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Five Questions for Abbey Wheeler - DyeStat

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DyeStat.com   Sep 16th 2015, 11:25pm
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Five Questions: Abbey Wheeler

 

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor 

 

Abbey Wheeler of Elmra NY turned in one of the top performances of the weekend when she smashed her own PR in the 5,000 meters and won by nearly two minutes with 17:22 at the Mountaineers Flatlander Invitational in Pennsylvania on Saturday. 

 

Wheeler, a senior, placed ninth in the 2-mile at both New Balance Nationals Indoors and Outdoors.  She was third at last year's New York Federation Championships in cross country and qualified for NXN, where she finished 36th.

 

We caught up with her this week and asked her five questions. Here's how it went:

 

Question 1 -- You had such a great run, and held such a fast pace, at your race on Saturday in New York. Was that result surprising to you? What sort of preparation went into that?

 

Abbey Wheeler: Going into Saturday's race as my first hard effort 5k I was looking for a Pr and my goal was to run sub 17:35. In the past I've finished every outdoor season with some minor injury, nothing serious, but serious enough to put myself behind in training and lose a considerable amount of fitness. This year was the first time I ended my track season healthy and fit. This summer instead of playing catch up I was already in shape, it was just a matter of how strong I could get. The biggest preparation for me was this extended period of time of just being healthy enough to build the strong base I need to race this well in cross. This summer I also was mentally preparing myself for the possibilities. There's no test to determine how much faster I am or where that will put me against the other girls in the state and country. All I know is that I'm prepared to be the best me this season with that in mind I like to keep my goals flexible. After every race whether or not I reach my goal I'll still want more, I'll ask myself what I can do next time to run this much faster. I was surprised with my performance a bit Saturday it was better than I expected and it really helped boost my confidence to show myself that I have more big jumps in me and I'm ready.

 

Question 2 -- A year ago, your team had that sensational day at McQuaid where Elmira beat Fayetteville-Manlius. What did that result mean for energizing you and your team?

 

Abbey Wheeler: The day Elmira beat FM was the most exciting team experience we've ever had. I think what was most valuable from that race wasn't necessarily the paper results, but the shift of mentality. FM has a long tradition of success that is pretty intimidating and for us as a program we would look at them like some great team that is superior to ours. It was like it was a crazy idea that we could beat them. If we were told even the day before that we could beat them we probably wouldn't have believed it. Sure they have a great reputation and will be difficult to beat, but they can be and that day we proved it. Coming into a race even with tough individuals I've had the same thoughts; if on paper they're better then on race day they must be. I think that day was an important lesson to our team. In any race on any given day, anything can happen. Just because something is said on paper doesn't mean it's true. Going into a race if you don't believe you can beat someone, chances are you won't take the chance to see if you can. 

 

Question 3 -- What did you learn at NXN last year that could help you if you make it back again?

 

Abbey Wheeler: At NXN last year I didn't perform as well as I hoped. If I get the opportunity to go back this year I will try to go out more aggressively. The race was very congested and with a bad start it's difficult to make up ground especially when a lot of girls are in the same talent range. I think I would remind myself that it's just like any other race, to go out there and race as if I belong. I think if I went out and raced with the elite girls I'd find that regardless of where I finish, they'll be the people to pull me to an excellent performance and that's the whole purpose of racing. 

 

Question 4 -- New York is so insanely competitive with girls distance running. How do you see yourself mixing it up with some of the other top runners in New York this fall?

 

Abbey Wheeler: New York always has excellent competition. The state has some strong talent. Going into the state meet and any other championship race I'll be sure to have some company, but I'd like to try to win my first state title. That's not necessarily the only measure of success. I've never won a state race, but I generally don't take a shot at it. If I go to states and make one decisive move to win the meet, but fail, I'll be happy. As long as I take my chance and run my best then I'll have succeeded. I'm not sure where the rest of the state is now and where they will be on those days, or even where I'll be. I've learned that with a talented state winning isn't everything, I'm very competitive and it's an excellent motivator in the race; but I've run many of great performances that didn't result in a win. If anything it's made me a better athlete, it gives me something to press harder for. I have big goals within the state and with great competition it only makes me a better runner.

 

Question 5 -- You have made progress each year in high school. How have you continued to evolve at a steady rate into an elite runner?

 

Abbey Wheeler: A lot of my growth has come from growing up. I've matured a lot and I mean that more of in a mental sense. In my beginning years of high school I wasn't as committed to the training. I would train, but I did it mainly for the competition aspect. I was a little kid that liked the feeling of winning. As I've gotten older I understand the sport more and it's been a routine for so long that it just feels natural to go out and run everyday. I also have to give a lot of credit to my coaches. They know what they're doing, they're big picture thinkers. 

 

A lot of our philosophy isn't how to make someone fast right now, but to make sure they're set up for success later in their running career. I think I have a balanced form of training, the more I've been with these coaches the more they learn about me and what my body responds to the best and when I need to rest. Every year I just get stronger, I realize I'm running my runs a little bit faster and my body mechanics are moving a little more efficiently. These small changes are what help me evolve as an athlete. Most of my running is base work and strength; continuous blocks of training is what builds my strength and is why my times are routinely going down. The most valuable thing I've learned is how to pace myself within my training; to know my body and when it's time to rest. Besides my coaches, my teammates should also be credited to my success and improvement. They make running fun and with a sport this mentally taxing, I need that. To have a strong support group believing in me as much as they do is why I can believe in myself; they make it possible for me to go into a competitive race relaxed and allow me to race confidently, they help me run up to my potential each and every race. 

 



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