Courtesy Stanford
The redshirt senior has come back from injury to make big contributions for the Cardinal this season. Nov. 7, 2011
Redshirt senior Brendan Gregg has returned from injury this season to make a big impact for the Cardinal cross-country team. He placed 10th at the Pac-12 Championships as Stanford's No. 3 runner, to help the Cardinal to a runner-up finish. He also won his first-ever individual title at the USF Invitational to open the season. Gregg was injured last season and forced to redshirt as Stanford chased the NCAA title, eventually finishing fourth. The perspective gained from the year off has helped the Davis, Calif., native come back even stronger this season. Gregg took some time to answer questions from gostanford.com.
GoStanford.com: Coming from Davis did you grow up a Stanford fan or what made you want to come to Stanford?
Gregg: I wasn't a big Stanford fan as a kid. Our football team wasn't exactly must see TV back then. I didn't really think it would be feasible to come here until my senior year. I came to Stanford to run fast and challenge for a title every year. The program's history of excellence was the main selling point for me.
GoStanford.com: Your dad is the high school coach at Davis, was that the natural way you got into running? At what age did you start?
Gregg: My dad's been coaching cross and track at Davis for I think 14 years now, so I grew up going to meets and chasing after him around courses to cheer every fall. That was my start in the sport and I've spent every fall the same way ever since. I ran in middle school, but I wasn't a serious runner until my sophomore year of high school. I swam and skied and played soccer and baseball until high school, but I kind of always knew distance running was where I would end up eventually.
GoStanford.com: You have been a part of some really good teams the past few years at Stanford, talk about what it is like to train with such a great group?
Gregg: It's a blessing. Excellence begets excellence. There's such a peace of mind that comes with training with like-minded people. You wake up every morning and know that everyone is on the same page and is going to take care of their business. Everyone makes everyone else better.
GoStanford.com: How difficult was it to redshirt last season when you were injured? That team fell a little short, but was a favorite or co-favorite for the NCAA title when you were all healthy.
Gregg: Last year sucked to be totally honest, but it was good for me. Perspective and all that, made me appreciate my opportunities and the rest. It was by far the longest stretch I've had to spend away from training, and I won't shed a tear if I never have to set foot in Arriallaga or Avery again to spin on a stationary bike or do a pool run. But holding a stopwatch at workouts and watching races from the sidelines let me observe how the team operates from different perspective, which I think has given me a degree of patience and maturity in races this year that I'd been lacking over the previous four years.
GoStanford.com: What is your mileage like and what are your favorite workouts? I have heard you really like to hammer the long runs.
Gregg: It took a while after being hurt last year to get back to full strength, but since the summer I've been able to put in consistent 85-100 mile weeks. I do like to keep the long runs honest. I might have kept them a little too honest in my youth, but I like to think I'm older and wiser now. For workouts, give me some 1,000s or mile repeats on the practice golf course in the morning when the sun's coming up and it's a little chilly and there's a mist hanging over everything and I'm a happy man. I love that stuff.
GoStanford.com: What is your favorite place to run here at Stanford and back in Davis?
Gregg: The other fifth year guys (Jacob Riley, J.T. Sullivan, Elliott Heath) and I got a house this year up on Skyline Blvd. There are a bunch of great trails through the forests basically from our backyard, Corte de Madera Preserve and Wunderlich Park in particular. The hills up there get a little rough sometimes, so I'll drive down to campus for a nice flat Oak Creek loop when I'm feeling a little ragged. Back in Davis it's all farm fields, straight and flat dirt roads that go forever, so you can just pick one and run fast. JT loves going on those runs with me.
GoStanford.com: What are the team goals for the NCAA meet and what do you feel like you need to do individually to help the team achieve success?
Gregg: Win. Run together and for each other. All we need to do is stay relaxed and put one foot in front of the other for 10,000 meters.
GoStanford.com: What are you studying and what are your career plans?
Gregg: I'm finishing up my HumBio requirements. The plan is to keep running for at least another four years after school's done, then take stock of where I'm at. When I'm done running I'll start coaching.
Stanford University Cross Country
==========================================================================
Keith Conning: Brendan Gregg has a wonderful family. His father Bill Gregg is the cross country coach at Davis High School in Davis, California. His mother Carolee Britton Gregg coaches the Davis Aquadarts.
His sister Kaitlin Gregg ran for Davis HS and UC Davis. He also has two other siblings.
Running Joyfully
Oct 28, 2011 ... Follow Kaitlin Gregg's journey from collegiate student-athlete to emerging elite runner as she chases her Olympic Trials aspirations. ...
runningjoyfullyinsf.blogspot.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment