(Photo courtesy of Denison University Athletics website)
Binkley is a senior at Denison University. Last year she finished 7th overall, helping her team finish as the overall winners, at the 2005 Great Lakes Cross Country Regional meet. At the 2005 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships she finished 126th overall while helping her team to a 24th place finish. During the 2006 outdoor track season she had the 24th fastest 10k time of 37:15.83 in Division III. She hopes to lead a young Denison women's team to strong finishes at conference and regionals.
By: Derick Lawrence (9/17/2006)
Could you tell us a little bit about yourself (where you're from, how you got started running)?
I am from Columbus, Ohio. I started running a little bit in about 4th grade to stay in shape for soccer. I was pretty much focused on soccer until my freshman year of high school when I went out for both cross-country and soccer. I ended up being a better runner than soccer player and have been competing ever since.
What were your PR's in high school (cross country and track)?
In high school, my cross-country PR was 18:48, my 3200 PR was 11:16, and my 1600 PR was 5:15.
What are your current PR's (cross country and track)?
My cross-country PR for the 6K is 21:27, for track my 5K PR is 18:06 and my 10K PR is 37:15.
What made you choose Denison University?
There were a number of reasons I chose Denison. It is a nice distance from home for me since my family lives about 45 minutes away. We also have a really strong science and Biology program and that was my area of interest. I had been offered some athletic scholarships to DI schools, but I really liked the DIII mentality where I could still compete at a high level but did not have to have a coach telling me that running had to come before academics.
What was your training like this past summer?
My summer training went well. I have had a lot of IT band problems in the past so I did a lot of running on the grass. I was mostly doing easy distance about 40-50 miles a week with some occasional hill repeats.
What is your favorite workout(s) during the cross country season and what does it include?
My favorite workout is doing 8-10 hard quarters with a pretty good recovery in between each repeat. Usually if I feel like I can run those at a fast pace I feel confident in my fitness.
What are your goals for this cross country season (individual and team)?
As a team, we lost two of our top 5 from last year so we are rebuilding a little bit. We have gotten in some talented freshmen, though, and several of our returners have been stepping it up quite a bit as well so we are hoping to be competitive in both our conference and our region. As an individual, I would really like to make it back to the national meet.
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?
Denison is a pretty small campus so I walk to class. I do have a car on campus, though, it is a 93 Acura.
What's your major?
I am a Biology major, Chemistry minor.
What are your plans after college?
Right now I am in the process of applying to medical school.
Who has been the biggest influence in your life and/or running?
I started running with my Dad. I would go run about a mile out with him and then stop and wait for him to come back after a couple of miles since I couldn't keep up. We joke now since he can't keep up with me, but he was the one who influenced me to start.
On the day of a race, is there anything you do to mentally prepare yourself (i.e. pre-race routine, listen to music, read a book, etc.)?
Usually I just like to listen to some music and read a running magazine or newspaper.
Is there a certain cheer or routine the women's team yells or carries out in the team huddle prior to a race? If so, could you describe it for us.
Usually we all just say "Let's go Big Red." Denison does not have an official mascot; instead we are just the "Big Red."
What do you like the most about Denison Cross Country?
We have a very supportive team atmosphere. I really like it that team members recognize that everyone needs different training, and it is okay if we do different workouts on different days.
What's the running environment like at Denison University? Where does the team train?
(Photo courtesy of Denison University)
The running around Denison is fantastic. Granville has a really nice bike path that extends for miles into the neighboring towns. We also have a lot of nice country roads. My favorite place to run, though, is the University's Biology Reserve. It has a lot of grass and dirt trails and has a pretty nice loop for doing intervals on the grass.
Thanks to Elaine for a great interview.
