Interviews: Eric Hack of Centre College (KY)
 (Photo courtesy of the Columbus Running Company)
Hack (#150) is a senior at Centre College (KY). Last year at the 2005 NCAA Division III Cross Country South/Southeast Region Meet he finished 5th overall helping his team to a 1st place finish and a national qualifying spot. At the 2005 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships he placed 89th overall leading his team to a 22nd place finish. During the spring he studied abroad in London (read about his experience here). Hack hopes to lead Centre to a strong finish at the NCAA Championships.
By: Derick Lawrence (10/09/2006)
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 Louisville, Kentucky where I went to Louisville Male High School. I began running with my dad. He was a decent runner in high school, had stopped running for a while and wanted to pick it up again. He and I began the journey together the summer before I entered 7th grade.
What were your PR's in high school (cross country and track)?
I was a pretty stellar young buck back in the day. In my sophomore of high school I ran 15:48 for 5k and it was all down hill from there. Life took some unexpected turns (and about 30 pounds) and, after a pretty weak junior year, I was able to come around with a 16:01 5k my senior year. On the track, I ran 9:50 for 3200m and 4:36 for 1600m.
What are your current PR's (cross country and track)?
I ran a PR last night in fact, 24:50 for 8k. On the track, I've done the 10k in 32:16 and 15:36 for 5k.
What was your training like this past summer?
This summer was pretty low key. My motivation was perhaps the lowest it has been during the whole of my running career--senioritis, perhaps. I probably averaged low 70's although I had intentions of doing a much higher volume. I'm notorious among my teammates for running heinously slow on easy days (like every day this summer for instance). I threw in a handful of workouts on some hills, strides, drills, etc., but nothing too hardcore. This summer I was essentially just trying to get my legs back. I spent the spring in London, studying abroad through one of Centre's programs, and did absolutely no hard running.
How has your training progressed over the years from high school to now (cross country and track)?
The most apparent thing would be more volume, but the best thing I've done for myself over the years has been to take my easy days easier. My coaches for years had tried to pull the reigns in a bit in regard to how hard I was doing my recovery runs. When I look back, I was kind of stupid for a long time. I used to be of the school of thought that if you weren't running under 7 minutes a mile, it wasn't worth heading out the door. Then I started to read some literature about some African training programs and the training of Craig Mottram, et al., and discovered that it was okay to take recovery runs as just that--recovery. I've learned to more greatly enjoy and appreciate running. It is noticeably easier to run faster if you are fresh and recovered.
What is your favorite workout(s) during the cross country season and what does it include?
I'm not sure if they quite count as workouts, but I particularly enjoy long runs. I especially enjoy them when I run alone, although I do enjoy company on LR's every now and then. Out there by myself for a long time gives me time to clear my mind. It's almost spiritual sometimes. Besides that, tempo runs are fun, trying to knock off 5-8 seconds or so every mile.
What are your goals for this cross country season (individual and team)?
I decided that if I could get into better shape this year than I was in last year, that would be an accomplishment in and of itself considering my time abroad. Apparently, I'm doing okay for myself and, in an ideal situation, I'd like to be an All-American. I
completely expect some of our dudes to be right there with me, so I don't think a top 15 finish is out of the question. We have a lot of confidence heading into the big end of season meets.
Do you walk, bike, or drive to class and/or practice? If you bike or drive, what kind of bike or car do you have?
Centre's tiny, so I walk. However, I do enjoy biking for the sake of biking. I bought a pretty cool road bike of off eBay, a Trek 1220. It got lost in the mail.
What's your major? Favorite professor? Most memorable class?
I major in Classics. The best professor I've had here is actually named Jim Morrison, although not the lead singer for The Doors. That dude is dead. Dr. Morrison has been a great mentor to me, academically and in terms of life in general. Sometimes we play ping-pong in his back yard.
What are the dining options like at Centre College? Does most of the team eat together?
 Cowan Dining Commons (photo courtesy of the Centre College website)
Centre has one central dining hall. The cross country team is noteworthy for being one of the few groups of students who break Centre's self-imposed mealtime segregation based on sex. Sometimes in the dining hall it feels like you're at a middle school dance,
dudes on one side of the room, girls on another. It's rather absurd. We try to all eat together whenever we can. This is the closest knit team on which I have ever been.
Who has been the biggest influence in your life and/or running?
Hands down, my father. He was an awesome man. My dad died of leukemia in 2004, the spring of my freshman year. It was with him that I first started running, as I mentioned earlier in the article. He was an absolute ridiculous human being, hilarious in every sense of the word. I try to be a fun person to be around when I can, and I certainly credit any sense of humor I have to my father. He was a beastly runner, too. He ran 4:26 for a mile in high school not really training properly and also finished 7th in Kentucky his senior year in cross. Perhaps his most amazing achievement, however, was a marathon he ran while undergoing some pretty intense chemotherapy. Not only did he finish it, but he ran 3:08 off of 6 weeks of training at about 25 mpw. Sick. I feel like I often have a lot to live up to. Even up until 2 days before he died, my father was on the hospital treadmill running 2 times a day, just a little bit to try to stay strong. I remind myself of this when I don't feel like running. It puts things in perspective.
What are your plans after college?
This is a very good question. I've looked into a lot of options. I'm applying to grad schools, which I will certainly pursue at some point. I've also looked into taking a job in London or in Japan. No matter what I do, I'm not sure whether I'm the type of person who can do the standard issue 9-5 job. I enjoy writing, and, although I perfectly understand that it is nearly impossible to do so for a living, I want to get into that somehow. I'm going to do stand-up at some point, I just have to get around to writing down all the absurd things floating around in my head. I'm also flirting with the idea of doing a marathon.
Does the men's team have any traditions once the championship season comes along (i.e, everyone growing out mustaches, etc.)?
We're working on some. Getty up.
What do you like the most about Centre College Cross Country?
I've made the best friends of my life. Before meeting the amazing people on this team, I never experienced a situation in which just making eye contact with a person would make me laugh. We have so many inside jokes, so many insane stories, so many experiences together. We enjoy running and we're passionate about the sport, but we realize that running is not what makes life what it is. Friendship is perhaps the greatest asset in our time here and I've certainly found that on Centre's team.
Who does the Centre College Cross Country team consider to be its biggest rival?
Generally, we think of DePauw as our greatest rival, but I really feel as if it's quite a friendly rivalry. I like the members of DePauw's team and enjoy running with them. Our teams have cooled down together several times now. I think it's very important to keep the fires of competition on the course only and enjoy meeting and getting to know the runners from other teams outside of the race. Cross country teams in general are full of fun and crazy people.
What's the running environment like at Centre College? Where does the team train?
 Centre College Cross Country course, "The Lane" (photo courtesy of the Centre College athletics website)
Centre is rural Kentucky at its best. Danville, where Centre is located, is a town of approximately 20,000 people, so it's not exactly a backwater area. We get the occasional "run, Forrest, run," or the like thrown at us, but overall it's beautiful country to take in--rolling, open fields, lots of cows, horses, etc. We also sneak onto the local country club's golf course once a week or so and spend a great deal of time on our cross country course, which happens to be more of the same aforementioned rolling fields, although no cows. The area around here is pretty hilly, although nothing too fierce. The only bad thing about running in Kentucky is that you're done for if you have allergies...stick a fork in you. Ragweed gets out of hand.
Any parting words for readers?
Am I supposed to provide some wise words? Hmmm…Live and let live; don't sweat the small stuff. Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero and eheu fugaces, postume, postume, labuntur anni.
Thanks to Eric for a great interview.
post comment
{ Last Page } { Page 171 of 204 } { Next Page }
|
