Megan has really stepped her game up this year. She left off the 2009 XC season with a 18:48 PR at Holmdel and has already dropped that time by a huge 36 seconds (at Shore Coaches). She won (17:58) the Maymount XC Festival in Richmond, VA as well as the Cherokee Challenge (3200 meters with a hill in 10:53). Her time at Cherokee last year was 11:54. A 5:06.67/11:01.07 performer on the track, you would have to think that her XC performances foreshadow significant improvement on the oval too but first she has some XC goals for this season. Megan is a junior at Cherokee High School in Marlton.
1. When did you first get into running?
Well, I started running track officially when I was 8 years old because I wasn’t very good at softball, but my Mom says that by my 1st birthday I was running everywhere all the time.
2. What is your favorite – Track or XC?
Cross country is my favorite because I love being able to run through the different trails during the race instead of just running around the track repeatedly throughout the race.
3. What do you like to do most when you’re not running?
I like to swim, play the violin, sing and of course hang out with my friends. I have been playing the violin since I was 4 and would like to teach violin and voice some day.
4. What is Coach Jarvis’ emphasis on training for XC? Tempo work, speedwork, high mileage, etc.
Well, it’s a little bit of everything. This summer I definitely increased my mileage and we did more tempo work so those were the two training techniques emphasized the most.
5. What’s your favorite movie?
Hmmm, this is a hard one. I’d have to say that my favorite movie ever would have to be Sixteen Candles. Even though it’s an older movie, every time I watch it I like it even more than I had before.
6. Are you into music and if so, who are your favorites?
Yes, I LOVE music. My favorite artists before races are Eminem, Black Eyed Peas, and Linkin Park. Some of my other favorite artists to listen to on basic runs or just in the car are Taylor Swift, Paramore, B.o.B, and The Fray.
7. What is your best performance in XC/track to date?
I think my best performance would have to be the Cherokee Challenge this year. This is because the time I did there really set the tone for where I want to be this season and it was a lifetime PR in the 3200. Also, it was nice being able to win a meet that was run by my own school.
8. You consider the Cherokee Challenge win and mark better than the 18:12 at Holmdel?
I actually can’t really pick which performance I think was my best. I'm still just so shocked to be doing as well as I am so every race that I exceed my expectations and lower my times significantly I am extremely happy with and I think it's my best performance.
9. What is your favorite workout? What do you think of when you are doing it?
My favorite workout would have to be tempo. The longer the better in my opinion. While I’m running it i try to just focus on the pick up that I am on at that point and not worry about the other ones that I still have to do.
10. What is your least favorite workout and what do you think of when you are doing that one?
My least favorite is definitely anything speed work and especially when it is on the track. During this, i try to focus on how happy I’ll be when the workout is over and how grateful I’ll be in a race if I need to have a kick to improve my place or time.
11. Your marks from previous seasons were good, but this XC season you have made dramatic improvements. To what do you attribute those drops in your times?
I attribute it much to the training that I did over the summer. This previous summer I really buckled down and decided that if track and cross country were really what I wanted to do with my life I had to focus right away and put all my effort into becoming the best that I could be.
12. Were you surprised at your 18:12 at Shore Coaches? That’s a 36 second improvement in your PR.
Yes, I was surprised with my time. When I got to the two mile and heard that the time was 12 minutes already I figured that my final time would be closer to 19 minutes so I was excited to see that as i neared the finish line, the clock was still in the low 18s.
13. What subject do you like most?
My favorite academic subject is math, but my favorite class throughout the day is chorus.
14. Any idea what you want to major in when you get to college?
Right now, I am exploring the idea of getting a degree in mathematics or possibly engineering. I am considering minoring in voice.
15. What are your goals in XC and track for this year?
For cross country, I would love to break 18 at Holmdel and possibly even go under 17:40. Also I would like to qualify for nationals.
In track, I would really like to go significantly under 5 minutes in the mile. Also, I would like to try the 5000 meter and lower my time to under 10:30 in the 3200.
