sycamorehoops.com Cross Country Interview Series. Getting to Know Freshman Kyle Smiley. This is the first in a series of interviews I will conduct on behalf of sycamorehoops.com.
Kyle Smiley
New Prairie High School
sycamorehoops.com: Kyle why did you choose to come to Indiana State?
Kyle: I chose to come to Indiana State for a variety of reasons. I like that it was a fairly large school, getting away from the small school environment was important to me. I also knew that I would be getting away from the harsh winters we have up here. Academically there are many options for majors, which is good because I have not been able to decide on one. Athletically I was comfortable with the coaching staff as well as the the team during my visit. I also liked that track is just as important as XC for distance runners at ISU. Another biggie was the opportunity to compete at the division one level. In the end coming to ISU was a pretty easy decision to make.
sycamorehoops.com: We are glad to have you - welcome to the Sycamores. What is your greatest running accomplishment to this point in your career?
Kyle: My 4th place finish in the 1600 meters at this year's state finals is easily my greatest running accomplishment at this point.
sycamorehoops.com: Yeah I was their, you ran a pretty impressive double (1600, 3200). If you could customize your own/favorite workout what would it be?
Kyle: I'm a big fan of doing the quicker stuff on the track. One workout that gives me a lot of confidence is 400s on a 2 minute cycle. So if you do a rep in 65 seconds you get 55 seconds recovery. My workout would be: 1.5 mile warmup, 10-12 x 400 meters on a 2:00 cycle, cool down for 10-15 minutes.
sycamorehoops.com: That's my type of workout for sure, except I would only want to do about 8 of them at complete rest. What is one song that get's you totally pumped up before a race?
Kyle: Livin' on a Prayer - Bon Jovi
sycamorehoops.com: If you were not a runner what would you be?
Kyle: A basketball player
sycamorehoops.com: What advice do you have for younger runners that might want to run college track or cross country one day?
Kyle: I would tell aspiring college athletes to become a student of the sport. Get your hands on all the information you can then put it to use. Learn how to make yourself faster, and find out about all of the opportunities there are in running.
sycamorehoops.com: Any goals for the up coming season that you have set for yourself?
Kyle: At this point, it's kind off hard for me to set goals because i'm not 100% sure what collegiate athletics are all about. I have been thinking about goals as far as the kind of times i'd like to run, but once again, i'm not completely sure. Once the team is together and we get to work, i'm sure i'll have a better idea of what i want to accomplish. Until then my goal is simply to be competitive. No matter what I want to find a way to compete.
sycamorehoops.com: Thanks Kyle and congratuations yet again! We all look forward to watching your career here at Indiana State. Feel free to comment or ask Kyle any questions.
Be looking for our exclusive interview with D2, Lewis University transfer Andrew Lepowski later this week!
Kyle Smiley
New Prairie High School
sycamorehoops.com: Kyle why did you choose to come to Indiana State?
Kyle: I chose to come to Indiana State for a variety of reasons. I like that it was a fairly large school, getting away from the small school environment was important to me. I also knew that I would be getting away from the harsh winters we have up here. Academically there are many options for majors, which is good because I have not been able to decide on one. Athletically I was comfortable with the coaching staff as well as the the team during my visit. I also liked that track is just as important as XC for distance runners at ISU. Another biggie was the opportunity to compete at the division one level. In the end coming to ISU was a pretty easy decision to make.
sycamorehoops.com: We are glad to have you - welcome to the Sycamores. What is your greatest running accomplishment to this point in your career?
Kyle: My 4th place finish in the 1600 meters at this year's state finals is easily my greatest running accomplishment at this point.
sycamorehoops.com: Yeah I was their, you ran a pretty impressive double (1600, 3200). If you could customize your own/favorite workout what would it be?
Kyle: I'm a big fan of doing the quicker stuff on the track. One workout that gives me a lot of confidence is 400s on a 2 minute cycle. So if you do a rep in 65 seconds you get 55 seconds recovery. My workout would be: 1.5 mile warmup, 10-12 x 400 meters on a 2:00 cycle, cool down for 10-15 minutes.
sycamorehoops.com: That's my type of workout for sure, except I would only want to do about 8 of them at complete rest. What is one song that get's you totally pumped up before a race?
Kyle: Livin' on a Prayer - Bon Jovi
sycamorehoops.com: If you were not a runner what would you be?
Kyle: A basketball player
sycamorehoops.com: What advice do you have for younger runners that might want to run college track or cross country one day?
Kyle: I would tell aspiring college athletes to become a student of the sport. Get your hands on all the information you can then put it to use. Learn how to make yourself faster, and find out about all of the opportunities there are in running.
sycamorehoops.com: Any goals for the up coming season that you have set for yourself?
Kyle: At this point, it's kind off hard for me to set goals because i'm not 100% sure what collegiate athletics are all about. I have been thinking about goals as far as the kind of times i'd like to run, but once again, i'm not completely sure. Once the team is together and we get to work, i'm sure i'll have a better idea of what i want to accomplish. Until then my goal is simply to be competitive. No matter what I want to find a way to compete.
sycamorehoops.com: Thanks Kyle and congratuations yet again! We all look forward to watching your career here at Indiana State. Feel free to comment or ask Kyle any questions.
Be looking for our exclusive interview with D2, Lewis University transfer Andrew Lepowski later this week!
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