Blogs : NCAA Division III Blog

Interview: Jed Christiansen of Calvin College

(Courtesy of Alison Wade, eliterunning.com)

Calvin College returns 5 of its top 7 from a 2006 National Cross Country championship-winning team that garnered 6 individual All-American certificates.  Yet even with 4 returning All-Americans and a history of success, an injury-plagued 2007 track campaign leaves this year’s cross country squad with—curiously enough—something to prove.  Whatever questions of consistency that may surround the members of Calvin’ team, one of them—Jed Christiansen, a 2-time All-American and the 5^th overall returning runner from last year’s National Championship—has a literal lifetime of running consistency that speaks for itself.  A national class runner since the age of 3, he ran 14:32.29 for the 5000m last year and looks to lead his team to a repeat National Championship this year. 

The Christiansen family tradition in running is a sight to behold--the age group records for various road race distances is covered with your and your siblings' names.  Could you tell us a little bit about yourself, like where you're from and how you got started running?
My dad ran for North Central under Al Carius back in 1972, and started each of my seven brothers and sisters running when we were about two years old.  It wasn't very much at first, but when I was six years old, my family moved to Greenville, PA.  The competition was a lot better in the road races there then it was where we had previously lived.  My dad started having us do more miles and more speed workouts.  We would get together as a family and decide which races we wanted to run, based on refreshments, awards, cost, travel, race course, distance, etc.  In 1995, my dad asked us if any of the older children wanted to try a marathon.  One of my sisters said she did, and although I thought she was crazy and didn't understand how difficult it would be, I decided I would have to do it as well.  We trained all year for it, and we both were able to finish it (I ran 3:37:26).  I haven't run that far since.
We also targeted various National Age Records, and would only run races that were USATF certified, because otherwise they wouldn't count.  I knew the other fastest runners in the nation for my age, and once my dad even took us down to Virginia so that I could go up head to head against a competitor in a road race.  I also admired Kenyan runners, so especially in my teenage years, my dad would find some races where I could actually race them.  In a couple of races they wouldn't even go out too fast for me and I could be with them for a couple miles, which was exhilarating. 

A marathon in 1995--you were eight that year, right?  You've really been running at such a high level for so long--everything from marathons and traveling to road races in your childhood to competing for championships at the high school and now college level.  Has burnout--whether physical or mental--ever been a concern for you?

I didn't really know about or think about burnout until college.  My coaches then identified that I was able to attack an insignificant race as if it was the most important of the season...and after doing so time after time, I wouldn't be quite as ready at the end of a season.  So I do think about some burning out now, but in general, I don't worry about it outside of races, as I am very good at resting and recovering.  Starting at taking Sundays off helps immensely, as well as being able to run slower when I need to and not giving in to others who decide to go faster.

How do your PRs in high school compare to what you've done so far in college?  More importantly, how has your understanding of training, racing, and running in general evolved?

I had been unsure whether or not I would get any faster in college, as I ran 9:18 as a Sophomore and only 9:20 as a Senior.  Although my road race times were getting a little faster still, I wasn't improving as much as I wanted.  However, I have been making larger bounds again since I came to Calvin.  I tribute that to the supportive team that Calvin has and the coaching.  I had considered myself experienced before I got to college in running because I had been doing it for 16 years already, but the coaches have brought more meaning and understanding to what they are trying to do and what I need to do.  I had essentially just followed what my dad told me what to do, and so I didn't understand how one speed workout would benefit me versus another.  I also had almost no knowledge of running WITH someone else in order to work together, and so that has probably been where my greatest growth has come.

What drew you to choose Division III, and Calvin College in particular?  Especially for someone who had the kind of success you did in high school (4:18.86/9:18.0 for the 1600/3200), was it a tough choice deciding between Division I and Division III?

My highest priority in choosing a college was in looking for a place in which I would grow in my faith in Jesus Christ.  I didn't even consider going anywhere that wasn't a Christian college, as it was very important to me that I would be surrounded by an environment that would help strengthen and support all my weaknesses.  Secondly, I was looking for a great running program, followed closely by academics.  I was looking at DI Christian university Liberty, and I was thinking about Wheaton College as well.  It was a long and difficult decision, as my three older sisters all went to Wheaton, so I felt pressure to go there and Liberty would have been a great opportunity to run with the two McDougal brothers.  I prayed to God a lot that year about the decision and listened to Him and where he was guiding me.  I never did actually visit anywhere, as I didn't want to feel obligated to go anywhere and have that hinder my listening to where He wanted me to go.  In the end, I felt that God was leading me to Calvin, and felt at peace with my decision, as I thought it would be better academically for me than Liberty and because I wanted to experience what it was like to just barely make a team, to have 5 guys running out ahead and with me.

What was your training like this past summer?

I hit my peak mileage of 106 miles in six days.  I always take Sundays off in order to have a rest day to rejuvenate my body, soul, and mind.  I also did a tempo and hill run each week, along with a couple days in the weight room.

What are your goals for yourself and your team this season and year?

First and foremost, winning a National Title is at the top of the team's and my goals.  We are very focused on what we must do and are just executing now.  Another goal I share with the team is to help support the JV team into beating as many other teams as they can at Invitationals.  I love the fact that we have the extra roster spots to help fuel the team into the end of the season, and all those guys are good runners in their own right.  I also have a goal to help as many of my teammates as I can to become better runners.  It is very exciting and encouraging to see Number 22 giving everything he has, not giving up, outlasting any bodily pain, for God and his teammates.  I hope to become the best runner that I possibly can, doing whatever I can for my teammates, and finishing as high up as I can for my team at Nationals.

What is immediately apparent about Calvin is your consistent success (and even domination) in cross country.  Last year, for instance, the men's team qualified just two middle- or long-distance runners for the outdoor national meet, but had six individual All-Americans in Cross Country!  What is it about cross country that brings out the best in you and your teammates, year after year?
In Cross Country, we are more easily able to support each other and we each have more that we are fighting for.  From 1 - 26 on the men's team, we each have a role, and each one of us knows that we have to do everything that we can for each other.  When I'm running at the end of the year, I know that not only do I have to go through whatever anguishing pain that comes my way for my teammates running beside me, but for the sweat and work that all my non-racing teammates put in all year as well. 

On the flip side, what do you think of the criticism that Calvin's cross country success doesn't always translate over to the track?
I would agree with the criticism.  If success in one sport always transferred over to a different sport, every single season, I'd start looking for pigs flying overhead.  We have some unique factors in Track that put some strain on our having the same success as in Cross Country, runners who had red-shirt seasons in Cross and not in Track, and injuries that stopped guys just short of qualifying.  Track uses different strategies, tactics, and training that all affect ones success.  It only makes sense that some guys will do better in cross country than in track and vice versa.

In 2005, you were the top freshman at the Cross Country National Championships.  As a sophomore, you ran a strong race as Calvin was the runaway team title winner.  This year, Calvin is again the top-ranked team entering the season.  Talk about the pressure of expectations--both as an individual and as part of a team--and how you cope with those.
I know that when race day comes, I'll be giving everything I have and doing the best I can with what God has given me.  That is all that I can do, and because I am doing all that I can do, I don't really feel much pressure and can just go out and enjoy racing.  I'll run fine, my teammates will run fine, and when the day ends, I'll have no regrets.

What is your favorite workout during the cross country season and what do you like about it?

I enjoy running 92nd Street Hills, as it is a run that just makes my muscles burn, more than any other aerobic workout by a long shot.  It is also the first workout back with the guys after boot camp, so it makes it fun to just get back out with my fellow warriors.

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

My dad has definitely made a large impact on my running, from getting me started right after I started walking, to ingraining my sense to always do without questioning whatever my coach tells me to do.  It has become second nature to me to run and do whatever it takes.  I learned a long time ago that you can push your body much farther than what it tells you.  I can feel about dead at the end of a long run, and know I still have several miles in me.  I had experienced speed workouts before school, double workouts, speed workouts 5 minutes after greasy meals, and consecutive all out 5k races before I was 14 years old.  There just really wasn't any questioning about it, I always survived, and now very little fazes me.

But Coach Diemer has also taught me so much about running as well.  He gave me a lot of meaning and understanding of the method to the madness.  I started understanding my body more, about what I needed to do, why I was doing one thing or another, confidence in my training, and excitement for competition.  I would not be who I am at all today without either one of these two mentors.

What do you like the most about Calvin Cross Country?
The close relationships that the whole team, men, women, JV, coaches, and affiliates have.  We are like a family and I basically have one person after another that I can rely on, that I can talk to about anything, that I trust.

What's the relationship between the cross country team and the other athletic teams?  What's the athletic culture like at Calvin?
We support each other's games and events and try to cheer each other on, or find out how each other is doing.  One of the more surprising things I found at Calvin is that meeting great athletes is more or less normal, but you would never know it if you just hung around them for awhile.  I have found myself watching half a movie with a multi-National Champion before I found it out.  You are surrounded by athletes, but most of them are not known around school as "that stud volleyball spiker", but rather for who they are as a person.

How do other students (non-runners) and professors at your school view the cross country team and its members?
They know that we have something special going on.  I have had several students tell me that they recognize that our team is very close knit, more so than any other team at Calvin, and they are impressed with the work we put in.  Professors have a lot of respect for our team, and many come to see us compete at our home meets or discuss how things are going in our racing. 

Do you follow running at the collegiate or professional levels at all?
Only the slightest bit.  I am a big fan of friends, family, and teammates, and how they are running, but after that, I don't really care a whole lot.  They aren't my competitors as yet, and unless they become my competitors in the future, the most I'll do is watch the Olympics or World Championships.

Would you care to confess to what extent you lurk on Letsrun.com or other message boards?
Yeah, I'll confess that I essentially neither post nor lurk, except for a couple message boards that have nothing to do with running.  A visit probably comes to the extent of once or twice a year for me, one of which comes after a season is over.  It can be very interesting to see what people thought before and during the season, and how right or wrong they were.

Do you keep an online running log that you'd be willing to share?
I don't have an online log.  Mostly, I just write above the day in my daily planner the number of miles and circle it.

Are there any other closing thoughts or pieces of wisdom you'd like to share?
What matters in life is not your accomplishments, but the relationships that you have cultivated.  Loving and caring for others will counter-intuitively allow you to reap greater rewards, even in your running.  The more you put into others' running, the more you'll get back for your own.  And when you are 81 and on your death bed, it won't matter whether you finished first or fifth, but knowing that you gave everything you had for others.

Thanks to Jed for a fantastic interview.

Go Jed!

1:09 AM, October 2, 2007 .. Posted by Anonymous

Your interview was great! I am very impressed with your confidence to share your heart and God\'s role in your running. Keep up the fun training and remember who you run for.

Untitled Comment

1:24 AM, October 2, 2007 .. Posted by Anonymous

Jed- Your love for the Lord truly shines through you, thank you for being so open!

Our tastes in forums are similar.

11:32 AM, October 2, 2007 .. Posted by Zip

On the eighth day, God made the Christiansens. Having been well rested from the previous day's inactivity, He then decided to go for a run. The family followed in His footsteps, and it was good.

High Socks

3:29 PM, October 2, 2007 .. Posted by Anonymous

Where did the high whites go? Coach H.

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8:50 PM, October 2, 2007 .. Posted by Anonymous

I sometimes put the socks down now if it is a hot day.

high socks

4:34 PM, October 3, 2007 .. Posted by Anonymous

Jed still wears the high white socks...they just tend to fall down about a mile into the race.