Running With Cross Country

Sept. 16, 2010

Throughout the 2010 season, SoonerSports.com will sit down with members of the OU cross country program to provide insight into practice, competition and a few fun facts you should know about each team member. This week we sat down with junior Kevin Schwab.

How has training been going so far?
“So far so good. We had a good summer in Flagstaff, Ariz. We all went up there to train and we came back here and kept doing the same kind of stuff, and we've all stayed healthy.”

What is a normal practice week like for a cross country runner?
“We just run distance right now in this part of the season. Once we start getting into October, we'll do a little more speed oriented type stuff.”

How many miles do you run a week?
“It varies. For an off week it can be anywhere from 80 miles to 100. It just depends where we are in the season. We run about 12 miles on a down week and 12 to 15 on a good week.”

What are some things you think about when you are running?
“We just look forward to the meets coming up. We think about a lot of weird things because we have two hours to pass time. I also think about motivations because people don't just run two hours because they want to. During a meet what runs through my head the most is don't let my team down. I can't let my team down and that keeps me going.”

What can you tell us about the meet in Wisconsin?
There will be a lot of big dogs at the meet. It's our chance to show that we weren't a fluke last year. The course is going to be fast and I think it will be a good test to see where we stack up against the best in the nation on a national-type course. It'll be interesting. There will be a lot of fast runners.”

What are your goals for the season?
“It would be awesome to win the Big 12 Championship as a team, win regionals as a team and take top nine at nationals. Individually it is whatever it takes to do that as a team and if All-American falls in there somewhere I'll take that.”

What is your favorite thing about this team?
“We're like brothers. The mentality of running for your team really helps when they are just like your brothers during the race.”

10 Things You Should Know About Kevin Schwab
1. His favorite food is his mom's chicken fingers, mashed potatoes and gravy.
2. His favorite sports team is the Dallas Cowboys.
3. His favorite movies it Remember the Titans.
4. If he won the lottery, he would buy his grandmother a house.
5. His nickname is Big Schwab or Schwaby.
6. His favoriteTV show is Jersey Shore.
7. The most played song on his iPod is something by Eminem.
8. His favorite book is The Miler.
9. The website he visits most often is facebook.com.
10. His favorite quote is: “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.”— Steve Prefontaine.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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