Interview: Shamus Nally of SUNY Cortland
(Courtesy of Alison Wade, eliterunning.com)
The
summer before Shamus Nally's freshman year, he found himself departing a
successful high school program for a SUNY Cortland team that had not qualified for the
National Championships as a team since 1999.
What's more, Jack Daniels (the acclaimed long-time coach) was leaving,
with no known replacement at the time.
But whereas others may have seen uncertainty, Shamus saw only
promise. It took only a short time for Cortland and Shamus to make good on that potential
with a program-best podium finish last year and a strong nucleus of returning
runners. Now a junior, Shamus found time
around leading his team to a SUNYAC Conference championship behind a 1-2-3-4
finish to display his palpable enthusiasm for his teammates and for Division
III running as a whole.
Could you tell us a little bit about yourself, like where you're from
and how you got started running?
I am from Burnt Hills New
York. I was a
soccer player through 10th grade.
I didn't get much playing time on the JV team as a 10th
grader so I decided to run track in an attempt to get faster for soccer. Once I got my first taste of distance running
I quickly decided to quit soccer to run all three seasons despite my lack of
any immediate running success (I ran a blazing 5:14
and 11:24 as a sophomore). The distance coach (Charles Button) along
with the guys on the team was the selling point for me. I had never had a coach before that was so
passionate about the sport and about his team.
There was this contagious striving to be the best that I immediately became
addicted to.
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 was your average high school
runner I'd say. I quickly learned that
endurance was my strength and speed was not.
I graduated HS with a 62 pr in the 400 and have only lowered it to 60.xx
since then. Other than my 400 my other
PRs have drastically improved. In high
school I ran 9:43 for 3200, 4:42 1600, 9:49
3ksteeple and a 15:52 5k on the
track. Currently my PRs are 30:15 10k, 14:47 5k, 4:24
mile, and 9:24 Steeple. The majority of my improvement has come
through taking the next logical steps in training, increasing both mileage and
intensity steadily while still listening to my body.
What drew you to choose Division III,
and SUNY Cortland in particular?
I was recruited by the infamous
Coach Jack Daniels when I first looked at Cortland. I saw a team that needed a lot of work but
had the leadership to make it to the next level. Coach Daniels left Cortland
to move to Flagstaff and work at
the Olympic High Altitude Center. During
the summer of my freshman year I didn't have a coach. Coach Daniels promised that his replacement
would be a competent coach that would take the program to a new level. Coach Matt Moran won me over
immediately. In my first meeting with
him he said "If by senior year you aren't standing on the line at nationals and
feel as if you can win a team title then I haven't done my job." It was great to have a coach that is
confident in his coaching ability and could tell me where he saw the program in
the upcoming years.
A huge advantage to going to Cortland
is that we have lots of opportunities throughout the year to race teams of
other Divisions. Our regular season is
composed of large Division 1 meets in both Cross Country and Track. At Cortland
we have the best of both worlds; we get to try and collect D1 scalps during the
regular season, then race for a national title post season.
When looking at schools I did not
really pay too much attention to Division, I just wanted to find a school where
I thought my running would develop the most.
I love being a D3 athlete, always the underdog at big meets. I do however think that Division 3 could be a
lot better. Your division is based on
the money and size of the institution that you attend. It has nothing to do with the quality of your
program, so why then do we run only an 8k in the post season and not a
10k? Division 3 football teams don't
play with more pads, D3 basketball doesn't use a 9 foot hoop. In high school the freshman run 2k less than
the varsity. I don't feel like a
freshman D1 runner, I know my teammates don't and I know that those runners
that will be racing us at Nationals don't.
Why then are we handicapping our races in the post season? Sure we aren't all the best guys coming out
of high school, but the higher we hold our expectations the better it is for
the entire country. I would also be in
favor of holding our National meet at the same venue used by Division 1 on the
same weekend; let's expose ourselves to the best in the nation regardless of
division. Division 3 is just that, a
different division not a different level.
We can raise the level of D3 running so that we continue to develop
post-collegiate success stories like Nick Symmonds, Josh Moen, and recently
turned pro Will Lear.
What was your training like this past summer? What was your peak
mileage, what kind of pace did you run on the typical day, and what did you do
in the way of harder efforts?
I'm a relatively impatient person
when it comes to running. I typically
take little time off (as little as my coach allows me to) then build my mileage
back up quickly. My bread and butter
this past summer was a 100 miles a week in singles. I throw some doubles in there as the summer
progresses and early in the cross country season. I really concentrate on long runs during the
summer in order to build up my aerobic strength. Most of my runs are progression runs starting
at an easy pace anywhere between 6:40-7min
then getting faster as it goes on if I feel good. There are plenty of days when I feel that I
could use some rest and I just keep it around 6:40s. For me the summer is all about loving to run
and discovering my limits. I have really
learned to trust my body as I have matured as a runner. I do tend to push the limit when I can;
anything worth achieving is worth the risk.
My coach is there to keep me in check when I get one of those invincible
feelings that only summer training can bring about. Sometimes it feels like you could take the world
by storm if you just ran another 10 miles a week or just added one more tempo
run. He makes sure I'm looking at the
long term goals and training to the appropriate level. I always love getting into a couple of summer
races, usually a couple of 5ks and the Boilermaker, which is a 15k.
Cortland makes it a tradition each summer to run the Boilermaker 15K in
Utica, New
York.
The
results this past summer were particularly noticeable, with five current or
former Cortland runners placing in the top 55 [Editors' note: Shamus placed 23rd in 48:01]. Why do you all
enter this race and how does it fit into your overall summer training program?
We run the Boilermaker for fun mostly. My coach does not require us or even suggest
that we do. I find that a 15k is the
perfect race distance during the summer because the majority of us (Cortland
runners) are doing a decent amount of mileage so it tests our strength. It is also great to get on the line with your
teammates for a race midsummer. The
struggle of racing really brings a team together and the more often we can
share that struggle the better it makes us.
I use the Boilermaker as an opportunity to see how I've improved and to
mix it up with some real good runners (Africans, the Hanson team, and other
post-collegiate runners). It is very fun
sticking your nose in a race of that size and seeing what happens. I also had something to prove to myself after
a very disappointing showing at outdoor nationals.
What are your goals for yourself and your
team this season and year?
In high school I learned that there is nothing more
memorable and meaningful then a team
championship. That is the sole focus
of my season. I want to get the lowest
stick at nationals so that we (my teammates and I) can bring home the team
title. Everyone knows the lowest card is
the 1 card, so naturally that would start our score out on the right foot. I was once told to "Always respect the
competition but never fear it." That is
how I try to approach every race; I always believe that I have as much a shot
at winning as anyone in the field. I run
with great faith that my teammates are doing their best and in return I know
they have great faith in me to perform to the best of my ability. Above all I am very excited for nationals, to
get out and race the best teams in the nation.
Just get off the line and roll the dice so to speak.
(Courtesy of Alison Wade, eliterunning.com) '
Before last years team, Cortland had not qualified for the national
championships since 1999. Entering the 2006 season, Cortland was ranked 33rd but went on to
finish fourth, and you return a strong nucleus this year that should challenge
for the podium again. What have been the reasons behind this turnaround?
Well there are three huge reasons
for Cortland's new found
success. I already spoke a little about
Coach Matt Moran's takeover my freshman year.
That has definitely been a huge factor in our success and any future
success. He helped to instill a great
amount of confidence in all of us and in the team as a whole. That is why we seek out large division 1
meets, so that we may transcend divisions and just be cross country runners. Coach Moran has really taught me to look
beyond just my collegiate career, to make long-term goals and strive every day
to meet them through discipline and commitment.
C. Fred Josyln is another huge
reason for the program's turnaround. He
was one of the few returning runners my freshman year. He taught me as well as our teammates what
was possible through hard work, through day after day of running. His leadership has been an invaluable
example. His success my freshman year
really helped jump start the program and put us back on the map a little bit.
It would be wrong of me to think
that the team has not had some part in the turn around. My fellow junior Josh Henry immediately
helped me to build a team environment that was conducive to running hard and
training for success. Our sophomore class has worked to further
these efforts from the moment they set foot on campus. We are a very young team and leadership is
therefore spread out between everyone.
What is your favorite workout during the cross country season and what
do you like about it?
I can't say I really have a
favorite workout during cross country. I
love any workout that we can start and finish as a team. I love it when we are all out on our IM field
(where we do most of our workouts) and just rolling as one large group. I am better at anything longer whether it is
tempo or mile repeats, but I also see the need and enjoy working on my
weaknesses during 400s. I especially love when we are running something short
and I can run side by side with maybe our 14th man and still be
working really hard. I really just love
the energy that our team creates when everyone is having a great workout. Those are the days that I know we have
something special going on here at Cortland.
Who has been the
biggest influence in your life and/or running?
I'm the oldest of five kids so family is very important to
me. My family has always been very supportive;
there is nothing more motivating then seeing my 5yr old brother cheering for me
at the 4 mile mark. I love finishing a
good race and seeing how proud they are of me. I have such an amazing support system both
at home and here at Cortland. At home I have my High School team (Burnt
Hills) which I still keep good tabs on and is always excited for me when I'm
running well. My high school coach Chip
Button taught me to love running and continues to offer me advice and has always
had a large influence on my running and me as a person. I love being able to send him an email after
a good race. At Cortland
I have older runners like C. Fred Josyln and Andy "PD" Cloke to bounce ideas
off of. Their success has always been a
huge inspiration to me. Coach Moran has
been among the biggest influences on my running career in the past 3
years. He has really helped me to not
only reach the next level but aspire to be even better. It helps that he is a great coach and does a
great job at individualizing our workouts to fit each of us. Every guy on the team from those in the top 5
back to the 25th can be a source of inspirational when you see them
pop a huge race or run a great workout.
Religion has always played a large part in my life and through faith I
am able to handle the ups and downs that running brings, without it I would
struggle to find meaning in the low points.
What do you like the most about Cortland cross country?
Every interview I read has the same
two answers to this question; the coach and the teammates. Mine is no different. I cannot think of any coach I'd rather run
for or any team I'd rather run with.
This team is a group of guys that are willing to go out and put it all
on the line for each other every race and every workout. As I previously stated this team is a huge
reason for this program's turnaround. We
have worked hard to create an environment that promotes sacrifice, discipline,
determination, and success. We have a
lot of fun on a daily basis, whether picking on each other during distance runs
or encouraging each other during hard workouts.
I love running for a team that has all bought into the goals we are
shooting for.
Cortland loaded up the 10000 at
nationals during outdoors this past spring as you and three of your teammates
made up a quarter of the field. What's it like being on the start line of
a national meet with multiple teammates by your side?
Well
it was a very bittersweet experience; it was great having us all there but it
certainly was not the story book race I had dreamt of. It was amazing having Fred, Andy, and Seth on
the line with me at nationals. My favorite
season is Cross Country, the more teammates in the track race the more it feels
like XC so typically the more I enjoy it. Having them in training or when we were going
for our qualifying times also helped a lot.
We push each other in training and in the races. It makes a track race which is typically very
individual much more of a team effort.
What's the relationship between the track team and the other athletic
teams? What's the athletic culture like at Cortland?
Well the stereotype of Cortland
is that most everyone is an athlete.
This is pretty true, our school is very into its sports (not so much
cross country but we aren't in Boulder
or Eugene so I didn’t really expect
it). I can’' say we really mingle much
with other teams but I think there is a pretty decent mutual respect between us
all. We stay relatively secluded from
the other team as I expect most cross country teams do. I mean we are just the skinny goons in short
shorts. But we are fine with that. 
How do students (and professors) at your school view the track team and
its members?
Umm it is hit or miss. Some professors that ran in high school or
college are very interested. Dr. Jack Daniels
created quite a reputation with the girls' teams at Cortland
so some of the older professors remember when those dominant teams went
here. I would say the Exercise Science
department is most interested, but that is because they love borrowing some of
us for V02 testing from time to time. A
lot of professors don't know what Cross Country is; oh well, their loss.
You mentioned that you've been borrowed by the Exercise Science
department a few times. Have you gotten
readings on your VO2 max or other measurements?
I have not yet had the opportunity
to be tested. Due to the strenuous
effort needed to perform a V02 max test it has always conflicted with my
training schedule. Last spring they were
looking for a volunteer but it was the day before a planned workout and a week
before our conference meet so I had to pass up the opportunity. This indoors I am going make sure I get into
the lab for a V02 max test.
Do you follow running at the collegiate or professional levels at
all? Would you care to confess to what extent you lurk on Letsrun.com or other message
boards?
I follow running at all levels from
high school to professional. Last spring
my roommate and I woke up at 4am on a
Sunday morning to watch Hall's London
debut. We watched every world
championship distance race at least once.
I love watching and reading anything I can about the sport. I am constantly browsing Letsrun.com,
Flocast, TrackShark.com, and a dozen other running websites especially with the
Marathon trials coming up. It a team policy not to post anything on the
message boards but I'd be lying if I said I didn't visit them at least once a
day. I have really tried to become
student of the sport.
The men's Marathon trial has got to be both one of the most
highly anticipated races and one of the hardest races to call. Since you've been following it quite a bit,
give us your picks. Are you going to be
able to make it down there to watch the race that day?
It is very tough to call;
unfortunately I will not be able to travel down to Central Park
watch it. I have the privilege of
knowing two of the elite trial runners.
I have known Matt Downin since I was a senior in High School. He was a counselor at a running camp I went
to. I am now a counselor there and
therefore have had the opportunity to remain in contact with him over the last
4 years. He has been one of my role
models since that first day of camp senior year. Being able to run with him for a week out of
the summer always provides me with a great opportunity to bounce some ideas off
an incredible athlete and person. I also
had an opportunity to talk to James Carney.
He was coached by Coach Moran the year he ran at Penn
State. He talked to our team just two weeks ago the
night before our race at Penn State. He is an incredible example of what can be
achieved through consistent hard work and dedication. I see a lot of myself in him and it gives me
real hope for my own running. I have
been a Brian Sell fan for a long time because of his great underdog story. He is the definition of a blue collar
runner. My three favorite runners in the
field are Matt Downin, James Carney and Brian Sell. In my opinion I think the safest bet is Ryan
Hall, Abdi, and Sell. Hopefully there is
a website or message board that has the play by play because it will be a
tremendous race. Following the trials
this year will just make it that much more exciting to watch them perform in Beijing
in a year.
Do you keep an online running log that you'd be willing to share?
Nope sorry. I have extensive logs but they are all in my
chicken scratch hand writing.
Are there any other
closing thoughts or pieces of wisdom you'd like to share?
Have fun or it isn't worth it.
Thanks to Shamus for a
fantastic interview.
post comment
Untitled Comment
10:44 PM, October 23, 2007
.. Posted by Letts
Shamus,
That was a fantastic interview! Good luck to you and the Cortland guys this year and next.
Shamus\' Interview
1:47 PM, October 24, 2007
.. Posted by Matt Burton\
Nice job Shamus!
Best of luck !!
11:09 PM, November 9, 2007
.. Posted by Anonymous
Very much enjoyed reading the details of your journey thusfar - I wish you all the best of health and success - Go Dragons !!
<br>
<br>- xc alumni \'82
{ Last Page } { Page 67 of 204 } { Next Page }
|
