![38 RUNNING TIMES November/December 2015
Lefttoright:AirForceAthletics;David Elkinson/isiphotos.com;SyracuseAthletics;KyleTerwillegar,USTFCCCA; MITSportsInformation
transferring to the Univer-
sity of Michigan, the trick
is taking a full day off
from work each week. She
regularly studies on Fri-
day nights but tries to give
herself Saturdays off. “I
know my legs need to rest
once a week, and so does
my brain,” Meier says.
TIP Schedule time when
you can tune out. Rest
is an important part of a
training schedule, and
it’s an important part of a
work schedule, too.
Strategic Sacrifices
Running doesn’t always
come first. Second Lt.
Rebecca Esselstein of the
Air Force Academy under-
went a rigorous appli-
cation process for the
Rhodes Scholarship in
the fall of 2014, her senior
year. The week before
cross-country region-
als, she got a call to inter-
view in Chicago—the
day before the race went
off in Albuquerque. “My
friend drove me to the air-
port at 4:30 a.m., and the
interview was at five that
night,” Esselstein says.
“Then I hopped on a plane
and landed in New Mexico
around 11 p.m. I didn’t get
to do any sort of pre-meet
run; at that point I was
just running on adrena-
line.” Shocker: The race
didn’t go as well as she
wanted. But in November,
Esselstein was awarded
the Rhodes and now she’s
studying astrophysics at
Oxford University.
TIP When faced with a
packed day, ask yourself
this question: What’s the
most important thing
that has to happen today?
It might be a workout. It
might be work. Prioritize
accordingly.
around to help if you
have to run a workout at
an odd hour.
Limit Screen Time
When she’s studying,
Erin Finn, a University of
Michigan junior and two-
time All-American in the
5,000 meters, keeps social
media tabs off. For a
break from a long block of
studying, instead of bing-
ing on Twitter or Face-
book, she steps away from
the computer. “I try to
reward myself with a five-
minute walk or talk break
[with a friend],” the bio-
chemistry major says. “I
think this stimulates my
brain in a different way.”
TIP Social media can be
a black hole for even the
most disciplined work-
er. Build in breaks that
refresh you so you can
focus for another stretch.
Manage Energy
Levels
Finn knows her best
studying time is before
practice, because she’s
tired and hungry when
her workout is over. “I try
to get a good meal and get
to bed relatively early,”
she says. “This allows
me to zoom through
work much faster in the
morning.”
TIP Figure out when
you’re at your best and
schedule your hardest
school tasks—and work-
outs—for those time
periods.
Take a Break
With tight schedules and
deadlines, college runners
learn the importance of
penciling in free time. For
Haley Meier, who just fin-
ished her sophomore year
at Duke University and is
Once a week, early in the
morning, Maryann Gong
straps on a backpack and
runs a mile and a half to the
Trader Joe’s in Cambridge,
Massachusetts. The Massa-
chusetts Institute of Tech-
nology (MIT) junior fills
her bag with groceries, con-
scious of not making it too
heavy for her run back. She
usually makes two three-
mile trips before her 10 a.m.
engineering class.
An academic burden
far heavier rests on Gong’s
shoulders: She’s double
majoring in electrical engi-
neering and computer sci-
ence at one of the coun-
try’s toughest institutions.
Despite these demands, she
was the NCAA Division III
3,000-meter champion and
third in the mile last winter
during the indoor season.
Gong’s life is a balanc-
ing act between high-level
running and endless work
for classes. “There’s no real
stopping point [with study-
ing],” Gong says of her
coursework. “You have to
have a goal. ‘I want to study
X by this amount of time.’
That way, your workload is
defined, and you’re more
motivated to hit the mark.”
Gong and others in col-
lege have mastered the art
of time management—and
their tips are useful for any-
one trying to balance serious
training and a life overflow-
ing with commitments.
Strict Bedtimes
College runners know they
need to make sleep a prior-
ity, but it’s a time crunch
to finish schoolwork and
hit the sack at a reasonable
hour. Keeping an eye on the
clock has been crucial for
Courtney Frerichs, recent
University of Missouri-
Kansas City graduate and
runner-up in the 2015 NCAA
3,000-meter steeplechase.
“We have workouts every
morning at 6 a.m., so I know
that I have a 10 p.m. dead-
line each night to finish my
work,” says Frerichs, who
double majored in chemistry
and psychology.
TIP Treat sleep like an
assignment—put in enough
to get the job done.
Get Support
Classes can conflict with
practice time, putting ath-
letes’ priorities to the test.
Sometimes runners must
squeeze workouts in early
in the morning or during
schedule gaps, and if they’re
smart, they figure out a way
to have a coach or teammate
by their side. Tabor Stevens,
a three-time NCAA Division
II steeplechase champion
while he was at Adams State
University, remembers an
entire cross-country season
when he had to miss prac-
tice due to a class conflict.
But he made sure his coach
was on board—and present
when necessary to assist Ste-
vens. “I needed the class to
finish my geography major,”
Stevens says. “So I met my
coach early in the morning
to do workouts. And yes,
running an eight-mile tempo
alone on a track is just as fun
as it sounds.”
TIP Be upfront about sched-
ule conflicts, and see who’s
These standout runners balance training
with stressful academic loads. Here’s how.
By Hailey Middlebrook
ClockManagement
1
2
4
3
5
1/ RebeccaEsselstein
Air Force Academy
2/ Emma Fisher
Stanford University
3 / Martin Hehir
Syracuse University
4/ Tabor Stevens
Adams State University
5/ Maryann Gong
Massachusetts Institute
of Technology
A-TEAM
Timeless
Wisdom
Thesmallchoices
thatreapbig
rewardsfor
collegerunners.
Plan Ahead
“The Sunday
after syllabus
week, I’ll sit down
and mark all of
the due dates
into my calendar,
starting with
exams and ending
with daily assign-
ments for the
entire semester.”
—RebeccaEsselstein
AirForce’15
Master the
Environment
“When I study, I
have to be com-
pletely free from
distractions. I’ll
try to find a dark,
isolated corner of
the library where
I can study.”
—EmmaFisher
Stanford’17
Let Your Mind Run
“Though track
has its own pres-
sure, running
itself relaxes me.
It gives me a win-
dow of time that
I’m not allowed
to think about
school or work or
anything else.”
—MaryannGong
MIT’17
Emulate Your
Peers
“I had a team-
mate who’s now
in medical school,
and he always
spread out his
MCAT books and
study guides at
our track meets,
right next to the
Gatorade cool-
ers. He snapped
me into focus.
It’s 100 percent
doable to get a
4.0 GPA while
running at the
collegiate level.”
—MartinHehir
Syracuse’15](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/d2c05385-e729-4548-b0e5-374406540c04-160201200851/85/RT-College-1-320.jpg)
RT-College
- 1. 38 RUNNING TIMES November/December 2015 Lefttoright:AirForceAthletics;David Elkinson/isiphotos.com;SyracuseAthletics;KyleTerwillegar,USTFCCCA; MITSportsInformation transferring to the Univer- sity of Michigan, the trick is taking a full day off from work each week. She regularly studies on Fri- day nights but tries to give herself Saturdays off. “I know my legs need to rest once a week, and so does my brain,” Meier says. TIP Schedule time when you can tune out. Rest is an important part of a training schedule, and it’s an important part of a work schedule, too. Strategic Sacrifices Running doesn’t always come first. Second Lt. Rebecca Esselstein of the Air Force Academy under- went a rigorous appli- cation process for the Rhodes Scholarship in the fall of 2014, her senior year. The week before cross-country region- als, she got a call to inter- view in Chicago—the day before the race went off in Albuquerque. “My friend drove me to the air- port at 4:30 a.m., and the interview was at five that night,” Esselstein says. “Then I hopped on a plane and landed in New Mexico around 11 p.m. I didn’t get to do any sort of pre-meet run; at that point I was just running on adrena- line.” Shocker: The race didn’t go as well as she wanted. But in November, Esselstein was awarded the Rhodes and now she’s studying astrophysics at Oxford University. TIP When faced with a packed day, ask yourself this question: What’s the most important thing that has to happen today? It might be a workout. It might be work. Prioritize accordingly. around to help if you have to run a workout at an odd hour. Limit Screen Time When she’s studying, Erin Finn, a University of Michigan junior and two- time All-American in the 5,000 meters, keeps social media tabs off. For a break from a long block of studying, instead of bing- ing on Twitter or Face- book, she steps away from the computer. “I try to reward myself with a five- minute walk or talk break [with a friend],” the bio- chemistry major says. “I think this stimulates my brain in a different way.” TIP Social media can be a black hole for even the most disciplined work- er. Build in breaks that refresh you so you can focus for another stretch. Manage Energy Levels Finn knows her best studying time is before practice, because she’s tired and hungry when her workout is over. “I try to get a good meal and get to bed relatively early,” she says. “This allows me to zoom through work much faster in the morning.” TIP Figure out when you’re at your best and schedule your hardest school tasks—and work- outs—for those time periods. Take a Break With tight schedules and deadlines, college runners learn the importance of penciling in free time. For Haley Meier, who just fin- ished her sophomore year at Duke University and is Once a week, early in the morning, Maryann Gong straps on a backpack and runs a mile and a half to the Trader Joe’s in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Massa- chusetts Institute of Tech- nology (MIT) junior fills her bag with groceries, con- scious of not making it too heavy for her run back. She usually makes two three- mile trips before her 10 a.m. engineering class. An academic burden far heavier rests on Gong’s shoulders: She’s double majoring in electrical engi- neering and computer sci- ence at one of the coun- try’s toughest institutions. Despite these demands, she was the NCAA Division III 3,000-meter champion and third in the mile last winter during the indoor season. Gong’s life is a balanc- ing act between high-level running and endless work for classes. “There’s no real stopping point [with study- ing],” Gong says of her coursework. “You have to have a goal. ‘I want to study X by this amount of time.’ That way, your workload is defined, and you’re more motivated to hit the mark.” Gong and others in col- lege have mastered the art of time management—and their tips are useful for any- one trying to balance serious training and a life overflow- ing with commitments. Strict Bedtimes College runners know they need to make sleep a prior- ity, but it’s a time crunch to finish schoolwork and hit the sack at a reasonable hour. Keeping an eye on the clock has been crucial for Courtney Frerichs, recent University of Missouri- Kansas City graduate and runner-up in the 2015 NCAA 3,000-meter steeplechase. “We have workouts every morning at 6 a.m., so I know that I have a 10 p.m. dead- line each night to finish my work,” says Frerichs, who double majored in chemistry and psychology. TIP Treat sleep like an assignment—put in enough to get the job done. Get Support Classes can conflict with practice time, putting ath- letes’ priorities to the test. Sometimes runners must squeeze workouts in early in the morning or during schedule gaps, and if they’re smart, they figure out a way to have a coach or teammate by their side. Tabor Stevens, a three-time NCAA Division II steeplechase champion while he was at Adams State University, remembers an entire cross-country season when he had to miss prac- tice due to a class conflict. But he made sure his coach was on board—and present when necessary to assist Ste- vens. “I needed the class to finish my geography major,” Stevens says. “So I met my coach early in the morning to do workouts. And yes, running an eight-mile tempo alone on a track is just as fun as it sounds.” TIP Be upfront about sched- ule conflicts, and see who’s These standout runners balance training with stressful academic loads. Here’s how. By Hailey Middlebrook ClockManagement 1 2 4 3 5 1/ RebeccaEsselstein Air Force Academy 2/ Emma Fisher Stanford University 3 / Martin Hehir Syracuse University 4/ Tabor Stevens Adams State University 5/ Maryann Gong Massachusetts Institute of Technology A-TEAM Timeless Wisdom Thesmallchoices thatreapbig rewardsfor collegerunners. Plan Ahead “The Sunday after syllabus week, I’ll sit down and mark all of the due dates into my calendar, starting with exams and ending with daily assign- ments for the entire semester.” —RebeccaEsselstein AirForce’15 Master the Environment “When I study, I have to be com- pletely free from distractions. I’ll try to find a dark, isolated corner of the library where I can study.” —EmmaFisher Stanford’17 Let Your Mind Run “Though track has its own pres- sure, running itself relaxes me. It gives me a win- dow of time that I’m not allowed to think about school or work or anything else.” —MaryannGong MIT’17 Emulate Your Peers “I had a team- mate who’s now in medical school, and he always spread out his MCAT books and study guides at our track meets, right next to the Gatorade cool- ers. He snapped me into focus. It’s 100 percent doable to get a 4.0 GPA while running at the collegiate level.” —MartinHehir Syracuse’15