Metcalfe earned All-American indoors in the 3000 meters (Prettysporty.com) |
1. Looking back on your season so far, you claimed a Big East Championship along with finishing fourth in the 3000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships and ninth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. How has your training been and what kind of transition, if any, do you have to make for the outdoor season?
My training for cross country and even most of indoor track was mostly strength work. I love getting out on the hills and just doing a lot of intesity outside without much pressure of having to meet times like you would if you were on the track. The speed work we did was usually after running a fair amount of hills so it would be hard to really call it speed. As for getting ready for outdoor, right now I am just trying to stay on a good schedule. My school work -- as a lot of student athletes find -- seems to keep getting more demading so right now and I am not stessing myself out at all with training and just getting out there and enjoying it.
2. As of the nation's top distance runners, you also hail from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. What kind of plans do you have this summer with the World Outdoor Championships set to take place?
To be honest, I haven't really thought of attending worlds. It would be great to be able to go but realistically I know that I have another big leap to take with my running before I can honestly contend to qualify and for now i think it is plenty to deal with racing in the NCAA and going to school. I still hope to race at Sr. Nationals this summer for more Canadian racing experience but I think after that I will take a little R & R.
3. What is the basic training philosophy like at West Virginia?
Sean Cleary, our assistant coach, is really into the no-stress but lots of consistant hard work. The amount of mileage we do varies from person to person depending on what works best for them and even the amount of strength versus speed work varies a lot within the team. It is a really laid back program though. We don't all have to meet for our easy runs and often just break up into groups or all run from our apartments and meet somewhere. Sean definatly makes it so that we never feel that we have to run but that we run because we like it and want to do it.
4. With your studies in the medical field, where would you like to go and accomplish with your degree once completed?
Right now I am looking forward to working part time and taking life a little slower! I have my heart set on never working full time because right now because I feel like there is so much I want to do but hardly enough time to do any of it!
5. The Big East Indoor Championships took place at the Carrier Dome on the campus of Syracuse University. How tight is the 200-meter flat track and did you expect to try and run a fast time at the meet?
Everyone complains about the Syracuse indoor track but I love it. Being from Edmonton, I have always had to run on an indoor track and even my coach at home would always be afraid of us slipping on ice so we even had to do our long runs on the inddor track. (something I dont miss at all) As for what I expected, I was not too sure. I knew that I was getting fitter as the season progressed, but I was also coming back right after the 3,000 meters to anchor the 4x800 meter relay. Actually, I think I was more excited with my 4x8 leg than the 3k, because it had been a long time since I had run a good 800 meters.
6. You were also recently named the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Region Woman of the Year for cross country. Of all the honors, on and off the track, which sticks out in mind as the one you are most proud of?
I think to be honored with anything is pretty neat, but I think being the Big East Performer of the Year was the most meaningful to me. Last year my teammate Rebecca Stallwood ran exceptional at the Big East indoors and I had really wished that she got the award, because as most people do with their training partners I had watched her work super hard for so long that it seemed she deserved it.
7. How often do you focus on the speed work in your development during the season and at what point do you start to taper down in the mileage of your workouts?
We start speed work pretty late in the season. For January and even a lot of February we dont do any speed besides after an intense hill workouts. It seems that every season I tell Sean that I have completely lost all of my speed and that we need to change everything we are doing, because I need to get my speed back. I guess I'm learing that it comes back pretty decent after only a couple of hard speed workouts. As for tapering, it depends on the season and what meets I want to do well in. This year I cut my mielage down 2-3 weeks before the NCAA Championships. I find it hard to cut back sometimes, because then I start to feel lazy and want to just do nothing.
8. What is the experience like to compete at the NCAA track & field and cross country national meets?
It's a great experience and every one that I have had has been so different. Being in Arkansas the stadium is full of energy and as soon as I enter the building I get chills down my spine. I love going to those meets because you know it is the best of the NCAA and that you are fortunate to be a part of it.
9. Based on your training and competition so far during your collegiate career, what have been some the most difficult obstacles that you had to overcome in order to perform at such a high level?
I guess just finding ways to balance everything to keep myself happy. It sometimes gets hard to balance everything and still save time for a little "me" time. I know that the way to keep improving on running is to continue to love it as much as I do so I just try and not let running stress me out at all and try to take care of myself the best I can. I think that this includes finding down time to just hangout with your friends aswell as getting school stuff done.
10. How do you spend your time the most when you don't have to worry about running or your studies?
I grew up in a big active family where we spent a lot of time in the mountains and outdoors. When I get the chance, I love to go hiking or get away somewhere. Being in a new part of the world I've been trying to travel around and see the sites of the east but I don't do as much travelling as I would like. I'm a pretty normal college student in the sense that I like to hang out with my friends and just do whatever.
11. Do you have any superstitions or rituals that you stick to in your training or while you compete?
Not really. I try to not have too many rituals, because I find that if you get into situations like at meets when you have to be in the waiting area at a certain time it can really mess them up so I pretty much just go with whatever. I will often just warm up with who ever is there becuase I find that generally other people have more of a regimen then I do. I often say that I don't really believe in luck and like to think that we are in control of our own destiny, but just in case I usually wear a little shoe that my mum gave me for goodluck. I figure it can't hurt!