Blogs : NCAA Division III Blog

Interview: Brian Butzler of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Could you tell us a little bit about yourself, like where you're from and how you got started running?

I'm from Beloit, Wisconsin. I graduated from Beloit Turner in 2001. I spent a semester at UW Oshkosh, before joining the Army Reserves. I have been in the Army for 5 years. I started running my freshman year of high school and ran all four years of high school in both XC and Track.

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 ran my fastest 1600 at the sectional meet my senior year in 4:24. My current mile PR was run at the National meet indoor last year in 4:08. I ran my fastest 3200 at the state meet my senior year in 9:31 and my current PR in the 3K is 8:23. I don't know what the equivalent would be, but I think it is 8:54. My best 5k in high school was 16:02 when I won the state XC title my senior year. My current PR in the 5K is on the track and it is 14:52. I have only run the 5K twice on the track.

What drew you to choose Division III, and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in particular?

One day while driving to work, I decided I wanted to go back to school, so I called Coach Miller and asked him if I came back to school, could I run on the team? He said that I could, and within two weeks I was admitted to UW-Whitewater.  I began in the spring of 2005, but didn't start competing until that fall during the cross country season. What drew me to UW-Whitewater was the fact that I liked the coach and it was close to home, which would allow me to work between classes.  In the end though, I worked only two semesters and then decided to focus more on school and running.

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?

This past summer I decided to up my mileage from the previous year. I was averaging 55 miles a week last summer and this summer I averaged 75 miles per week. I ran in the 80 mile range a few times, but I'm not a big high mileage guy, if you call that high mileage. During the season I normally run about 55 miles per week.

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

My goals for this XC season are to be All-Conference and to be an All-American. As far as the team goes, we have a young team and if we have a very good day we could possibly qualify for nationals. Our freshman and sophomores have been getting better all season and I think that we have an outside shot at making it to nationals. We have a very strong region, but I think if the Whitewater team can finish in the top 7 teams, we will be happy.

Your win at the Brooks Invitational at Oshkosh was really impressive-you took down a lot of the top returning guys in running the fastest 8K time by a DIII athlete this season (24:01).  Describe your game plan going in and how the race played out.

My game plan was to hang tough and push hard the last mile. The race itself played out pretty much that way. Around the 5K I started to hurt and with a mile and a half left one of the Haverford guys started to push the pace and break away from the pack. I think he broke from the pack for a split second and then backed off the pace. At that point it allowed me to get back into the race. I took the lead with a mile to go and pushed through that last mile. I never expected to run that fast. I was just hoping to break 25 minutes for the race. It came to a big surprise to me when I crossed the line in first place and heard my time.

Did the win at Oshkosh change your expectations for how you think you can do this season?  Were you expecting to do that well going into that race or did you surprise yourself a bit?

The win didn't change anything. I have had my sights on getting back to Nationals and redeeming myself after that awful performance I had last year. I definitely surprised myself winning last week. The last few weeks I haven't felt well; my body wasn't responding well to the training and I just wasn't having any fun. After I didn't run up to my expectations in the Army Ten Miler in Washington D.C, I went home and talked with my girlfriend and she just told me "Everything will be fine. The training will help you soon, and just man up! Quit over-thinking everything." So I just thought of that during the race and I didn't want to let any of the leaders get a jump on me and get a big enough lead that I couldn't recover from.

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

I like doing our quarter mile workout. We do a 20x400 workout at faster than race pace. I can just let my legs go and run hard. I like going fast and doing fast workouts. So if I had to pick a workout that I like, that would be it.

In your only Nationals Cross Country experience (last year), you finished 116th, while you are a three time All-American (twice in the mile and once in the 1500) in Indoor and Outdoor Track.  Do you approach Cross Country races with a different mindset then races on the track as a result of this disparity in results?  Do you see yourself as somewhat of a dark horse coming into the Regional and National Cross Country meets this year?

I try to approach every race with the same mindset whether it be the mile, 5K, or XC. I just want to go out and have fun. I don't typically think about winning or trying to run a fast time. I just want to go out and run, and where ever I finish, I will accept the result. But it’s not like I'm not going to try and win. If I do the best I can what else could I have done? I don't think I'm a dark horse coming into Regionals or Nationals. I believe that my training is right where I want it to be and I think that I have good chance of making it to Nationals. If you are talking about winning? Yes, I think that I would be a dark horse. I haven't done much in XC to put me as a real big favorite to win and there are some people running great. So I would classify myself as a dark horse for winning. But I haven't even thought about that yet. I still have to make it to Nationals first.

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

My biggest influences in any sport that I have ever participated in has definitely been my parents and grandparents. They always encourage and support me and they have only missed one meet in either high school or college. They are always by my side and remind me that no matter how good or poorly I run that they are still proud of me. I also have to say my girlfriend (Ashley Pick) is a big influence. I can always ask for her opinion and she is not afraid to tell me the truth about what she thinks. She makes sure that I don't over-think things and that I can stay relaxed and have fun running.

What do you like the most about Whitewater cross country?

I like my teammates and the many alumni that I have met and continue to talk to. They share their stories and are just a great bunch of guys.

What's the relationship between the track team and the other athletic teams?  What's the athletic culture like at Whitewater?

I think all the teams get along with each other equally. I have many friends that are on the football team, basketball team, wrestling team, and they all support each other. You will see some wrestlers at track meets and track athletes at wrestling meets, and the some goes for the football and many of the other teams at Whitewater.  The athletic culture right now at UW-Whitewater is very "for" athletics.  Whitewater has seen great success in athletics over the past few years.  The campus is also going through many changes involving the athletic facilities.  We actually just finished building a new outdoor track facility, which is now one of the best facilities around.

How do students (and professors) at your school view the track team and its members?

Unless the professors are affiliated with the athletic department, I don't think they know who is on the team. They are willing to work around our schedule and let us miss a class or two for meets, but they don't like us to be gone very often. From my own point-of-view, they know me as a student and not a runner.

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 like to see what other athletes are doing. I check how the Badgers are doing and how other athletes that I compete against are doing. I also like to see how people like Chris Solinsky and Matt Tegenkamp are doing.  But I try to stay away from message boards; I don't like to get on message boards. I do check them out every once in a great while, but I just don't like to go near things like that. People have their opinion and if I don't agree, staying away from them helps keep me from writing my opinion.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how pleased are you that you don't have to face again Will Leer come track season?  Seriously though, who do you particularly look forward to competing against and why?

I think it is a 5.  I always enjoyed racing Will, not just because you knew you were going to run fast but because he is a great guy and fun to race. But I'm also happy he is gone, maybe giving me a chance to win a National title this year. I'm not saying I will win but at least there is not that guy who is a big favorite to win out there. In my respected event, it is a little more wide open for the rest of us this year.

Are there any other closing thoughts or pieces of wisdom you'd like to share?

All I would like to say is "Just have fun." You won't be able to compete in college forever so enjoy all the times you race and the workouts you do, because when you're done running all you have are your memories.

Thanks to Brian for a fantastic interview.

Untitled Comment

4:05 PM, November 2, 2007 .. Posted by Koceja

That is my boy butzler!! I love you man. Awesome interview!!

Untitled Comment

1:38 PM, November 6, 2007 .. Posted by Anonymous

Hey James pay up buddy!