Coming off of a year where he gained All-American status in both the indoor and outdoor seasons, Brian Chenoweth returns as one of the leaders of a young, unranked Wartburg team which has sent a cross country team to the National Championship meet each of the past nine years.Brian recently took time out of his busy schedule to share with us some of his goals for the year, his experience running at Wartburg, and last year’s Outdoor National Championships, during which Wartburg produced All-Americans in every event from the 800 on up.
Could you tell us a little bit about yourself, like where you're from and how you got started running?
I am originally from Cedar Falls, IA, where I ran 4 years of cross country and 1 year of track.My family moved to Geneseo, IL during my senior year where I finished out my high school track career.I started running as a freshman because a couple of my friends were doing it and I had always been decent at the presidential mile, or whatever it was elementary school.I loved the team aspect of cross country and have stuck with it ever since.
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?
My PRs in high school were:5k-16:103200-9:231600-4:22
My current PRs are 8k-25:2X10k-31:125k-14:32 and I think my mile PR is 4:22
My understanding of running and racing has changed drastically from high school.I have learned a lot about the importance of mileage and am more familiar with some training philosophies, such as Jack Daniel’s an Arthur Lydiard’s.I am also a much greater fan of the sport, knowing a little of the history and paying attention to what the elite athletes are doing and also my fellow D3 racers.
What drew you to choose Division III, and Wartburg in particular?
I was very lazy in my college search and ended up only really considering Wartburg and Iowa.I knew I wanted to continue running in school and so I talked to Coach Johnson at Wartburg and tried to talk to the Iowa coach (I can’t spell his name) [Editors' note: Iowa’s coach is Larry Wieczorek].Coach J really excited me about running at Wartburg and convinced me that this was a place where I would improve and race for a successful program.
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 summer I think I ran 5-7 weeks in the 80s with a peak close to 88-90.I probably ran 6:30-7:10 pace most days, depending on how I felt.(I’m not very good at judging pace.)I didn’t do many hard efforts this summer.I tried to run long twice a week and the one real tempo I ran was the middle 5 miles of the Bix 7 in Davenport.Other than that, I may have picked up the pace during some runs, but no planned hard efforts.
Things came together pretty spectacularly for Wartburg during this past spring’s Outdoor Track & Field National Championships—five All-American performances (yourself included) in the 800 and up, including a win and near-win in the 1500 and 10000, respectively.What’s more, each one of those performances featured someone who bettered their qualifying list position.What allowed you and your teammates to have your peak performances over those few days?
Last track season was a special one that I will always remember.It is hard to explain how it felt to be a part of a group of guys: Kevin Balster, Jake Hommer, and Andy Hodge, all with such a single mindedness in their goals and training.I don’t think any of us realized how special this was until after the year was over, and I still don’t think I will realize what it really was until after I stop competing in college and am many years down the road.At the time, it just seemed like four guys working toward their personal goals.I can look back at all of last year now and see how each of us set our personal goals, but also how we all helped each other out.We all knew throughout the year that everything was going to work the way we planned it in the end and we believed that we would reach the goals we set for ourselves, no matter how ridiculous they seemed.
I can point out different times throughout the season where each of us went through a tough time and doubted ourselves and whether we would achieve our goals.But it was at those times that I think the other three proved most vital in their support.We all believed it was going to work for all of us and it was extremely fun to watch it all come together at the last chance meet and then again at Nationals.
I’m not sure how well we all peaked (we joked that Wartburg doesn’t taper) as much as we trained to race rather than hit times.Coach J preached this to us all year and we were impatient to try for times, but everyone except Kevin qualified in a race where they raced well and beat people to qualify.This really prepared us to race well at nationals.Also, Kevin’s National’s 10k gave the rest of us a lot of confidence in our preparation and was very inspirational.What I will also remember is the four of us being extremely disappointed we were two points off of a team trophy.We all felt guilty for not picking up the few more points needed.
I will always remember the Outdoor Nationals weekend as the celebration of a season of work for us, but it was the journey there that I enjoyed even more.It was fun to work and share dreams with three other guys that I really loved being around and hanging out with outside of running.Jake Hommer, Kevin Balster, and Andy Hodge provided great inspiration, encouragement, and help for me in my pursuit of some very serious goals, and I hope I was able to help them towards theirs also.
Wartburg has qualified as a team for the National Championships for nine years in a row (the sixth-longest active streak), but this year you aren’t even ranked nationally.What are your goals for the team this season?
Our successful tradition is something we are very proud of here, and so to struggle as we have in the early season is very frustrating.However, we are a very young team this year; over half of the guys on the team are freshman, so we are very immature and unpredictable at times.We have not raced as well as we would like to this year, but we think better races will come in the second half of the season.We are trying to take our goals one meet at a time, but our end goals remain the same this year: we want to compete for the conference title and then we want to qualify for Nationals again.It is exciting to watch our girl’s team succeed so far this year and it provides a great example for the underclassmen on our team to follow and show what they can achieve through hard work.
Coming off All-American performances in both indoor and outdoor track last year, what are your individual goals for cross country this year?
I haven’t set many specific goals for this year yet.I am trying to focus more on working on what it will take to be successful in the championship meets at the end of the season.I guess my goal for right now is to prepare myself the best that I can for the championship meets in November, and then to compete to the best of my abilities physically, mentally, and emotionally at the national meet.If I do that, I can’t be disappointed with myself.
What is your favorite workout during cross country and what do you like about it?
I really enjoy tempo runs.I feel like I am a good at hitting a pace and running that for an extended period of time.I also love the mental strength it takes to run a fast pace for 30 minutes or some extended period of time.Most of the reason why I like them though is that I am better at tempos than I am at other types of workouts, such as hills or intervals.On top of all this, I view aerobic strength as the most vital part of success in distance running.
If you had to boil down the training philosophy at Wartburg into a few main principles, what would they be?
Coach Johnson follows a few basic principles in his training.He pushes for moderate mileage, balancing that with intensity.We usually start each season with more strength based workouts such as long runs, tempos, hills, and fartleks.There is usually an interval workout thrown in early to introduce us to speed and then we usually transition into more speed with interval workouts throughout the year.He also believes in training hard on hard days and easy on your easy days and really enjoys hill workouts, so we usually run hills once a week throughout the season.
Who has been the biggest influence in your life and/or running?
My family continues to be the driving influence in my life.My parents instilled in me a strong moral upbringing that I try to use in my everyday life.They also encouraged me to try and put my whole heart into anything I chose to do.My brothers and sister and I have made them great XC fans in their area and they love to follow us whenever they can.I am extremely grateful for the opportunities they gave me.
As for running, I have give credit to a lot of people.My high school coaches, Troy Becker and Jeff Hartman (a Luther alum) first instilled in me the desire to run and race.Since I have been at Wartburg, Coach Johnson has motivated and pushed me to strive for greatness and success in racing.Also, many of my teammates have been important in shaping my running life.Three seniors my freshman year, Ben Carlson and Keith and Cody Solverson, pushed me to not just accept Coach J’s training but to find out why I run each workout and what I personally need to do to become great.The three seniors from last year, Jake Hommer, Andy Hodge, and Kevin Balster, showed me the possibilities when people put their minds to achieve something and refuse to accept failure of any sort.Finally, Tim McKenna provides great inspiration for running and reminds me to enjoy it, since you never know when it will be taken away from you.He and I have had many long talks about training, the running mentality, and the team aspect of cross country.He always finds a way to challenge the way I view a situation and makes me find a better way to deal with it.
What do you like the most about Wartburg running?
As is typical with many interviews I have seen on this blog, the team is my favorite part about running at Wartburg.Even though it is a different group of guys every year, the spirit and emotion of the team remains the same.I love the guys I have run with here and have formed bonds with many of them that will last a lifetime.I don’t know if the team aspect is special to D3, I tend to doubt it, but I will never regret my decision to run at Wartburg because of the people here.
What's the relationship between the track team and the other athletic teams? What's the athletic culture like at Wartburg?
Wartburg has a strong tradition of success in athletics in almost every sport offered here.There is a lot of mutual respect between programs, and as far as I know we are on pretty good terms with most teams.On a really good note, we have been on pretty good terms with the wrestling team for the past couple years, which is always a good thing here at Wartburg.
There’s one question we just have to ask: you participated in the Mr. Wartburg Competition 2008.Can you talk about how you got involved in that, what the competition consisted of, and how you fared?
Mr. Wartburg is like a beauty pageant for guys, like Miss USA or something where the contestants for are chosen through a school wide vote.My freshman year, Tim McKenna, Keith Solverson and I decided it would be fun to vote Ben Carlson in, because he is awesome.So we rigged the ballots so that he had to compete and it has been a tradition the past few years to stuff the box with votes for one cross guy so that he has to embarrass himself in front of the 100 people who show up.Last year was just my turn I guess.
I ended up making it to the second of four stages, which isn’t very good, but I wasn’t too disappointed.The first round was introducing ourselves in a ‘fun’ way, so I ran out in running shorts and the BK King mask.Then I lost in the Wartburg Trivia round.I guess I just don’t know enough about my school.I will be very angry this year if they vote me in again.
How do students (and professors) at your school view the track team and its members?
Wartburg is a small school where probably close to ¼ of the students are involved in athletics, so the school is very accepting of athletes.Most professors know the students who are out for cross country and track and know when we are racing and how we do, which is cool.
What are your thoughts looking ahead to your post-collegiate days?
I am considering finding a job in the financial side of business somewhere, but I am more interested in collegiate coaching.For a shameless plug, if anyone knows of a cross or track grad assistant position opening next year in a college near you and wouldn’t mind having me around and would let me know, that would be awesome.
As far as running, I am sure I will continue running in some way.I may take a break from competitive running and racing for a while and enjoy not feeling obligated to run so far or so fast every day.But I know eventually I want to find out what kind of shape I can ultimately get in.Right now I don’t want to limit myself to any set life path.(This is all code for me not having any idea what I want to do when I grow up).
Do you follow running at the collegiate or professional levels at all?Would you care to confess to what extent you lurk onLetsrun.com or other message boards?
I check out Letsrun pretty daily along with a few other sites not quite as often such as Mensracing, RunningTimes, and a few others.I check out the message boards some, but can’t say that I have ever posted on them.I like to read about the other D3 runners, but I try not to believe much of what I read.Other than that, I enjoy checking out results to see how people are doing and trying to keep up with what is new in the running community.
Can you pick one passage from Once a Runner and tell us how you identify with it as a runner?
I have read the book but can’t pick out one specific passage that I relate to.I like the ‘let our demons loose and wail on’ passage as everyone else does, but I can’t remember anything else specific.
Are there any other closing thoughts or pieces of wisdom you'd like to share?
I would like to thank Nathan and Jossi for maintaining this blog and anyone who reads this.I love reading the interviews and think a continued interest in running and D3 will make the sport stronger and more competitive.I hope to see anyone out at a race sometime.Sorry for rambling on some of the answers, feel free to tell me how much it sucks at a meet.
Tim McKenna also wanted me to add that if anyone would like a more detailed list of our awesome exploits while in college they may facebook either of us or email me at brian.chenoweth@wartburg.edu.
(We really haven’t done all that much, but we think we’re pretty cool.)
Chris Lear, RT's College Editor, talks with Wartburg head coach
Steve Johnson. Over the last decade, Wartburg College, a small private
school in Waverly, Iowa, has gone from complete unknown to perennial
contender for national titles. Leading this change was Josh Moen and
Missy Buttry who swore by the leadership of Coach Johnson. In this
interview, Johnson talks about how he found Missy & Josh and what
he saw in them. He talks about the effect that those two had on his
program, where the team is today and what he loves most about NCAA
Divison 3.
Also! Check the DIII Blog tomorrow for a full-length interview with Wartburg's Brian Chenoweth, who is also featured in the above audio interview!
Brandeis Bisceglia Erin Coginchaug HS, Durham CT Distance Boutin Marc Westford Academy Westford MA Distance Brown Chris Chelmsford HS Chelmsford MA Distance Girard Monique Billerica HS Billerica MA Distance Hulse Alex Eaglecrest HS Centennial CO Distance Marsh Jessica Lincoln-Sudbury HS Lincoln MA Sprints Pino Charlie Perry Meridian HS Indianapolis IN Sprints Pisarik Alyssa Chelmsford HS Chelmsford MA Distance Shanley Molly Marshfield HS Marshfield MA Distance Tyrer-Vassel Myles East Bridgewater HS East Bridgewater MA Distance Warwick Kate Acton Boxboro HS Billerica MA Distance Ye Stanley Acton-Boxboro HS Acton MA Sprints
Calvin Anderson Lorin Caledonia HS Caledonia MI Throws Clark Aaron Comstock Park HS Comstock Park MI Throws
Carleton College Ffitch Taylor St. Mary`s Academy Portland OR Distance
Colorado College Gerken Max Douglas County HS Castle Rock CO Distance
Haverford Schoch Tim Bloomington North HS Bloomington IN Distance
John Hopkins Bloomer Micaela Exeter H.S. Exeter NH Hurdles,Jumps Yen Andrew Maranatha HS Pasadena CA Distance
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Kaestli, Alicia, Staples HS, Westport CT - Distance
Middlebury College McIlvennie Claire Ithaca HS Ithaca NY Distance
New York University Bourque Brian Iona Prep School New Rochelle NY Throws
Rhodes College Lippincott Alex Brookline HS Brookline MA Jumps Stechler Kevin Westborough HS Westborough MA Sprints
RPI Rennselar Poly Instiute of Technology Masten-Davies Rebecca Hillfield Strathallan Hamilton IT Distance
Southern Maine Labreck, Jesse, Messalonskee HS, Oakland ME - Multis
St. Lawrence Fox Michael Wawick Valley HS Warwick NY Distance Roberts Jarell Lyman HS Longwood FL Sprints
Wheaton Allen Sheldon Charlestown HS Charlestown MA Hurdles Cardarelli Lauren LaSalle Academy Providence RI Sprints Dell`Aira Ashley Shoreham-Wading River HS Wading NY Jumps Enos Max Westford Academy Westford MA Sprints,Jumps Jusme Didi Classical HS Providence RI Sprints,Hurdles Jusme Mickey Classical Providence RI Sprints,Jumps McGrath Lauren Shoreham-Wading River HS Wading River NY Hurdles,Jumps Ricci Kyle Bishop Hendricken Warwick RI Sprints Rose Fatima Dover HS Dover NH Throws Treivush Dylan Harvard-Westlake School Beverly Hills CA Sprints Waheed Tope East Providence Providence RI Throws
Williams Ham, Kelsey, Bozeman HS, Bozeman MT - Jumps
Wisconsin-Oshkosh Wichert Nathan Ronald Reagan Prep Milwaukee WI Throws
