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Interview with
Zac Noel
 Name:
Zachary Noel
Age: 18
Hometown: Winfield
Pr’s/Honors: 1500- 4:00, 3000 (SC)-
9:28, All-Freshman SEC in Steeplechase
College: University of Kentucky
Zac, so how did you begin with running in your
early days?
I ran track in 8th grade and decided to run cross-country my freshman
year of high school to get in shape for soccer. I intended on dropping
cross country when school started school and just doing soccer, but when
I realized I might have a little bit of potential, I stuck it out.
You tend to take a liking to what you are most successful at, and I was
clearly a better runner than soccer player. The rest is history!
You had the honor to run at AA power Winfield
through High School. Can you talk about that experience and how it has
helped you going into college running?
Being a part of Winfield's team is something I have always treasured.
The support of the coaches and other teammates is indescribable. It is
so easy to motivate yourself and enjoy yourself on a team that has their
priorities straight and is focused on the same goals as you are: God and
then winning. To be honest, there a lot of college programs that aren't
as organized and disciplined as Winfield's. The most vital thing
Winfield taught me though in preparations for college is mental
toughness. I have become a better runner and have been able to push
myself beyond what I thought I was able to because of the way my coaches
brought me up. Half of running is physical, and half is mental. You
can be the most talented runner ever, but without the mental toughness
you won't amount to much. That is something our coaches really
emphasized and taught us.
Last year at the state track meet you were on
the bad end of what everyone agrees was a bad call on your DQ in the
3200. How did that situation play into things the next day when you came
back for a very exciting 1600m win?
To be honest, it was a great motivation. I wasn't nearly as upset at
getting DQ as I was about the fact our team needed the points. I feared
if the team race was close my DQ would have made the difference. Under
normal circumstances I am not as confident with the 1600 as the 3200,
however I was taking a tid-bit of anger and frustration out on the
1600 the following day. I wanted our team to get the points, and I was
thinking "you can't get DQ again if you aren't behind anyone," so that
is what I did!
After your very successful high school career,
many colleges heavily recruited you. What played into your decision to
attend the University of Kentucky?
I wanted to go to a school that would push me to be the best runner I
could possibly be. I knew I was going to be a walk-on if I went to just
about any division I school with a descent program that included both
cross country and track, so I had to put finances behind me and accept
it. Kentucky offers a program that is on the rise and striving to be a
dominant contender with other teams in the SEC, and I felt I would be
pushed to my potential there. They have wonderful facilities for both
track and academics. I prayed about it and really felt that it had
everything I needed and that the Lord was directing me there.
How did racing and training unfold for you
during the XC/Indoor Track season?
Training was almost like I jumped from the 5th grade to the 9th grade
and just skipped middle school. It was a dramatic change for me
mentally and physically. Physically, I found out how much more my body
was capable of and realize now my mistakes in high school. The human
body is capable of things far beyond what most realize, and in my case I
was really handicapping myself in my earlier years. As far as racing, I
only competed twice in cross and then was forced to red shirt due to an
injury. I red shirted indoor as well. I was down for about 2 months,
and could only cross train. I actually feel my injury was like a
blessing in disguise. I was to a point where my body was run down from
the training adjustment and I needed to rest to allow my body to catch
up and mature with where I was in my training. After coming back from
my injury, with only 3 weeks of running and lots of cross training, I
was in the best shape of my life!
This outdoor season you have got your feet wet
with the steeple and also have ran a very good 1500m PR. Can you talk
about how you’re your first college outdoor season has went?
Well, I was really hesitant about the outdoor season. I hadn't raced in
quite a bit of time and I knew I was behind in showing the coaches what
I was capable of. I knew I had only a few chances to show that my
racing was as competitive as my training. I started at a small meet in
G. Tech, and actually won. From there it progressed to me being a full
time steepler. I only raced once outside of the steeple, and that was
the 1500. I ended the season at SEC's, which had been my goal since the
1st of December when I got back on my feet from my injury.
So Zac, I know you planned to run in a fast
open mile this coming weekend at OU in prep for the Junior Nationals
where you were to take on the Steeple again. But due to a long freshman
season you have decided to take some time off to regroup for cross
country. Can you talk about the reasons for shutting it down for the
season?
Well, the transition from high school to college is just as much
mentally fatiguing as physically. It is a very long season, especially
since I was trying to play catch-up with my teammates after my injury.
I was just to a point where I had reached my max. Mentally after SEC's
I was drained. I knew if I were to train through Junior Nationals it
would be sub-par, and on top of what I suspected would be a poor
performance at Junior Nats, I would be jeopardizing my cross country
season marjory because I would be way behind in my summer training.
That wasn't a risk I was willing to take. I took some down time to
relax and get my mind off of running and prep myself for my summer
training, which I feel was wise and I will see the benefits hopefully
this fall!
Give us a breakdown of a normal week of
training for you this year at
Kentucky?
Typically I was at about 70 miles a week. Usually 3 workouts/effort
based runs a week plus a steady long run on sundays. No two-a-days for
incoming freshman. We are very big into hills, so we usually did those
once a week for a workout. Other than that it consisted of a track
workout or two and maybe a tempo or fartlek. On my recovery days I was
at
about 50-55 min., and our workout days sometimes added up to 13+ miles.
We stay creative with how we do things and are constantly trying to do
new things, so it is difficult to describe a "normal" week.
With college running comes harder training and
workouts. What workouts have you found to be the most demanding this
season?
To be honest, all of them! In high school none of my workouts on the
track were over 800m, and that was a good day! I had to transition to
workouts that were 1000m or mile repeats, sometimes longer. A lot of
active recovery type of training was pretty demanding at first. Hills
became increasingly harder. Specifically, The Michigan workout sticks
out
in my mind.
I know your going to be always working to be
the best, so what is the
plans for the summer base work to lead you into a big fall XC season?
Well, two things specifically. Introducing two-a-days into my training
and choosing quality over quantity. In the past I have been more
worried about seeing a number in my running log than getting solid
training. I am going to concentrate on effort based runs. In the past
summers my runs haven't been under 7:00 pace (on a good day) and they
only consisted of normal runs with a local 5k every other weekend. I
just didn't know any better in high school, but I do now. I have
learned in college that you have to learn to run tired to be a good
runner and I have learned that even if you are going out for a 50 or 60
min. run you can make it beneficial. I will incorporate some hills,
tempos, fartleks, and pick-up runs and get up to about 80-85 miles per
week. I am just focusing on getting strong and getting a solid base!
Who are some people you look up to in the
running world?
I look up to those people who truly love to run. Running is so
different from playing any other sport. It isn't something that is
glamorous and sought after by all the papers and media, and is both
mentally and physically one of the more painful sports out there.
People who truly love to run don't care about such things and love the
sport for what it is. I respect that and can relate with those people
and for that reason look up to them.
Last question, any last thoughts you would like
to pass along to help other young runners coming up hoping to follow in
your footsteps?
Put your faith in God and don't let
others keep you from doing what you feel is right. I could have went to
school for free and ran, but passed up the offer to attend Kentucky. My
times in high school weren't comparable to most known division I program
recruits, but I knew if someone would give me the time I could break
out. I knew I wouldn't excel to my max potential if I took an in-state
offer, so I went for my dream. I had everyone from my parents to coaches
to friends telling me I was crazy for going to Kentucky because of how
much I would be paying there vs. an in-state school. Now, looking back
on my first year and all that it has brought me, I don't have to say
anything to those people who chastised me for my decision...they know
they are wrong! Though finances are a big deal in choosing a school, if
you want to chase a dream don't let money stop you, go for it!
God Bless!!!
Thank You Zac for a great interview and we will
be cheering you on these next 4 years to see you do big things at
the University of Kentucky!!
Interview by Jason Pyles, contact at: runjpyles@yahoo.com
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