Q&A with Chris Wright

Sophomore Chris Wright recently competed in the Sea Ray Relays at the University of Tennessee. He finished in fifth place in the final run of the men's 5,000-meter run with a time of 15 minutes and 6 seconds, a new lifetime best. The placing qualifies him for the national outdoor championships scheduled for the end of May at the University of Louisville.

Assistant Editor Mandi Mooney recently talked with Wright about the competition and his goals for the national competition.

Q: How many other runners were you competing against? What kind of competition was at the meet?
A: There were 16 others competitors in the race who were all division I runners.

Q: What do you think you did differently during the race to give you a lifetime best?
A: I went out a little smarter and more conservative and stayed mid-pack and let the leaders break to wind to conserve more energy. My training has been really good. I'm really smart about my training and pacing. I ran pretty even splits in the race as compared to negative which is coming out really fast and then slowing down or vice versa.

Q: What was your reaction to your placing?
A: It wasn't necessarily my reaction to the placing, it was more the time that I was going against. I was running against the clock. I still didn't accomplish my goal. I want to win NAIA nationals in the (5,000-meter) run. The winning time last year was 14:50. Every time I've run the 5,000… I've gotten 15-20 seconds faster. I feel that if I keep up that level of improvement, I can reach the winning time of nationals in my next race. Then if I keep up that time, I can win even faster at nationals. So my goal is to run it in about 14:35.

Q: What kind of training do you do during the season?
A: I'm running about 70 miles a week. Three out of the seven days a week are speed sessions - speed workout on the track. Distance running is a combination of speed and endurance. There's a saying: To run fast, you have to train fast.