Interview:

Who:​ Courtney West

1. What motivates you to run?
The team motivates her and trying to get better.
2. How is running in college different from running in high school?
The standards are tougher, meets are harder. You can not slack in college and the
seriousness of the team is way higher.
3. Who supports you the most?
Family is always first and her number one supporter, but teammates also support her.
4. What do you do to improve your times?
She trains consistently, shows up to practice, but also listens to the coach, because she
knows what she is talking about.
5. What do you love most about the sport of running?
She loves how competitive it is and also there is no limit to how good you can be. She
also likes the individual part, because hard work shows.
6. How do you prevent injuries while running many miles?
She uses the foam roller, and she also likes to ice, which she says she needs to do
more. In college they have compression therapy, and she needs to eat and sleep right.
7. What is the longest distance you have ran during a workout?
The longest she has ever ran was 18 miles, but the longest workout she has ran was 13
miles.
8. What was your favorite race in high school and why?
In cross country it was the Swain Invitational. She liked it because it was very hilly and
had a lot of competition. It was in Duluth and the cross country team stayed the night.
She also placed 3rd. In track her favorite race was state 3200m run, because she
improved her time.
9. Is it hard to balance practices and school in college?
She said it depends on the semester. Her first semester was very hard, because she
lost sight of fitting in both school and track. She did not run well, because she was not
getting enough sleep. Overall she said it was a little tougher than high school, but it is
possible.
10. After you are done running in college, do you plan on running in your free
time?
Yes, she plans on running marathons and ultra marathons, but not the distances she is
running now and not professionally.