Interviews: Hany Abdallah of New York University
 (Photo courtesy of the NYU athletics website)
Abdallah (#234) is a junior at New York University. Last year at the 2005 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships he finished 9th overall as an individual qualifier. Prior to the championships he finished 2nd overall at the Atlantic Region Cross Country Championships helping his team to a 3rd place finish. During the indoor track and field season Abdallah ranked 3rd on the Division III performance list with a 5,000m time of 14:26.85 at the BU Terrier Classic. New York University is currently ranked 3rd in the latest Division III Week 4 National Cross Country Poll after a strong showing at the UW-Oshkosh XC Invitational in which they finished in 2nd place.
By: Derick Lawrence (10/12/2006)
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 am from Madison (Madison High School), a small and quiet town in New Jersey. I am originally from Algeria. I was born there and I lived there for about 10 years. My father is from Egypt, thus I am half Egyptian; I lived there for about a year. I am a soccer nut and I used to play it everyday. And of course when I came to the U.S. I joined the high school soccer team. I played it all year around and trained (cardio) a lot for it. I decided to do track my junior year of high school, I started out sprinting then built up gradually. My coach told me I would be good at XC so I quit soccer and joined the XC team my senior year.
What were your PR's in high school (cross country and track)?
XC 17:11 I think at Holmdel park. Track 1600m: 4:30 3200m : 9:23
What are your current PR's (cross country and track)?
24:25 at Paul short. 10k 30:33 5k 14:26 3k 8:35
What was your training like this past summer?
I am always in a slump when it comes to summer training. My first summer of running was the summer before my freshman year and I didn’t run July-September due to injury. The summer before my sophomore year I took June-July off and didn’t get started really till September due to injury. And this summer, sure enough, was the same deal except I got injured last February and took month after month of no running until this August. And didn’t really run over an hour until September. God help all the other runners if I can get in a decent amount of mileage this coming summer.
How has your training progressed over the years from high school to now (cross country and track)?
In high school I never really ran that much until spring track my senior year and that was about 30 mpw. My freshman year at NYU I was running about 70mpw then in the winter I built up to 90 for a few weeks then I was in the 80s for the rest of the year. Then the following fall I was doing bout 90+ for cross country then I got injured up until now and now I am doing the same amount of mileage as last XC season except doing it in 7 runs instead of 9 or 10.
What has your training consisted of this past week and this week?
Generally for the past few weeks I have been doing about 80 minutes of running a day at a brisk pace. Tuesday’s maybe longer mileage wise because of the longer tempo workouts, and Sundays I am doing about 105-110 minutes.
What is your favorite workout(s) during the cross country season and what does it include?
My favorite overall are oxygen debt workouts, where we would do a very long interval at first to put us in oxygen debt then try to do faster repeats with little rest i.e., 400 repeats. I have no favorite XC workout because they’re almost always intervals of 1.5 milers or 5k repeats. In addition to that, I have never beaten my teammate (Ryan Williams) in that type of workout, he’s such a beast. If I like anything about that workout it’s because we do it around the reservoir in Central Park. If you look at aerial views of Central Park you can see that big lake we workout on. Every time we run to Central Park we run back through Times Square, sometimes with 15 people, that’s always so much fun!
Last year you finished 9th overall at the 2005 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships as a sophomore. Could you tell us a little bit about this experience and your thoughts looking back at this race.
I had a lot of confidence built up from the race at Paul Short and I knew I could beat anyone if I wanted to. Generally I walk into every race thinking that I am going to win and that’s what I did for nationals. With that kind of mentality, of course I was going to take charge and try to lead as much as possible. My coach, however, had different plans. He advised me to stay at the back of the front pack and move up gradually and kick at the end. The plan worked perfectly and I was in the position to make a move at the end with the leaders but I could not move as fast as I wanted to. I attribute not winning last year to a lack of training mainly in the summer. If I did train I would have won easily.
What are your goals for this cross country season (individual and team)?
If I stay healthy I will win nationals. If my teammates stay healthy, we will win nationals. No doubt.
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?
Being in the city, we walk everywhere and take subway rides for the longer trips. I usually take the bus to class and walk around the city to get to wherever. Sometimes when I am late for class I will take the subway but since I lived in Chinatown last year I walked through soho as much as I could. I generally like to walk everywhere because every year I live in a different place and I try to walk through it to experience that area. Like my freshman year I lived on Washington square, last year Chinatown, and this year the east village. There is really no campus so you don’t really know who’s a student and who is not unless you are in front of a building that belonged to NYU.
What's your major? Favorite professor? Most memorable class?
I am doing the Pre-Med track here at NYU, which is not a major. My actual major is philosophy and I love learning about it. Favorite professor? No, I have a favorite lunch lady and her name was Sylvia. She used to tell me I was sexy everyday, yeah. Apparently Adam Sandler wrote a song about her. My favorite class was probably my freshman year Art History class, they made us go to many different places to check out the art in the city like the Frick gallery, the MET, the Cloisters. Really cool stuff.
What are the dining options like at New York University? Does most of the team eat together?
We have a lot of dining halls here at NYU and they’re pretty much around Washington square. There is a great variety of food catering to all different palates and preferences. They have vegan nights, kosher food, and halal food even. Our team always goes to this dining hall after practices, practically every night. It’s probably one of my favorite parts of the day where we get to unwind, eat, and have so much fun. We usually roll in with about 10 guys and create such a scene, I love it.
Who has been the biggest influence in your life and/or running?
My biggest influences are probably my mother and God. I cannot race well unless I get blessing from my mother. Every race about a half hour before the race I call my mother to get some confidence and her blessings. I owe every race/win to her. I know if train as hard as I can, and stay faithful, God will never let me down. Its part of why I am so confident about everything.
Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
I do intend on applying to Medical school, in which case I will be doing some kind of surgery. If that reality never happens I will probably go to grad school for philosophy and try to be a professor. I do, however, want to run competitively after college if I do not get into med school. If I do train after school my goal would be to make the Olympic team and do some damage at the Olympics.
Do you have a pre-race routine (certain foods you eat, songs you listen to, warmup routine, etc.)? If so, could you describe it for us.
I always call my mother. In addition to that I love to joke and take a load off. I am not very serious before races and that sometimes worries my teammates. I love to joke around with my coach before races too.
What do you like the most about New York University Cross Country?
The guys. Every single runner on my team is a different personality and it just creates this team chemistry that is unrivaled. We have so much fun even in the down times. These guys are like family and I feel so comfortable when I am on this team. The city is not very hospitable for running but the atmosphere is totally worth it. Where else can you run on the Brooklyn Bridge and Times Square and have people cheering at you? To top it all off you are with your teammates, and everything is just perfect.
What's the running environment like at New York University? Where does the team train?
It is extremely hard to train in the city and a lot of guys on the team get injured due to the constant pounding on the pavement. We try to get off the streets as much as possible and we usually do that on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Tuesdays we run on the Central Park bridal path and do workouts around the semi-soft reservoir. Thursdays are pretty much the same as Tuesdays. Sundays we go to Van Cortland Park and do a long run there, if not there we go to Thompson or Holmdel Park in New Jersey. This year, on several occasions we went to Sleepy Hollow Park. The rest of the days we usually just run on the streets of NYC with a multitude of runs to choose from such as: Brooklyn Bridge (below), BMW (Brooklyn Bridge into Brooklyn, Williamsburg back into Manhattan), Tip (Run the southern tip of Manhattan, usually west down into battery park, then up the east side), East side (run the east side of Manhattan and come back on 5th Ave), West side (run the west side of Manhattan), and finally Central Park (run to Central Park, run inside and come back Broadway).
(Photo courtesy of The New York Times)
This is us running one of our usual runs in the city (Brooklyn Bridge). Unfortunately, I was injured for this run.
Any parting words for readers?
I am a big quote guy and mainly because they’re from sagacious old guys that really know a lot about what they are talking about. I really liked what Wetmore had to say about training in Running With The Buffaloes. I think it went something like “suffer as much as we can to see how good we can be, safety be damned.” That’s how I like to train. Don’t be afraid to take risks, train as hard as your body will let you, then you will win.
Thanks to Hany for a great interview.
post comment
Great interview
8:05 PM, October 19, 2006
.. Posted by Terry
Keep up the great work! This is the best blog on the net for Division III
Untitled Comment
2:15 PM, October 21, 2006
.. Posted by Anonymous
that kid is cocky and has no respect for his opponents. Would have won easily last year? Yeah right. Will win easily this year if they stay healthy? Calvin will take him, his team, and the rest of D3 to the woodshed. There is a difference between confidence in your abilities and downright arrogance, and this kid doesn\'t know the difference.
Untitled Comment
3:00 PM, October 22, 2006
.. Posted by Anonymous
I agree
Untitled Comment
4:04 PM, October 23, 2006
.. Posted by Anonymous
Abdallah you are a piece of work. That is the cockiest ****ing interview I have ever seen and I cannot wait to watch Sigl rip you a new asshole come Nationals. I wish I still had eligibilty left so that I could do that myself.
Untitled Comment
4:20 PM, October 23, 2006
.. Posted by Anonymous
Go to d1 and try being cocky like that in the races.
Untitled Comment
12:47 PM, October 24, 2006
.. Posted by Anonymous
Common senses says that you are always injured because you train like a moron. Hammering all of the time isn't the way to go, and pavement isn't what causes injuries.
Untitled Comment
2:10 PM, October 24, 2006
.. Posted by Anonymous
Its real easy to criticize this kid behind your anoymous names. Look how much he has improved from high school to college, you can\'t get that good that quick without some serious training, and because of that, I think he has the right to be \"cocky\" as you describe him.
Untitled Comment
4:42 PM, October 24, 2006
.. Posted by GGarciaWW
I disagree with your comment that he has the right to be cocky because he as "trained hard" for it. He is good nobody is debating that but the way he states some of the things in this interview seems to give no respect at all to his competitors. Nobody has the right to be cocky unless they are the best in the entire world, and they have one numerous World and/or Olympic Championships. This kid hasn't one a D3 title yet and if he doesnt win this year, bad repercussions are gonna follow him everywhere he goes based on this interview alone. Good luck to him though he's gonna need it now.
Untitled Comment
11:44 AM, October 25, 2006
.. Posted by Anonymous
This interview is just laced with excuses. No one cares that you didn\'t win Nats. last year because you\'re lazy in the summer.
Untitled Comment
10:22 PM, October 25, 2006
.. Posted by Anonymous
Those that think he improved alot that is typical. He improved as much as any of the top D3 athletes have. None of them were real studs in hs (some exceptions I'm sure). Well I hope he has a great summer of training next year so God can watch as he still gets beat. Way to put a big bullseye on your back buddy. I feel bad for his team because they are now sharing tha bullseye.
Forgetting about someone
7:41 PM, November 10, 2006
.. Posted by Anonymous
I think he forgot to mention that Deshane is undefeated and is consistant, notgetting injured like a jackass every other month. Not even your "mother's blessing" will get you past him.
Untitled Comment
10:31 PM, November 14, 2006
.. Posted by Anonymous
Nationals are this weekend. If you're healthy, there are no excuses. But know that guys like Deshane and Yuot (two time 2nd place finisher) aren't just going to let you have it. You talked a lot of smack, and it will come back on you quick if you don't back it up.
Cocky but good.
7:39 PM, November 24, 2006
.. Posted by Anonymous
People love other athletes for their cockiness. Just because NYU has a shot to be great doesn't mean he's cocky. Its the truth. If any team trains well, they can win. If you train especially hard, you can win the individual national title. Yuot isn't a robot, he has to work too. I would say "Cut Hany some slack," but I know him, and he doesn't care what you have to say about him!
{ Last Page } { Page 208 of 247 } { Next Page }
|
