Cross Country Q&A: Nick Heath
11/12/2015 9:35:00 AM | Cross Country, Competing With Purpose Blog
Transitioning from high school to college in many ways can be even harder as a student-athlete,with extra expectations and pressures to perform well. But freshman men's cross country runner Nick Heath's transition has been seamless when it comes to his sport. He's broken records and has finished in the top three of several meets.Nick gives us insight into how his first semester running has gone for him.
Q: You became the first Wave to break the 25-minute mark in an 8K in at least the last 20 years. How does it feel to achieve this record, especially as a freshman runner here at Pepperdine?
A: It felt pretty great. I was really surprised at first because I never thought I would be running so fast, so I felt like all the training is definitely paying off, and the hard work I've been putting in is really showing results, so I'm just really excited about it.
Q: Were you nervous at all coming onto the team at Pepperdine, and did you expect to do so well so early on in your athletic career here?
A: Well, I was pretty nervous because I was expecting it to be a big step up in training. I knew I would have to hit higher mileage and that there would definitely be more rigorous workouts and longer workouts, so I was nervous about that, but it's been paying off so well and has been continually making me better so I'm really happy overall.
Q: What was your experience with cross country before coming to Pepperdine?
A: I ran cross country and track for four years in high school at Scotts Valley High School under my coach Doug Chase. I really enjoyed the program, and never really suffered any injuries.At all the practices we had, we always trained really hard and put in hard work and I felt like we were all showing continual progression with faster times and getting higher mileage in. I feel like it's been a good gradual increase ever since I first started.
Q: What was the transition like being a cross country runner at your high school into running for Pepperdine now?
A: I definitely feel like I have more expectations placed on me do better and perform well. But having those expectations pushes me to succeed and get better at my sport and I think I'm fortunate to have some pressure placed on me actually! It's a lot more competitive environment, which as an athlete is a good environment to be in to make you better and stronger at your sport.
Q: How are you feeling about the next meet (the NCAA West Regional Championship on Friday)? Â
A: I'm feeling pretty excited about it. I know it's going to be a good opportunity to test ourselves. We're going to be surrounded by other really elite athletes and so it's just going to push us to perform our best. I'm not expecting a first-place trophy but we can definitely show good improvement and do well and surprise ourselves, so I'm expecting it to be a really good experience.
Q: What helps motivate you to perform your best at each of your meets?
A: I think just remembering all the hard work and training and how well prepared I've aimed to be help gives me confidence in knowing I can do well. It's also motivating knowing you have such great fellow teammates right beside you pushing you to succeed. Even all the competition there helps everyone do better to push themselves to their next level. I haven't raced a 10K in college yet, but as long as I feel I put in a good effort, and I'm running a consistent time, I'm sure I can do well. Â
Q: What do you most enjoy about being on the Pepperdine cross country team?
A: I really enjoy the camaraderie we have. All the time my teammates and I spend together helps build a strong bond between us and also challenges us to work hard and help us grow closer together through working hard. I only ever heard good things about Pepperdine and so far I've really been happy with being here and with the experience sofar. Personally I haven't suffered too many injuries here or sicknesses. I've been very fortunate, although there are always those tough runs where something's hurting you or you're really tired, you just gotta push through, and it's been a good run so far.
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