This interviews kicks off the Pre-Season Interview Coverage for KYtrackXC.com for 2012. Ten plus interviews are already in process with more to come. Check out a ton of pre-season coverage already posted at 2012 XC Pre-Season Coverage Series.
Sam Lewis is a senior at St. Xavier High School in Louisville. He was the Class AAA Runner-Up in 2011 at the Kentucky State Cross Country Meet helping to lead St. Xavier to the state team title as well. After running a best time of 9:39 for the Two Mile Run in February, injury forced him out for all of his Outdoor Season.
KY: 3 Goals for XC?
SL: My three main goals for XC are to stay healthy, make Nike Cross Nationals, and win a team state title.
KY: Favorite course
SL: My favorite course is by far Wake Med Soccer Park in North Carolina. I like it because of how the course is structured; the last hill really takes away peoples finishing speed. So it normally ends up to be a race where all of the athletes exhaust all of their energy in the first 3 miles of the race instead of the final sprint of the race. If you watch the race video of last year’s Great American Cross Country Festival, Daniel Moore and Jacob Burcham look like they are jogging during the last 50 meters, but they still both finish under 15:01.
KY: Favorite race
SL: I think my favorite race would have to be Tiger Run. Since it is the first race of the season, just the pure anticipation of it makes it my favorite.
KY: How cool was it to go 1-2 with Connor at state last year?
SL: Going 1-2 with Connor was one of the greatest experiences of my life. After losing in 2010, we were so intense and focused on winning state in 2011. Going 1-2 with not only my teammate, but one of my best friends, was something that I will remember for the rest of my life.
KY: How difficult was it to sit and watch your teammates this past track season while you were out?
SL: Sitting and watching my teammates run while I was injured was a very hard thing to go through, especially since everyday instead of going out and running with my teammates, I would have to go into a pool and aqua jog for over an hour. Luckily I had Charlie Hammon (who was injured as well) with me to keep me company, and push me through the swimming, pool running, and biking that we did. If it weren't for him I don't think I could have done some of the cross training that I did. It was really hard because while I was extremely excited for my teammates at races like Taco Bell, Dream Mile, State, and Eastern Relays, I really wanted to be a part of it.
KY: What injury knocked you out at the end of the indoor season last year after running a 9:39 2 Mile?
SL: The injury that knocked me out was a stress fracture in my tibia. It was first diagnosed as shin splints so I kept trying to run through it, but ultimately ended up hurting it worse. I realize now that I made a big mistake by not listening to my body, and should have just taken a week off right when it really started bugging me.
KY: An hour of aqua jogging, even with Charlie around, what do you focus on just to help the time pass by?
SL: I focused mostly on not letting my teammates down. Since I saw them working hard every day, I felt it was only fair that I tried to match their effort and not let the injury be an excuse not to train.
KY: 2009 Tiger Run, you were 14 overall and 7th on St. X's squad 1:35 seconds behind Connor in a 4K race. What or who do you credit the most as helping to get you to this point in your career?
SL: One thing I would credit to my improvement would be the influence of my teammates. They are the guys that have always pushed me on and off the track to be the best that I can be. I think a lot of the credit also goes to my coaches for creating an environment that inspired me from the beginning to work hard.
KY: College time, what are the top five schools you are looking at? What are the biggest factors as well.
SL: At this point I am really trying to keep my options open so I don’t have a top 5. I know that I want to go to a Division I college that is larger than St. X, that takes athletics pretty seriously, but also is pretty good academically. But other than that, I don’t know. Hopefully the visits that I take over this summer will help me develop more opinions.
KY: What do you when you are not running on ground or in a pool?
SL: Normally I just am hanging out with friends, sleeping, playing basketball, or at work.
KY: Do you ever feel like a giant out there running, you and Nick Reader were significantly taller than the rest of the varsity last year?
SL: I definitely feel like a giant, it’s almost impossible for me and Nick to draft off of anyone during workouts. My family does say it’s good from a spectator’s point of view though since the awkward tall kid with long hair and huge feet is typically easy to locate during a cross country race.
KY: Thoughts on the Olympics coming up, anything you are looking forward to?
SL: Definitely the 10k; I am a huge Ritz fan and also think that Galen has a legitimate chance to medal.
KY: Last question, if you could meet any person alive right now who would it be and why?
SL: That’s a tough question. I would say Chris Solinsky just because he is fast and seems like a really good guy.
KY: Any final comments?
SL: Thanks KYtrackXC for all that you do for Kentucky distance running!
