MileSplit - Brentwood is currently ranked #5 in the US after Great American. You are obviously a strong squad, 17th in 2011 at NXN and last year they were fourth (13pts out of 2nd) at the Southeast regional behind St. Xavier (KY), Blacksburg, and Chantilly. Did you think you could improve so much this year?
Brentwood Varsity - Our team was very lucky to have the leadership and encouragement from our seniors, Nathan Thomas (now at William and Mary) and Paul Stuart (now at UT Chattanooga) who led our team to its first state championship and first national berth in 2011. Since then, the team’s bar has been raised, and we can visualize our capability. After failing to qualify for NXN in the 2012 Southeast regional by 13 points behind St. Xavier (KY), Blacksburg, and Chantilly, we are especially motivated for a possible return to NXN 2013. With only graduating one senior, Daniel Hamm, our coach has helped us see our potential for the 2013 season. We met many times over the summer to set a common goal of competing for the win at Nike Southeast and preparing to toe the line at NXN to compete for a national championship. With great teams in the southeast like Broughton, Tatnall, St. Xavier, Belen Jesuit, Blacksburg, and many others, we know qualifying will be a challenge. Great American was a great confidence booster, but the season has really just begun. We all still have a lot of work to do over the next several weeks to even be considered as a national contender.
MileSplit - Brentwood has, arguably, the best top-3 in the country this year. What are your thoughts on this? What excites you guys most about the rest of the season?
Brentwood Varsity - We are all excited to help the team compete with a strong top three. It’s extremely encouraging and motivating to have the three outstanding runners as training partners every day. We really appreciate the recognition; however the sport of cross country requires more than just three runners to be successful. Our focus is to continue to develop the whole team and create a program that will continue to be nationally competitive in the future. Our primary focus is the health and consistency of our four through seven runners for the remainder of the season. Losing to Carmel in a tiebreak and only beating St. Xavier (OH) by 1 point (both well-renowned national class programs) at the Trinity Invitational reinforces the importance of a healthy and dependable team with five reliable scorers and more than just 5 runners who can compete well.
We are looking forward to the challenge ahead of us. Every member is focusing one week and one race at a time with a goal to maximize their contribution to the team. With a limited number of guys on our program, we cannot afford setbacks, so staying healthy and intentional is the essential. But like any other program, the team is very excited to train, compete, and have fun at state, NXN Regionals, and, hopefully, nationals.
MileSplit - How does your team regroup after this race and continue to focus on training for your upcoming races and the post-season?
Brentwood Varsity - At Great American, just about everyone on the team executed their individual race plan very well. In the heat, this was very encouraging; however, we realize the race could have also had a much different result. There were many great programs like Broughton who had off races. Great American is one of the most competitive invitationals from a team standpoint in the country, and to even be associated with traditional teams like Cardinal O'Hara, St. Xavier (KY), Tatnall (DE), and others is a huge honor alone. Acknowledging this, we are taking the positives from that race and keeping things day-to-day and week-to-week. We had to come back and run our Mid-State Championships this past week, right after Great American, so we have been re-grouping for almost two weeks now. Our team realizes the steps we need to take, and we are all dependent on each other to continue to move forward into the championship season.
MileSplit - What are the keys to your successful cross country training program and what work did you put in to start off so well this year?
Brentwood Varsity - With a cross country program lacking in numbers, our coach emphasizes consistency, communication, and health. The majority of our varsity squad ran track and began summer training in mid-June. Our top three runners average about 60 miles a week while the 5-6-7 pack runs about 50 miles per week. Coleman Churitch, the team’s 4th runner has been in between those numbers. Everyone takes ownership of his own body and communicates when a workout will not be beneficial to his long term success. We are also privileged to have access to a local active-release therapist, Dr. Josh Renkens, who does an incredible job of treating and teaching us to treat leg and body ailments.
MileSplit - What are the keys to your team's unity and how you train together to reach your goals?
Brentwood Varsity - Our team’s unity is fairly simple. We have a lot of fun. Everyone on the team is not only teammates with one another but great friends. We spend a lot of time together outside of practice. We have fun at practice too, but when it’s time to focus, everyone straightens up and gets intentional. The definition of a team is two or more people with a common goal who are completely dependent on each other to achieve that goal. That’s exactly how we train. Everyone has to do their individual part on race days, workout days, and even easy days. Through fun and intention, we rely on each other, and we enjoy every second of it
That kind of balance can take a small group of guys and make them into an excellent team, and that has been our intention.
MileSplit - When & how did you get started in cross country?
Alec - My family has always been fairly active. My parents took up running and triathlons post-collegiately. We were always that family that went hiking and mountain biking in the mountains instead of going to the beach. I ran occasional road and trail 5ks as a kid but mainly enjoyed playing the sport of the season. It wasn't until middle school where I began running cross country. If I learned anything at all in middle school it was to race until you threw up. Nevertheless, I learned to enjoy the cross country community.
Aaron - My family has always been active from family trail hikes to my dad’s Ironman’s and ultra-marathons. I ran cross country and track in middle school, but also played soccer and basketball. That trend continued until the start of my sophomore year. It was this cross country season our team won its first state championship and qualified for NXN as only the second team from Tennessee (behind Oak Ridge High School in 2007). That year, the team’s seniors, Nathan Thomas (my older brother) and Paul Stuart, rallied together a team dedicated and excited to compete at the state, regional and national level. Since that season, I have run year-round with my teammates with aspirations to go back to NXN.
Taylor - I didn’t start running until I was a freshman. My younger sister ran, so decided to pick up the sport. From there, Alec and Aaron drew me into the sport, and by track season, I was really starting to improve. The following cross country season opened my eyes to national level runners, and I learned to love the sport.
MileSplit - Who has influenced you the most so far in XC and in your life and what they mean to you and your success?
Aaron - The most influential people in XC have been my parents, my teammates, and my coach. I couldn’t ask for better parents to support me and the team. My brother, Alec, and Taylor have been great training partners that give me comfort and confidence in workouts and races. The support and enthusiasm that the whole team has makes the sport fun and rewarding. The leadership from my former teammates and older brother has also inspired me to help lead this team the way they did in 2011. Lastly, my coach has influenced me to be a better runner and person. The amount of time he gives to me, the team, and the sport is incredible. Each year he has brought me to a new level keeping each individual and the team’s best interest in mind.
MileSplit - Your favorite past performance in a cross country race and why?
Aaron - Great American Cross Country Festival this year. Competing individually with great runners like Ben Huffman, Louis Colson, Phillip Hall, and many others was a great experience, and winning the team title was especially rewarding.
MileSplit - What is your greatest non-running experience in cross country so far and why?
Alec - My personal greatest non-running cross country experience would have to be my two consecutive trips to Portland, Oregon for NXN. Qualifying as Brentwood XC club in 2011 motivated me and opened my eyes to distance running on a much larger and more competitive scale. Qualifying in 2012 as a southeast individual, I had the opportunity to befriend some of the best distance runners in the southeast and the whole country. Nike treats all the athletes very well, and being surrounded by these elite teams and individuals is a unique and once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Aaron & Taylor - This would have to be going out to Portland, Oregon, for NXN in 2011 with my team. It was great to meet and hang with the best teams in the nation while Nike treated us like royalty.
MileSplit - Do you have any long-term goals in running?
Alec - The main priority right now is to help my team qualify back to NXN and compete amongst the best teams in the nation. With big meets, college decisions, and team aspirations this year, it's very difficult to think about long term goals. I don't like to get too far ahead of myself. I prefer to take on the sport season by season, race by race. I think there's plenty to think about this fall alone.
MileSplit - What were your favorite performances from the 2013 World Champs?
Alec & Taylor - We may be bandwagoners, but it’s always incredible to watch Mo Farah finish the 5k and 10k. We love watching guys with great leg speed especially at the end of a race.
Aaron - It'’s always great to see the USA distance guys competing at the world championships, but I loved watching Ryan Hill, former NC state runner, qualify and compete with the world’s best right out of college.
The Fun Run
What music do you rock while working out…
Alec - I can’t listen to music while running, but I love my music. I really enjoy listening to a wide variety of music from bands like Atlas Genius, Two Door Cinema Club, and Imagine Dragons to artists like Kid Cudi and Chiddy Bang. In addition, Nashville provides a great local music scene with a lot of really cool venues for concerts.
Taylor - I don’t run to music, but I prefer the country genre.
Do you like to run in the mud or the grass…
Alec - I love running on soft surface like grass, but after last year’s NXN, I’m not sure how I feel about mud. Nevertheless, I’ll be prepared to race regardless of course or weather conditions.
Aaron - If running in the mud means racing at NXN, then definitely the mud. I don’t mind the muddy trails in the rain, but racing fast on grass is nice too.
Do you hang out on Facebook or Twitter...
Alec & Taylor - We’re more of Twitter guys but only tweet occasionally. There’s no obsession with our “ratio” though. @Alecthomas77; @CaldwellTC
Aaron - I am not much of a Twitter guy even though all my friends prefer Twitter. I always joke that I have the longest no tweet streak of over a year. Facebook is useful when supporting parents like to post pictures on the cross country group page or when my coach updates the team with new information.
Do you like going out or chilling at home...
Alec - I love going out, but everything depends on my racing and workout schedule. I value my down time too.
Aaron - I like going out and hanging with my friends, but sometimes nothing is better than just chilling at home. I like having a balance. There’s always a selection of concerts in Music City, TN, so I have to get out when school or running doesn’t conflict.
Taylor - Going out is fun, but when I need to keep my feet up, I do so. On non-race weekends, I love being in the outdoors—especially fishing.
What gear is your favorite while running...
Alec - I’m easy. If the shoes feel good and shorts are short, I’m happy.
(Editor's note: Best quote of the XC Sessions series, no?)!
Aaron - I am a big fan of the Brook Pure Cadence running shoes. It’s funny that just about our entire team runs in them, but they have worked great for me and the team.
Taylor - The B.O.A. crazy short-shorts are definitely a team favorite. I love my camo and Hawaiian themed shorts.