step ups…).

I mostly focus on leg and core strength, when I’m in the weight room I’m not trying to build any upper body strength, just keep good tone.

How do you stay motivated throughout a given season?

            I always have a sheet of paper hanging on my wall that has my goals for the season. It is usually in a place that is always visible. That way when I’m sitting in my room and I might not want to go to the weight room, or head out for a long run in the rain, I just look at my goal sheet and I know that I have to do what it takes.

Do you have a pre-race routine (certain foods you eat, songs you listen to, warm-up routine, etc.)?  If so, could you describe it for us?

            Yah, I have a pretty typical pre-race routine. Three hours before the race I like to eat some bagels with peanut butter and get some water. I’m usually listening to music until an hour before race time when I start my warm up doing couple miles easy, followed by stretching drills, static stretches, and finally some strides on the track. I don’t really have any usually rituals, the only thing that comes to mind is that I always have to make sure that the socks I wear match…not just the same brand, but similar color, size, appearance.

What are the dining options like at Central College?  Does most of the team eat together?

Maytag Student Center

(Photo courtesy of the Central College website)

            We have three options here: The main dining hall, CUIFS (Central University of Iowa Food Service. Which is where we eat most of our meals, and yes, it is pronounced queefs. The cross-country team always eats with each other, but usually not all at the same time. We will sit in there and just talk forever; our record is held by three of our guys that stayed there until close to 8 o’clock.

            We also can eat at Grand Central Station, where you order your food…which is mostly fried. There is also a café where you can order coffee and some food…the coffee is really good and I like to head there some mornings for a turtle mocha.

Who has been the biggest influence in your life and/or running?

            My dad has been a big influence on the basics of life, from him I’ve learned my general outlook on things. So far the biggest influences on my running have been my high school coach, and my two college coaches. All three of them are responsible for my success.

What’s your major?  Favorite professor?  Most memorable class?

            I’m a psychology major, and my favorite professor is Ed Willis, my advisor. He is one of those professors that I like to sit down and talk to, he has changed the way I think so much since I’ve  been at college. My most memorable class would probably be my Capstone research project. It was a lot of fun running my own psychology experiment, but it was also very challenging.

What are your plans after graduation?  Any thoughts of post-collegiate running?

            I’ve got a job lined up after graduation, I’ll be heading back to Council Bluffs and getting in to a family business (sort of like a mafia). I’ve thought about post-collegiate running. Basically, I’ve decided that if I run under 1:50 this spring I will give it a shot. Sub 1:50 isn’t that fast, but it is the drastic improvements I’ve been making that make me think it might be worth it. My senior year in high school I ran 2:03 in the 800, my freshman year I ran 1:57, sophomore year 1:54, last year I ran 1:52, and I just ran 1:52 indoors. As you can see, I drop 2-3 seconds every year, so if I run 1:49 this year I would give it a shot to see if that pace holds up.

What do you like the most about Central College Cross Country and Track & Field?

            By far, it is the people that compose the team. The team here is a very close-knit group of friends. A lot of us live together and they are such a fun group of guys. The only thing that scares me about graduation is losing touch with all of my friends in college.

What's the running environment like at Central College?  Where does the team train? 

H.S. Kuyper Fieldhouse

Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium

Cross Country Course

(Photos courtesy of the Central College athletics website)

            The running at Central is defined by a strong team environment. We train together and every practice is a team effort. We have our cross-country course on campus, which is where we do most of our quality workouts in the fall. Other than that we have a bike trail that winds through a park by lake Red Rock, it is where we usually do our long runs.

Any parting words for readers?

Keep it real.

Untitled Comment

5:32 PM, March 19, 2007 .. Posted by Anonymous

brian the lion is my hero. he should marry me.