Weber State senior Summer Allen, the 2013 Big Sky Conference champion and this year's runner-up, joins DyeStat editor Erik Boal to discuss making her second appearance at the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships on March 15 in Stillwater, Okla., a competition that is 2,670 days removed from her first appearance at the national final in 2013 at the LaVern Gibson course in Terre Haute, Ind. Summer and Christian Allen, a 2019 All-American for Weber State, celebrated the birth of their first child Miles in February 2020, and she has returned this season to be selected as one of 38 individual qualifiers for the women's 6-kilometer race at Oklahoma State. She reflects on taking two years off from 2014-16 to serve a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Northern California, before missing opportunities to qualify during the 2017 and 2018 seasons by not advancing out of the Mountain Regional. Allen also reflects on multiple injuries that have sidelined her for extended periods of her collegiate career, and the challenges of recovering and rebuilding fitness returning from pregnancy, versus her previous breaks from running. Allen also shares the conversations she had with BYU graduate Erica Birk-Jarvis, who returned after giving birth to her son Jack to earn All-America honors in cross country and track, and the inspiration gained from mothers like her still competing in the NCAA and NAIA. She also examines the support received from family, friends, a sports psychologist and Weber State women's coach Paul Pilkington in helping her balance academics, training, competition and child care. Allen explains the benefit of having Billie Hatch, a Division 2 All-American at Dixie State, transfer to Weber State and how instrumental she has been in contributing to a consistent training environment for the entire team. She analyzes how having both cross country and indoor track races was a unique opportunity during the winter, but also helped Allen with the necessary preparation for nationals, along with racing fellow qualifiers Taryn O'Neill of Northern Arizona and Alison Pray of Southern Utah on Feb. 27 at the Big Sky Championships in Ogden.