Foot Locker Nationals: Q&A with South Kingstown's Ellie Lawler

Dec 09, 2015

The cross-country season is not over yet.

At least for one individual.

South Kingstown's Ellie Lawler will wrap up her spectacular fall season on Saturday when she competes with 40 of the best runners in the country at the Foot Locker Nationals in San Diego, California.

MileSplit RI caught up with the Rebel star in our latest Q&A.

MileSplit RI: Congratulations on your recent eighth-place finish at the Foot Locker Northeast Regionals, a placement that earned you a slot at this Saturday's national meet. How did that feel crossing the line knowing that you had qualified for the Nationals in San Diego? Did you follow your race plan or did you have to alter it during the race?

Ellie: It was very exciting crossing the finish line at FLCC regionals and knowing I qualified for Nationals in San Diego. The whole experience was very exciting as they wisked the top ten finishers off to a private tented area and provided us with all the information we would need for the trip to San Diego. The field of competitors at this race was extremely talented and I just consider myself fortunate to be among the top 10.

I knew going into this race that I would have to really challenge myself to make it into the top 10. The Van Cortland Park course starts off with a really flat fast first mile and then it is basically hills for the 2^nd and 3^rd miles. I had to go out in the first mile faster than what I would have liked but am happy I adjusted my race strategy to accommodate for this first mile or it would have been difficult to remain close to the lead pack of runners. My coach has me work a lot on pacing during the season and this was definitely helpful as I covered the next 2 miles. I was working hard the last mile but I was able to maintain my position.

MileSplit RI: The regionals were held two days after Thanksgiving. In other words, it was exactly two weeks before the nationals. What type of training have you done during this time and how have you felt?

Ellie: My coach and I spent some time coming up with a training plan to get me prepared for the competition. Before Regionals in New York our primary focus was to keep me in great shape to perform at the regional competition, though our goal was not for me to peak at that race. Our training was geared more towards Nationals, where I had hoped to compete. These past two weeks have been all about keeping me fresh, so as to peak at Nationals. For example, the week following Regionals I would maintain an up-tempo and comfortable pace on all of my distance runs. I also included a set of 4x800 repeats in my weekly schedule. This week leading up to the competition in San Diego, I have maintained a very comfortable pace on some shorter distance runs and decreased my set of 800s to only 3 in order to stay fresh.

MileSplit RI: Leading up to the regionals, your confidence had to be high. You set a meet record and 5K personal best of 17:29 with your victory at the state meet. The following week, you placed as a runner-up to Staples great and three-time Foot Locker finalist Hannah DeBalsi at the New England Championships. What was your thought process prior to the northeast regionals at very tough Van Cortlandt Park?

Ellie: My thought process heading into regionals at Van Courtland was pretty much the same as all my races. I challenge myself to run every race strategically. I try my best not try to compare myself to other runners. As long as I finish each race happy with my performance, then I am usually satisfied. I try not to get caught up in thinking about past races or what place I might finish. Instead I prefer to focus on the upcoming race strategy and how I will handle the upcoming course and what I can do to better each race.

MileSplit RI: What's the goal in San Diego? What would you deem a successful race?

Ellie: My Goal in San Diego will just be to run the best race possible. It would be nice to finish the cross country season with a time around my PR. With the competition in this race, I will definitely have to get out fast and try to hold a very quick pace throughout the whole race. I will probably determine my final race strategies once I see the course on Friday. I will talk with my coach after seeing the course and hopefully come up with a plan that works well for me.

MileSplit RI: Last year as a ninth-grader you competed at the Nike Cross Nationals after finishing fourth at the regional meet? What was the deciding factor to compete at Foot Locker this year?

Ellie: I had a great time at NXN Nationals last year and have not ruled out trying to run NXN another year during my high school career. But I wanted to challenge myself at Footlocker this year, Footlocker is a race with more of an individual focus and Nike tends to have more of a team focus. I knew the competition going into Footlocker was going to be very strong and wanted to give myself the opportunity to race against these runners.

MileSplit RI: After Foot Locker, you won't be joining most of your rivals on the indoor track surface. Instead you'll be competing for the Rebels' swim team like you did last year. What is it that draws your interest to the pool? Do you feel it's a sport you'll be doing throughout your high school career or do you envision yourself eventually competing on the indoor track team to better prepare yourself for college running?

Ellie: While I do swim in the winter season instead of participating in indoor track, I have not decided if I will switch to indoor track in the future or not. Swimming keeps me in great cardiovascular shape and my body gets a break from all the stresses of competing on the track. While I swim in the winter I still keep up with my running so that I am prepared for the outdoor track season. So, it is not like I am completely taking the time off from running. I don't want to over- do it in high school, because I love to run and compete, look forward to running in college, and want to be able to continue to grow as a runner so I can compete well into the future.