ALL ABOUT CRIS
How did you start running?
I started running in high school. I really enjoyed running the mile in middle school. My best friend at the time convinced me to come out for the cross-country team the summer of my freshman year.
What is your favorite distance to race?
If I could dedicate my time to it again, probably the 3K Steeplechase. Jumping over barriers was a ton of fun. Now, I would say the marathon.
Where do you love running?
In Columbus, I really enjoy running on the Olentangy Trail. It’s a pretty long trail (website says 22.5 miles) following much of the river that it’s named after. It takes you right by The Ohio State University, and into Downtown. I do most of my workouts out that way.
Do you think about anything in particular whilst running?
I tend to be very in tune with different aspects of my body while I’m running. I’m consistently checking in to see how I’m feeling, and then try to segment the run in my head to make it go by quicker (say if we have 5 miles left of an easy run I’ll just say 35 more minutes).
What is the key to pacing yourself in a marathon?
Keeping it controlled in the early miles. Your fast start won’t mean much if you can’t close well. I try to segment the race into three parts (10-10-10K). First 10 miles is about finding the rhythm and getting yourself warmed up into pace, next 10 is cruising and either maintaining or increasing the pace slightly if things are going well or the plan is to negative split. Last 10k is all you got. Check in every couple miles with yourself to see if you’re laboring more than you’d like. If so, take a down mile to recover.
How did you decide to run the Virtual 2020 Boston Marathon?
Originally, I was not going to do it. I had a pretty significant setback at the end of March following my peak workout for Boston. I hadn’t been running much all summer due to that issue, but I figured for 50 bucks I’d get that awesome shirt so I signed up. As it came closer the goal was just to finish, and make it a birthday run for myself. After hitting my longest run in 5 months (16 miles), I decided to try and break 3.
Where did you run you Virtual Boston?
I ran it on the Olentangy Trail. South for about 9 miles, and then north for almost 14 or so miles.
Do you have a positive affirmation or motto?
I tend to use mantras to get me through tough workouts or races. Often it’s some kind of variation of “You’ve already committed” or “You’ve gotten this far, it’s too late to give up now.”
What were your highest, lowest and most memorable moments of the 2020 Virtual Boston Marathon?
Best moments of the experience was having my friends join me to help give me nutrition throughout it. I had 5 friends join me through a lot of this. Logan and Nicole biked with me and helped with nutrition, Josh biked the first half and ran almost the entire second half, Derek jumped in for some of the early miles, and Breydon knocked out the last 19 with me. I’m sure they didn’t expect to run that fast for this, but having them there was incredibly helpful.
Lowest had to be about mile 21 or so. I was coming up the trail by one of the high schools, and they stopped anyone from crossing, because a cross country race was happening. I lost my cool a bit and may have let out some expletives. Those quick uturns definitely took a toll on me and with running on blood blisters from mile 8, this wasn’t great.
Most memorable moment for me had to be about 8 miles out, when I realized I could possibly break 2:50. I went out really conservatively in 1:28, so this was the bit of motivation that I needed to make this a competition with myself.
When did you start your podcast Beers and Miles?
I started it late last year. Originally, it was supposed to be a segment of a larger project that I had to catalogue the entirety of the Columbus running community, but now it’s become its own thing that I’ve really enjoyed doing.
Do you have a favorite type of beer for after a long run?
Gose or a crispy lager
What is your favorite race memory of your entire running career?
At this point, it would have to be the 2019 Columbus Marathon. Despite losing about a month off of my training block due to injury, I came back to take 6th and negative split to my current PR of 2:30:25. I had the support of the entire running community behind me and it was one of the most surreal experiences finishing and getting a call from my coach saying I was, ‘in the money’.
Do you have advice for other runners?
Be patient, don’t compare yourself to others, and slow down the miles. This is definitely not an endeavor that lends itself to immediate gratification. I’m 14 years into it myself, and I’m still learning. I became a better runner by just slowing down the miles and focusing my workout efforts on the purpose of the workout rather than leaving it all on the track every time.