1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:02,920 What's up everyone? You are listening to the Sidious 2 00:00:02,920 --> 00:00:05,120 Magic Podcast. I'm your host Chris Chavez, and 3 00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:07,480 every week we go beyond the results to bring you 4 00:00:07,720 --> 00:00:10,480 conversations with the biggest names on the track, the roads, 5 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:12,760 and behind the scenes. From world class athletes and 6 00:00:12,760 --> 00:00:15,280 coaches to innovators shaping the sport. 7 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:18,520 If it's happening on the track, we're covering it with real 8 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:21,560 insights that sharpen minds, deep dives into the moments that 9 00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:25,360 define careers, and the kind of access to the pros you won't get 10 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:28,360 anywhere else. So let's get into it because we 11 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:32,759 love track and field. Before we get into today's 12 00:00:32,759 --> 00:00:35,040 episode, we just wanted to say thank you. 13 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:37,920 This show exists because you listen, you share it, and you 14 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:40,240 support it. So truly, we appreciate you 15 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:42,680 being here. If you're enjoying this podcast, 16 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:45,880 leaving a five star view on Apple Podcast makes a huge 17 00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:47,520 difference. It helps more people discover 18 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:49,920 the show and keeps this whole thing moving forward. 19 00:00:50,160 --> 00:00:52,120 We also love shouting out our listeners when they leave 20 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:55,040 reviews, and I finally figured out how to see reviews from 21 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:56,760 outside the United States. So we've got a few 2 22 00:00:56,760 --> 00:00:58,040 international gems to get through. 23 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:00,720 Here's one that we loved from the UK. 24 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:05,239 This one comes to us from Jamie 729 who titled it Great 25 00:01:05,239 --> 00:01:07,360 Listening. Track and field is a global 26 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:09,120 sport. This podcast has a lot of 27 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:11,960 different voices sharing their passionate opinion on the sport 28 00:01:11,960 --> 00:01:14,360 of track and field. You can feel the energy. 29 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:16,480 Essentially. This is an awesome podcast full 30 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:19,280 of insight and updates on the sport of track and field. 31 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:22,720 Great interviews, exclusive content and essential listening 32 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:25,640 for any fan of the sport. Exactly what the sport needs, 33 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:28,200 Exposure. Awesome work to everyone 34 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:30,880 listening, thank you. And if you feel the same way as 35 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:34,880 Jamie 729, taking a minute to leave a Five star view on Apple 36 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:37,480 podcast is the best way to support the show. 37 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:41,000 We read every single one and they genuinely mean a lot to us. 38 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:45,840 My guest for today's episode is Parker Wolf, and if you're 39 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:48,360 paying attention to the next generation of American distance 40 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:52,040 running, his name has been on that list for a while now. 41 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:55,160 Just last weekend, Parker made his World Championships debut 42 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:57,080 representing Team USA at the World Cross Country 43 00:01:57,080 --> 00:02:01,800 Championships in Tallahassee, FL in a loaded men's 10K field. 44 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:04,720 He ran with patience and composure and steadily worked 45 00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:08,840 his way forward and finished as the top American across the 46 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:12,200 finish line in 12th place. Just a few months back, Parker 47 00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:16,200 left the NCAA as an 11 time All American at North Carolina, 48 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:19,080 anchoring the program during the early years of coach Chris 49 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:22,080 Miltenberg tenure and leading the Tar Heels to multiple top 50 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:23,880 ten national finishes in cross country. 51 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:28,640 Individually, his highlight was probably winning the 2024 NCAA 52 00:02:28,640 --> 00:02:32,080 Outdoor 5K title where he upset Nico Young and one of the 53 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:35,040 biggest races of his career. The resume for Parker speaks for 54 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:39,360 itself. He's run 334 for 1500, three 54 55 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:42,840 for the mile, 7:30 for 3K, and 1310 for 5K. 56 00:02:43,400 --> 00:02:45,520 In this conversation, we talk about his transition from 57 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:49,680 college to the world stage, what he's learned from racing these 58 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:53,440 international studs and what comes next as he steps into the 59 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:56,880 next phase of his career as a pro with Swoosh TC under coach 60 00:02:56,880 --> 00:03:00,760 Mike Smith. Also, he's in a loaded men's two 61 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:04,080 mile at the Miller Rose Games on February 1st in New York City. 62 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:06,440 So without further ado, here is Parker Wolf. 63 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:21,040 All right, now I welcome on Captain America Parker Wolf, 64 00:03:21,520 --> 00:03:24,760 fresh off of a 12 place finish at the World Cross Country 65 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:30,080 Championships in Tallahassee, back in Scottsdale and already 66 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:33,280 right back into training because it's on to indoor season. 67 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:36,520 Parker I guess, like how are we feeling after Tallahassee? 68 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:39,680 I'll be honest, I was a little beat up there for a few days. 69 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:44,440 Definitely sore coming off, jumping over alligators and 70 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:47,480 running through sand. But yeah, back into took a 71 00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:49,920 couple of, you know, down days and now we're back into the full 72 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:52,520 swing of training and getting ready for, you know, a good 73 00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:55,520 Milrose 2 mile and other a couple of indoor races. 74 00:03:55,720 --> 00:03:58,160 All right, So if we back up a couple months and just sort of 75 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:01,160 the decision to pursue cross country, was it just, you know, 76 00:04:01,160 --> 00:04:04,600 basically rooted in the fact that like it's in America, these 77 00:04:04,600 --> 00:04:07,320 things don't happen as often on home soil? 78 00:04:07,320 --> 00:04:10,200 You wanted to give it a shot and then it, I mean, it turned out 79 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:12,160 fantastic for you. Yeah, yeah. 80 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:15,080 I mean, the whole thing was, you know, we wanted something to do 81 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:17,600 in the fall. We didn't know what exactly that 82 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:20,279 looked like. But you know, as a pro training 83 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:21,680 in the fall, you're just training. 84 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:23,680 And so putting something on the calendar was nice. 85 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:26,880 And then knowing it was in the US was like, you know, maybe, 86 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:30,320 maybe I try to make a World Team, try to compete and just 87 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:32,600 get kind of used to racing at the world stage. 88 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:35,680 And so it all lined up really well and just made sense. 89 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:39,640 And yeah, I was, I was thrilled with how us as went and 90 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:41,920 definitely I was excited with how worlds went. 91 00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:44,720 So I ended up being a success and probably the two hardest 92 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:46,080 efforts I could have gotten this fall. 93 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:48,480 So that was that was really the main idea behind it. 94 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:52,160 Hence the transition from working with coach Chris 95 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:56,200 Miltenberg to now coach Mike Smith, with the Swoosh TC being 96 00:04:56,200 --> 00:05:00,320 as smooth and and seamless as it's looked from from the 97 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:02,160 outside. It has been, yeah. 98 00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:06,200 Luckily Milt and Coach Smith are, you know, really close and 99 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:08,440 I think they talk fast. Friends, yeah, they talk like 100 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:12,280 probably 3 * a week still. And so, yeah, it was super 101 00:05:12,280 --> 00:05:14,680 seamless. Like Coach Smith knew what we 102 00:05:14,680 --> 00:05:18,280 could handle, what we couldn't handle with Ethan and I and 103 00:05:18,280 --> 00:05:19,800 yeah, it was just super seamless. 104 00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:22,960 And it, I mean it, it looks seamless because of, you know, 105 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:26,800 the transition we've made so far and it's felt just a seamless as 106 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:28,200 well. So it's been great, yeah. 107 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:31,880 Put in a really good fall block. I mean, time goes by fast. 108 00:05:31,880 --> 00:05:34,000 You don't realize how well you've been training until, you 109 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:36,760 know, it's January now. I've been going since, you know, 110 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:41,120 before USA Outdoors last year. So put in a really good block 111 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:42,680 and yeah, it's been, it's been great. 112 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:45,560 I guess one of the biggest things that, you know, each time 113 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:48,960 we've done these interviews with Milt, whether it's like after 114 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:52,960 one of the races or when he was on the podcast, has just been 115 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:55,240 about like stressing the importance of just kind of like 116 00:05:55,240 --> 00:05:57,640 the long term vision for you guys and your careers. 117 00:05:57,640 --> 00:06:01,360 And so when you guys were, you know, training at UNC and you 118 00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:06,400 run 1310 in the 5K, like, I guess the phrase that he uses is 119 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:09,000 like, he wants to make sure that he leaves like meat on the bone 120 00:06:09,200 --> 00:06:11,800 when it's when you guys like take that next step. 121 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:16,320 And so how did you feel, I guess, like wrapping up your 122 00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:19,080 NCAA career probably, I guess like a little sooner than you 123 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:22,400 expected, right, Because you had to scrap NCA championships. 124 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:26,520 But when the time came to make that transition, I guess like 125 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:29,840 where, where did you feel like you were at with the level of 126 00:06:29,840 --> 00:06:32,000 training that you took on at UNC? 127 00:06:32,520 --> 00:06:36,480 Yeah, I mean, Coach Mill, like he said, he is really good with 128 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:40,160 setting people up to run well in college, but also focusing on 129 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:43,000 that, you know, 8 to 10 year plan is what he'd call it and 130 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:46,320 leaving us some some space to grow as professionals. 131 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:49,120 And so I think, you know, obviously with how the NCAA has 132 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:51,840 changed, we had to train harder than he's ever probably train 133 00:06:51,840 --> 00:06:54,360 people. I think the guys before us 134 00:06:54,360 --> 00:06:56,760 didn't didn't do what we were doing, but I think it was 135 00:06:56,760 --> 00:06:59,280 necessary to get to where, you know, we were winning NCAA 136 00:06:59,280 --> 00:07:02,920 titles and trying to compete. But yeah, he definitely left 137 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:07,400 left some space for us to grow, especially just with how hard 138 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:09,720 and like how hard you train as a pro and how much time you have 139 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:12,600 to just do training. He set us up really well to just 140 00:07:12,600 --> 00:07:16,160 keep progressing. And I mean, obviously, you know, 141 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:18,560 didn't end my NCAA career on a great note. 142 00:07:19,120 --> 00:07:23,040 Obviously wanted to race NCAA outdoors, but he still set me up 143 00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:25,280 to have a good summer and then that summer, you know, 144 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:28,920 transitioning into a good fall and then that fall now into 2026 145 00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:32,720 and off to a good start so far. So I think it was, you know, not 146 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:35,640 the way he wanted to end, but I think I'm set up to do really, 147 00:07:35,640 --> 00:07:38,360 really well over these next, you know, 10 years because of what I 148 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:40,360 did in college. Fill in this gap for me. 149 00:07:40,360 --> 00:07:44,040 Then when obviously, I guess like what was it was ACCS and 150 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:48,240 then and the injury and then from there you don't write a 151 00:07:48,240 --> 00:07:53,040 race again until Portland. What exactly happened? 152 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:56,040 And then just like I guess what was the extent of the injury? 153 00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:59,080 Because for a while, I guess like I remember texting Milton 154 00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:01,240 asking his like, what does this mean for USA? 155 00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:04,800 And it was like, well, I think he's going to be OK for USA, but 156 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:06,960 it like it didn't sound like a sure thing either, right? 157 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:13,160 Yeah, it was right after AC CS. I did the double SO10K5K double. 158 00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:16,760 Felt good coming off and then kind of just had some foot stuff 159 00:08:16,760 --> 00:08:21,680 pop up in a workout and flew home to go get imaging to see 160 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:24,040 what it was. And it, it turns out I had a a 161 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:28,560 strain of my spring ligament in my foot. 162 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:31,320 So didn't realize that was an important ligament, but couldn't 163 00:08:31,320 --> 00:08:34,120 really walk very well. We thought maybe it would clear 164 00:08:34,120 --> 00:08:38,360 up before NCAA regionals and maybe I'd be able to race and 165 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:40,000 then just be able to go from there. 166 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:43,280 And we gave it a good push, but it just wasn't cooperating at 167 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:45,560 all. And, and I mean, the doctor was 168 00:08:45,560 --> 00:08:47,720 like, as long as you're pain free, you can run like it's all 169 00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:49,240 right. But just couldn't get to that 170 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:51,760 point. And so we took like two or three 171 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:54,000 weeks off of running and just did cross training. 172 00:08:54,000 --> 00:08:58,160 And luckily it it kind of just went away after those three 173 00:08:58,160 --> 00:08:59,840 weeks and was able to get back into running. 174 00:08:59,840 --> 00:09:02,160 And yeah, we didn't know if we were going to make it back for 175 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:06,400 USA, but because of like how easily we were able to like ramp 176 00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:09,720 up like once it was no pain. It was like you can ramp up as 177 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:11,960 fast as we want and really get back into training. 178 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:15,320 I was, I was able to get back for at least a race before USA 179 00:09:15,320 --> 00:09:18,280 and then USA and then a race after USA. 180 00:09:18,280 --> 00:09:21,880 So end of the summer, you know, racing hard, which I wanted to 181 00:09:21,880 --> 00:09:24,480 do. And obviously I only had six 182 00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:27,320 weeks of training, so I wasn't in great shape going into USA, 183 00:09:27,320 --> 00:09:30,320 but I gave it a go and I was there until like 50 meters. 184 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:33,640 But yeah, I mean, that's why I wanted to do 5th Ave. at the end 185 00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:35,320 of the summer end off on a good note. 186 00:09:35,640 --> 00:09:39,480 And yeah, rolling to rolling with some momentum to this this 187 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:42,560 like cross country season, so. Yes, I guess like how did the 188 00:09:42,560 --> 00:09:45,920 effort compare to I mean, I think most of the photos from 189 00:09:45,920 --> 00:09:51,000 you at the 24 trials after that five KF for finishing third, 190 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:53,800 it's like you're just totally spent on the track and then this 191 00:09:53,800 --> 00:09:57,720 time around 6th place, but you know with a hard clothes and the 192 00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:01,200 fact that you only had six weeks to train, I guess like probably 193 00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:04,040 just as or even more exhausting. Yeah, it was. 194 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:06,360 It was definitely hard. I just felt uncomfortable 195 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:09,080 because I hadn't been able to get in training, like feeling 196 00:10:09,080 --> 00:10:10,880 out paces. And we had six weeks. 197 00:10:10,880 --> 00:10:14,120 We had to focus on getting some strength back and we really 198 00:10:14,120 --> 00:10:17,080 couldn't get very sharp. We just had to just build some 199 00:10:17,080 --> 00:10:19,720 strength and maybe do a couple, couple specific workouts. 200 00:10:19,720 --> 00:10:21,080 That's kind of all we had time for. 201 00:10:21,240 --> 00:10:25,400 So yeah, I, I didn't feel great early on, but as we got later in 202 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:26,680 the race, it started to feel a little better. 203 00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:29,880 I just didn't have that, that turnover that I had the year 204 00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:32,000 before. And that was the frustrating 205 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:34,080 part. Like I made it till 200 left and 206 00:10:34,080 --> 00:10:36,360 felt pretty good. And then the wheels kind of came 207 00:10:36,360 --> 00:10:38,680 off and that's where, you know, the lack of training showed. 208 00:10:38,680 --> 00:10:43,440 So I, I, I know I was, I was close with six weeks, like way 209 00:10:43,440 --> 00:10:46,960 closer than I thought I'd be. So I know I can get in shape 210 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:49,920 fast, but it just, it took a couple extra weeks to get to get 211 00:10:49,920 --> 00:10:51,520 to where I wanted to be. And by the time I got to 5th 212 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:54,160 Ave. I, I felt like myself again. 213 00:10:54,160 --> 00:10:56,840 So I think that was the biggest learning experience from that 214 00:10:56,840 --> 00:10:59,320 was like I can get in shape pretty quick and come back from 215 00:10:59,320 --> 00:11:01,960 something and and still be able to compete at least so. 216 00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:04,440 One thing that's saying that to me about just sort of like the 217 00:11:04,440 --> 00:11:08,440 last two years for you is just that you've been able to turn 218 00:11:08,440 --> 00:11:13,320 around this success at USA without very many or any reps 219 00:11:13,320 --> 00:11:15,800 against pros in the regular season. 220 00:11:16,240 --> 00:11:17,960 Where do you think that sort of stems from? 221 00:11:17,960 --> 00:11:21,120 The fact that like your your, your race tactics and your 222 00:11:21,120 --> 00:11:23,880 savviness is there without having even like, it's not like 223 00:11:23,880 --> 00:11:27,600 you show up to the 10 and get a glimpse at some people for a 10K 224 00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:30,560 or you're racing too many like in the BU races that you've 225 00:11:30,560 --> 00:11:31,960 done. It's been against collegiate. 226 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:36,360 So like, I guess how did you manage to get that NCAA race 227 00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:41,880 like savviness to translate, you know, to the top pros at at USA? 228 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:45,440 Yeah, I think it's. That's a good question because 229 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:47,720 we don't get to see the pros. We don't get to see how they 230 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:50,160 race. I think a lot of it is just like 231 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:53,480 ignorance of just like not knowing and just kind of going 232 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:55,760 in and like, yeah, sure, I, I can, I can try to win this 233 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:58,280 thing. And maybe you maybe you can't, 234 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:00,440 but maybe that's a good thing that you think you can. 235 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:03,800 And I think that's kind of how I went into the 2024 trials of 236 00:12:03,800 --> 00:12:05,520 just like, yeah, maybe I can get top three. 237 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:07,160 I don't really know. I don't really know these guys. 238 00:12:07,160 --> 00:12:09,080 I'm not going to look too far into it, but I'm going to put 239 00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:10,560 myself in it and see what I can do. 240 00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:13,320 And I think if you're going with that, it actually ends up being 241 00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:15,160 a lot better. You're just a little more 242 00:12:15,160 --> 00:12:17,320 confident and you're not freaking out about who's in the 243 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:20,280 race or who's lining up. Because if you look at that 244 00:12:20,280 --> 00:12:23,920 race, I mean, you've got American record holders, like 5 245 00:12:23,920 --> 00:12:28,840 sub 13 guys in the race. And my PR was like 1315 at the 246 00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:31,960 time, something like that. And so I think it was just more 247 00:12:31,960 --> 00:12:35,760 of like, you know, ignorance is bliss of just going in, seeing 248 00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:39,040 if I can compete with them and treating it like, you know, the 249 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:41,920 local 5K. Like I think Mill Mill always 250 00:12:41,920 --> 00:12:45,240 preached that in college was just treat, treat the, the dual 251 00:12:45,240 --> 00:12:47,320 meet the way, same way you treat NCAA's. 252 00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:50,360 And so I think that totally applies to to racing against 253 00:12:50,360 --> 00:12:54,320 these pros for the first time, just like going in, seeing if we 254 00:12:54,320 --> 00:12:58,880 can compete and you know, same, same, same warm up routine, same 255 00:12:58,880 --> 00:13:02,440 everything as the dual meet. So I think that's that's why we 256 00:13:02,440 --> 00:13:05,840 were able to compete so well against the pros without without 257 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:09,000 having race in them ever. So then going into US cross this 258 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:12,840 fall, like, you know, you, you couple that approach to the race 259 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:16,040 with also just sort of like a good fall base of training under 260 00:13:16,040 --> 00:13:18,640 Mike with this whole entire super group that's been 261 00:13:18,640 --> 00:13:20,800 assembled. I guess when so many people, I 262 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:23,600 guess, like, look on paper, they're obviously throwing it, 263 00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:27,600 you know, to toward someone like Nico, given, you know, all of 264 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:30,000 his success in the summer, someone like Graham with his 265 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:32,600 resume. But in the end, it's you who 266 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:36,640 comes out on top in Portland. I guess what was the, where was 267 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:40,520 your mindset and confidence like, you know, heading into the 268 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:43,280 US Cross championships? Yeah, I I really didn't know 269 00:13:43,280 --> 00:13:46,080 where I was. I put together a consistent fall 270 00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:49,160 and it's been a while since I had consistent training. 271 00:13:49,160 --> 00:13:51,480 So I, I just didn't know where my fitness was. 272 00:13:51,480 --> 00:13:53,880 And I was, I was excited to test it, but I was also a little 273 00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:57,680 nervous because last time I ran cross it was, you know, finished 274 00:13:57,680 --> 00:14:01,160 seventh guy kind of throttled. So I was, I was really, I was 275 00:14:01,160 --> 00:14:03,040 just looking to hang in there and see what I could do with a 276 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:06,120 couple K left. But yeah, I was, I actually 277 00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:08,880 surprised myself a little bit with where my fitness was and 278 00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:11,520 being able to, to pull away at the end and come away with the 279 00:14:11,520 --> 00:14:13,560 win. I, I was a little, a little 280 00:14:13,560 --> 00:14:15,440 surprised by it. I knew I was fit. 281 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:19,560 I didn't know how fit and I I think, yeah, I was super pumped 282 00:14:19,560 --> 00:14:21,640 with it. I, you know, first, first taste 283 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:23,880 of of Usus title, which was great. 284 00:14:24,640 --> 00:14:26,320 Now, now time to recreate it on the track. 285 00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:29,440 But yeah, I was, I was a little surprised with how how it went. 286 00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:33,080 Yeah, well, now it also makes you, it makes people look at you 287 00:14:33,080 --> 00:14:36,160 as possibly like one of those bigger names heading into races 288 00:14:36,160 --> 00:14:39,200 and it doesn't allow you to flow under the radar as easily the 289 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:40,920 next time and then the next go round. 290 00:14:41,040 --> 00:14:44,440 I know it doesn't. I, I love the, you know, mild 291 00:14:44,440 --> 00:14:47,200 and I always talked about like, especially early on in my 292 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:49,120 career, like nobody's expecting you to be there. 293 00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:50,480 And so it's kind of a good thing. 294 00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:52,960 Like you're not in high school. You go from being like, yeah, 295 00:14:52,960 --> 00:14:54,000 you're supposed to win every race. 296 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:56,240 No matter when you line up, you're expected to win. 297 00:14:56,520 --> 00:14:58,240 And then you get to college, you're like, man, it's kind of 298 00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:00,160 nice. Like nobody even knows my name 299 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:01,640 on this line. Like, it's great. 300 00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:06,520 So, you know, I, I guess it's, it's, it's definitely a good 301 00:15:06,520 --> 00:15:08,680 place to be where people are looking out for you. 302 00:15:08,680 --> 00:15:11,280 But it also is a little, a little bit of a bummer of of 303 00:15:11,360 --> 00:15:13,160 kind of being the haunted rather than the hunter. 304 00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:16,240 But it's a privilege. It's you know, it's a privilege 305 00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:18,440 to be be in that spot. And so I'm, I'm super excited 306 00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:21,480 to, you know, have a good fall, have a good couple cross races. 307 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:23,640 And now we can use that momentum for for the track. 308 00:15:23,760 --> 00:15:27,520 So also cross country being a 10K you have the benefit of just 309 00:15:27,520 --> 00:15:29,400 not being that far removed off of. 310 00:15:29,440 --> 00:15:33,080 Your own NCAA cross country days, but what felt different 311 00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:36,480 about just sort of this past fall, early winter training 312 00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:40,480 block under Mike versus how you used to train in the NCAA for 313 00:15:40,480 --> 00:15:42,800 the 10K? Luckily, because of how close 314 00:15:42,840 --> 00:15:45,360 Milton and Coach Smith are, it was, it was very similar 315 00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:48,200 training. I think, you know, transition to 316 00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:50,440 altitude. That was that was a big part of 317 00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:51,720 it. So we don't have to go crazy 318 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:54,800 with training because a lot of the, the, the benefit comes from 319 00:15:54,800 --> 00:15:57,840 just the altitude. But you know, it was, it was 320 00:15:57,840 --> 00:16:00,560 definitely a little more strength based than I'm used to. 321 00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:03,720 I mean, we're very strength based at UNC and and with coach 322 00:16:03,720 --> 00:16:08,240 Mill, we, we focused on mostly threshold and coach Smith is a 323 00:16:08,240 --> 00:16:10,840 little bit more on that, a little more threshold and at 324 00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:13,800 altitude. And so this fall was a lot of, 325 00:16:13,880 --> 00:16:17,760 you know, double workouts, double threshold days, you know, 326 00:16:17,760 --> 00:16:20,520 sometimes some 5 workouts a week with double S. 327 00:16:20,520 --> 00:16:23,360 So it was a lot of strength. But I think that's that's where 328 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:26,320 I thrive is just off strength based training, especially for 329 00:16:26,320 --> 00:16:27,600 cross country. I think the guys were the 330 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:29,720 strongest. I mean, you see the marathoners 331 00:16:29,720 --> 00:16:33,000 do well, Wesley, Wesley Kipto and and Conor Mance, those guys 332 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:34,960 are the are the ones that that run across really well. 333 00:16:35,240 --> 00:16:36,880 And so the more strength you can build, the better. 334 00:16:36,880 --> 00:16:38,360 And, and that's what the fall was all about. 335 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:40,400 And you need that for the track anyway. 336 00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:43,040 So it was, it was similar to what we've done, but probably 337 00:16:43,040 --> 00:16:46,120 just just more, you know, it was a little harder, a little faster 338 00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:49,840 at altitude, but I think it was a logical, logical transition 339 00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:52,120 from from college to to the pro. 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Well, you being from Colorado, I 377 00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:06,560 guess like and then I guess going to C level for college 378 00:19:06,560 --> 00:19:10,640 like now this return to altitude like have you I guess measured 379 00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:14,640 things and to see like how much of A responder you are to to the 380 00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:16,360 altitude? No, I haven't. 381 00:19:16,360 --> 00:19:20,600 I really want to though. I keep, I keep, I keep telling, 382 00:19:20,600 --> 00:19:22,400 telling coach it'd be nice to know the numbers. 383 00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:26,240 And I've talked to Alex Osberg, who's now the assistant with, 384 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:28,920 with Jerry's group. He was, he was with me in 385 00:19:28,920 --> 00:19:30,520 college. And so he's like, man, I'd love 386 00:19:30,520 --> 00:19:33,080 to see those numbers. Just just to know because, you 387 00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:35,560 know, being from altitude, I feel like I can transition 388 00:19:35,880 --> 00:19:38,360 pretty easily. And I, I would just love to know 389 00:19:38,360 --> 00:19:39,760 what, what type of response I get. 390 00:19:39,760 --> 00:19:42,040 I think it'd be interesting to know and especially having spent 391 00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:44,760 four years at sea level, just to see the difference. 392 00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:47,640 When people just sort of like look at the names that comprise 393 00:19:47,640 --> 00:19:54,120 this group with it being you, Ethan, Nico, Liam, Woody, update 394 00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:57,640 Louise, it just sort of like everyone would think like, all 395 00:19:57,640 --> 00:20:01,960 right, there's no like it would feel like every practice would 396 00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:05,280 be daunting or sometimes workouts turn into races, but 397 00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:07,800 peel back the curtain and I guess kind of like describe it 398 00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:11,080 for people who if they went and observed to practice like is it? 399 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:13,680 Kind of like what would people see? 400 00:20:13,680 --> 00:20:17,080 Because I there's no way everyone has like the best day 401 00:20:17,080 --> 00:20:19,120 each time out. So like, there might be some. 402 00:20:19,120 --> 00:20:20,880 I feel like there's got to be some days where it's like, all 403 00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:24,200 right, you crushed a workout but Nico tanked or Ethan did great 404 00:20:24,200 --> 00:20:26,600 and you didn't or So what does it look like? 405 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:29,400 Yeah. I mean, I think if if you came 406 00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:32,160 to a practice, it'd be, I don't think you'd be blown away by 407 00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:35,400 anything. It's a lot of just basic, lot of 408 00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:41,040 threshold, lot of reps and we all, we all have a good system 409 00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:42,360 of life. We got groups that we train 410 00:20:42,360 --> 00:20:43,760 with. I do a lot of my stuff with Nico 411 00:20:43,760 --> 00:20:48,360 mostly and we do just as I think a lot of our strengths are very 412 00:20:48,360 --> 00:20:50,320 similar. So a lot of the threshold stuff, 413 00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:54,240 I'm with Nico. Luckily we don't race much there 414 00:20:54,240 --> 00:20:55,760 because there is time and place for that. 415 00:20:55,760 --> 00:20:58,960 And I think we, we've, we've had a couple times where, you know, 416 00:20:58,960 --> 00:21:01,920 the competitive juices get flowing, whether it's a specific 417 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:05,720 workout or some faster wraps, whatever it is. 418 00:21:06,240 --> 00:21:08,160 But for the most part, I think we just work really well 419 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:09,920 together. I think when you get a group of 420 00:21:09,920 --> 00:21:13,520 pros, they know when it's time to kind of turn that switch on 421 00:21:13,760 --> 00:21:16,560 and, you know, be a little competitive or just shut it off 422 00:21:16,560 --> 00:21:19,640 and kind of go to sleep and just just do what coach says. 423 00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:22,640 And so I think that's, that's what you find with these guys, 424 00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:25,360 especially the older guys who've been there a while, They know 425 00:21:25,360 --> 00:21:27,920 their limits. A lot of time you'll see, you 426 00:21:27,920 --> 00:21:31,240 know, if Abdi doesn't feel good, like he's going to do exactly 427 00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:34,200 what he, what he feels like doing in that range of what 428 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:35,520 coach says. And, and like they're just, 429 00:21:35,520 --> 00:21:38,000 they're, they're good guys to learn, you know, about that 430 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:41,840 from, they know, they know what, what threshold feels like. 431 00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:44,800 And so, yeah, it's, it's been great. 432 00:21:44,800 --> 00:21:47,680 Like, you know, they're, they're days we're competitive and then 433 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:51,080 there's days where we're not. And I think there's a really 434 00:21:51,080 --> 00:21:54,520 good and everybody knows when those days are and what days to 435 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:56,280 just chill. And so it's been, it's been 436 00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:58,120 really good. They've, they've been awesome. 437 00:21:58,120 --> 00:22:00,880 Workouts have been great. This whole fall has just been, 438 00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:03,400 you know, learning the learning what the guys do, how they, how 439 00:22:03,440 --> 00:22:07,320 they function, how they live. And so, yeah, it's been, it's 440 00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:09,160 been great. Do you think that this fall, I 441 00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:12,840 mean, just given US cross, world cross, it's a little bit of a 442 00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:15,640 weird year, right, with no traditional world championship, 443 00:22:16,040 --> 00:22:20,120 no Olympics that, you know, you can kind of treat it as an off 444 00:22:20,120 --> 00:22:21,800 year. Yeah, I mean, we have the the 445 00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:24,920 ultimate champs, but when I looked at to sort of like the 446 00:22:24,920 --> 00:22:28,600 year that you had in 2025 and I say right, you, you ran 334 for 447 00:22:28,600 --> 00:22:34,000 the 15, then obviously then I'm seeing 1313 for the 5K. 448 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:39,520 You only you only dabbled into 10K at AC CS and I think the one 449 00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:41,720 early season in in Durham before that. 450 00:22:41,720 --> 00:22:45,720 So it's like you haven't really shown your cards in in the 10K, 451 00:22:45,720 --> 00:22:48,000 but now we just see what you do over cross. 452 00:22:48,480 --> 00:22:51,400 Do you think the 10K is calling your name a little sooner than 453 00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:56,400 maybe you thought? Baby, I keep, I keep telling 454 00:22:56,400 --> 00:22:58,480 Mohammed keeps telling me I need to do the 10. 455 00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:02,600 I keep telling him not until I can't PR in the mile anymore. 456 00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:04,200 We'll see. I don't know. 457 00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:08,480 I, I, I think I'd obviously be good at the 10K, but I just, I 458 00:23:08,480 --> 00:23:10,720 love the 5K too much. I think I've got too much to 459 00:23:10,720 --> 00:23:12,560 give still at those shorter distances. 460 00:23:13,200 --> 00:23:16,640 I mean, I'd love to run a mile this year and PR in that and run 461 00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:18,640 some threes and fives and whatnot. 462 00:23:18,640 --> 00:23:22,880 So I'll save the 10 for a while. I think we'll leave that maybe 463 00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:26,880 till 28, maybe even after if coach lets me, we'll see. 464 00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:29,560 Obviously I'll end up there at some point. 465 00:23:29,640 --> 00:23:33,240 I think all roads lead to a 10K at some point in your life as a 466 00:23:33,240 --> 00:23:35,240 distance runner. But I'm going to keep pushing it 467 00:23:35,240 --> 00:23:37,600 off as long as I can because that that that doesn't sound 468 00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:38,600 like a lot of fun. So. 469 00:23:38,800 --> 00:23:42,400 Well, it sounds like a true Miller who also just thrives at 470 00:23:42,400 --> 00:23:45,080 the 5K of all the five KS that you've run. 471 00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:48,360 Like, can you describe the one that you know, as the race is 472 00:23:48,360 --> 00:23:50,400 playing out, you're licking your chops and you're like, this is 473 00:23:50,400 --> 00:23:53,200 my kind of 5K? Like what, what is that kind of 474 00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:56,960 5K that you, you that, that as it's playing out, you're like, 475 00:23:56,960 --> 00:24:00,400 this is this is my kind of race. And that, you know, will lead to 476 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:02,240 you getting the winner on the podium. 477 00:24:02,760 --> 00:24:05,480 Because I guess like there's, you know, you could take it from 478 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:09,120 the front and try and run it the way that Cole did at USA is or, 479 00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:11,000 you know, the sit and kick approach. 480 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:14,840 What's the what's your favorite? If you were to ask me a couple 481 00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:18,120 years ago, I'd probably say lead from the front, try to make it 482 00:24:18,120 --> 00:24:20,000 hard. But you know, over the last few 483 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:23,320 years I think MIL has done a really good job with me of just 484 00:24:23,320 --> 00:24:26,320 like developing that kind of top end speed at the end of a race. 485 00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:29,800 And I mean when I won NCAA's it was off a kick in a slow pace. 486 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:32,840 And so I actually think I can run it anyway. 487 00:24:33,200 --> 00:24:37,760 Any way it goes, I'm pretty confident in a sit and kick or a 488 00:24:37,760 --> 00:24:39,720 fast race. I think if I were to pick one, 489 00:24:39,720 --> 00:24:42,000 probably a little bit of a faster race. 490 00:24:42,560 --> 00:24:46,640 I love a good like time trial 5K with a little bit of a close at 491 00:24:46,640 --> 00:24:49,040 the end. I think I definitely benefit 492 00:24:49,040 --> 00:24:51,880 from, you know, a pace that's hard from the start, making 493 00:24:51,880 --> 00:24:53,720 everybody question whether or not they want to do it. 494 00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:57,400 But I think the beauty of of my development over the last few 495 00:24:57,400 --> 00:25:00,200 years is just I'm able to do it anyway, like either if it's 496 00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:02,520 slow, if it's fast, I think I can do it. 497 00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:06,600 So I think that's, that's what makes the 5K so exciting is, you 498 00:25:06,600 --> 00:25:08,840 know, you can get either one of those and it's it's going to be 499 00:25:08,840 --> 00:25:11,320 competitive. So yeah, I'm looking forward to 500 00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:14,280 any any any way it'll go all. Right. 501 00:25:14,280 --> 00:25:17,800 So then now as we turn our attention to world cross, I 502 00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:22,000 guess the gap between US cross and world cross, I guess like 503 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:24,560 how did training go like over the holidays and all that stuff? 504 00:25:24,560 --> 00:25:27,080 Like what, you know, where were, what were the things you wanted 505 00:25:27,080 --> 00:25:31,000 to kind of improve upon before you took on, you know, the slew 506 00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:34,400 of East Africans, Jacob Pupilimo and like the world's best. 507 00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:37,280 Yeah, I mean, I think everybody wants the most perfect training 508 00:25:37,280 --> 00:25:39,280 block in the world before racing those guys. 509 00:25:39,640 --> 00:25:42,800 I definitely had a really good like winter block that month in 510 00:25:42,800 --> 00:25:48,320 between I I went home for like a week and had some of the guys 511 00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:50,840 follow me to Denver. We put in some really good work 512 00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:52,720 out there. And so, yeah, a lot of it was 513 00:25:52,720 --> 00:25:55,360 like, you know, the training was transitioning more towards the 514 00:25:55,360 --> 00:25:56,960 track. Like we're getting ready for 515 00:25:56,960 --> 00:26:00,360 indoors, so we're doing more stuff on the track. 516 00:26:00,920 --> 00:26:02,880 I'm still focusing on a lot of that strength stuff, but 517 00:26:03,240 --> 00:26:05,120 definitely, you know, getting ready for track. 518 00:26:05,120 --> 00:26:07,760 So, you know, it's it's hard going with the minds of like 519 00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:09,960 I've been training for track and we're going back on the grass 520 00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:11,760 and now we're jumping over obstacles. 521 00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:16,320 So it was definitely, you know, definitely early in the race, it 522 00:26:16,320 --> 00:26:20,920 hurt knowing that I had been doing more track stuff, but I 523 00:26:20,920 --> 00:26:26,320 was I was excited with it. I think obviously I would love 524 00:26:26,320 --> 00:26:29,360 to be on the grass a little more in between, but we gotta focus 525 00:26:29,360 --> 00:26:32,120 on one thing. So yeah, it went really well, 526 00:26:32,560 --> 00:26:35,320 pretty consistent up until like a few days before the race. 527 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:41,000 I had a little strain kind of low down in my quad and that was 528 00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:43,960 that was definitely a bummer. I was like, Dang, hopefully this 529 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:45,400 this heals up. And luckily it did. 530 00:26:45,400 --> 00:26:48,560 And so we were able to race and yeah, it went well, so. 531 00:26:48,920 --> 00:26:52,320 Adrenaline definitely probably helps with just like any sort of 532 00:26:52,320 --> 00:26:55,280 little niggles like right before the race or anything like that. 533 00:26:55,280 --> 00:26:58,280 And so then once that kicked in, I guess, and the gun goes off, 534 00:26:58,280 --> 00:27:00,800 then I'm sure it started to feel better. 535 00:27:01,600 --> 00:27:03,440 All right. So then what was the race plan 536 00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:06,600 like to try? And because, you know, up toward 537 00:27:06,600 --> 00:27:08,800 the front of the race, like they were going to make it an honest 538 00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:13,800 pace and like some of those names, world finalists like top 539 00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:16,960 five in the 5K or 10K. And so it's like, where did you 540 00:27:16,960 --> 00:27:19,720 want to put yourself? Going in talking to coach, we 541 00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:22,960 kind of just wanted to get up in that front pack of like maybe 15 542 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:25,960 to 20. I, I, I was just thinking, you 543 00:27:25,960 --> 00:27:28,600 know, if you're top 20 in this, in this race, you're in a really 544 00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:30,880 good spot fitness wise. And so I wanted to put myself in 545 00:27:30,880 --> 00:27:33,200 the top 20 and see if I could pick my way up a little bit. 546 00:27:33,600 --> 00:27:37,640 And yeah, I just expected to go hard get in that spot and kind 547 00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:39,800 of just, you know, weather the storm and and that's kind of how 548 00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:42,680 it played out. I'm going in it it was it wasn't 549 00:27:42,680 --> 00:27:46,400 screaming fast first couple K, but definitely, definitely 550 00:27:46,400 --> 00:27:48,200 moving. And it really it really broke 551 00:27:48,200 --> 00:27:52,320 down into, you know, a group early on and then it was soon as 552 00:27:52,320 --> 00:27:56,000 the the front throttle it kind of just picking apart pieces as 553 00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:58,080 I went. And so I mean, executed race 554 00:27:58,080 --> 00:28:00,520 plan really well. I think I went from like 20th to 555 00:28:00,520 --> 00:28:03,120 17th to 15th. Then we just worked my way up. 556 00:28:03,880 --> 00:28:05,360 But yeah, it was it was really hard. 557 00:28:05,360 --> 00:28:08,440 So I just, I knew if I was in that top 20, I was going to be 558 00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:11,400 in a good spot and that was kind of all, all the race plan I had. 559 00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:14,320 I know when you came through the mix and I think they'd ask you, 560 00:28:14,320 --> 00:28:17,360 I guess like what was the hardest, you know, part of the 561 00:28:17,360 --> 00:28:19,880 whole race or like the the obstacles that were there. 562 00:28:19,880 --> 00:28:23,120 But now that you've kind of had a chance to reflect a bit more 563 00:28:23,120 --> 00:28:27,560 on it and like maybe even watch it back, like of the the 564 00:28:27,560 --> 00:28:31,120 alligators, the mud, the water, like the sand, which, which, 565 00:28:31,120 --> 00:28:34,680 which one do you think was the most annoying of it? 566 00:28:35,640 --> 00:28:38,320 Yeah, I I think they were all annoying in their own way. 567 00:28:39,080 --> 00:28:41,400 It definitely broke rhythm every every obstacle. 568 00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:44,400 The sand was definitely harder than I thought it was going to 569 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:45,120 be. Every time you quick. 570 00:28:45,120 --> 00:28:46,400 Steps. That's what you needed on that 571 00:28:46,400 --> 00:28:47,400 one. Yeah, I know, I know. 572 00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:50,000 And and when you're like AKN quick steps don't come very 573 00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:51,960 easily. So that definitely hurt. 574 00:28:52,680 --> 00:28:55,560 I think the alligator logs were were hard too. 575 00:28:55,920 --> 00:28:58,920 The last thing you want to do the last like 600 of a race is 576 00:28:58,920 --> 00:29:02,280 jump over stuff. And so I think the combination 577 00:29:02,280 --> 00:29:05,920 of just like the logs into the mud and then back out into the 578 00:29:05,920 --> 00:29:07,400 course like that, that was that one. 579 00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:11,280 Every single lap was just grueling and just ZAP of energy 580 00:29:11,280 --> 00:29:13,680 every time I'd come through the mud and then back out into the 581 00:29:13,680 --> 00:29:16,080 heat and then you're going doing the same thing again. 582 00:29:16,080 --> 00:29:18,760 And so, yeah, I'd say that combination of just the the 583 00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:22,680 logs, the hill in the mud is just yeah, energy zapper, so. 584 00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:24,840 All right. So they report back to us on the 585 00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:28,640 the alligators like did you clear them all like on on 586 00:29:28,640 --> 00:29:30,640 hurling or did you step on any of them? 587 00:29:30,840 --> 00:29:33,520 Oh, I definitely stepped and my height, you can't really. 588 00:29:34,240 --> 00:29:36,840 Yeah, it's tough to, it's tough to clear, especially the last 589 00:29:36,840 --> 00:29:39,520 one cuz they kept getting taller each time at the first taller 590 00:29:39,520 --> 00:29:41,400 than taller than taller. And the last one was like 591 00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:44,400 relatively tall. Yeah, I was stepping on most of 592 00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:46,440 them, I think if I remember correctly. 593 00:29:46,440 --> 00:29:50,200 And yeah, my height, you gotta, you gotta step on it too hard. 594 00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:53,520 But we we joke that Ethan's got at least like a career in the, 595 00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:55,840 the mild steeple chase. But you're like, all right, you 596 00:29:55,840 --> 00:29:57,440 know what? Sticking with flat events. 597 00:29:57,720 --> 00:29:59,560 Yeah, not for me. I've, I've tried. 598 00:29:59,840 --> 00:30:01,360 I've tried in practice, jumping over a hurdle. 599 00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:03,880 I said not, not for me. Yeah, I'll leave that for other 600 00:30:03,880 --> 00:30:05,960 people. So yeah, I'll stay away from the 601 00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:08,040 steeple. So as I'm kind of like looking 602 00:30:08,040 --> 00:30:11,040 at just sort of like the results and like so many of the names 603 00:30:11,040 --> 00:30:14,920 around you, it's like you were ahead of, you know, Jimmy 604 00:30:14,920 --> 00:30:19,920 Gressier, their you know, Graham Gabriel Gay, like some of these 605 00:30:20,320 --> 00:30:25,160 Kai, these these are guys who like crush it come 5K10K on the 606 00:30:25,160 --> 00:30:26,200 track. Like is there. 607 00:30:26,600 --> 00:30:28,680 That's the one thing about cross countries, like don't even 608 00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:30,920 bother looking at the times. It's more about just sort of 609 00:30:30,920 --> 00:30:34,120 like the names around you, like right behind you was Adrian Will 610 00:30:34,120 --> 00:30:38,080 Scoot and like what is it that you kind of when you look at the 611 00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:40,600 results take away from this performance? 612 00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:44,920 Yeah, I definitely take a lot of confidence in it, like seeing 613 00:30:44,920 --> 00:30:48,960 the guys I was able to beat, you know, you beat in a world champ, 614 00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:52,280 like all these guys who are top five in the world and their 615 00:30:52,280 --> 00:30:54,520 their their events and marathoners. 616 00:30:54,520 --> 00:30:56,720 And so I definitely draw a lot of confidence from it. 617 00:30:57,200 --> 00:31:00,280 I wouldn't say that like the 10K cross country has was my thing 618 00:31:00,280 --> 00:31:03,680 in college. I always was up in the mix, but 619 00:31:03,680 --> 00:31:06,040 never able to like really reach that next level. 620 00:31:06,040 --> 00:31:08,840 And so I just know that I'm better on the track. 621 00:31:08,840 --> 00:31:12,120 And so when I get there, it's going to be, yeah, I'm drawing 622 00:31:12,120 --> 00:31:15,360 like a lot more confident on the track from what I did on on the 623 00:31:15,360 --> 00:31:18,720 grass just this last weekend. And so I'm, I'm really excited 624 00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:22,200 just to get there, get going, keep building strength. 625 00:31:22,200 --> 00:31:25,920 And I think, you know, Sky's the limit because if I can do that 626 00:31:25,920 --> 00:31:28,400 on the cross course, who knows what I can do on the track. 627 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:30,960 So I'm, I'm, I'm super pumped for it. 628 00:31:31,480 --> 00:31:35,360 If somehow, I mean, because I feel like NCAA eligibility you 629 00:31:35,360 --> 00:31:37,320 could find in so many different places nowadays. 630 00:31:37,320 --> 00:31:40,440 But like, if you were granted like one extra year of NCAA 631 00:31:40,440 --> 00:31:45,080 eligibility and you had, you know, Parker Wolf 2026, you 632 00:31:45,080 --> 00:31:49,280 know, able to share advice to, you know, you back into the UNC 633 00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:52,600 uniform before one more NCAA crosses and like what what's the 634 00:31:52,600 --> 00:31:56,200 biggest piece of advice you would give to to yourself, you 635 00:31:56,200 --> 00:31:59,200 know, if you had one more year? Probably just stress the 636 00:31:59,200 --> 00:32:02,880 importance of consistency. I mean, I think everybody gets 637 00:32:02,880 --> 00:32:05,960 caught up in like the single workouts that go really well. 638 00:32:05,960 --> 00:32:10,840 And I know I found myself doing that a lot last year, but I 639 00:32:10,840 --> 00:32:13,120 think like it just shows like we didn't do anything crazy this 640 00:32:13,120 --> 00:32:15,040 fall. I think we had literally one 641 00:32:15,040 --> 00:32:18,680 specific workout on grass the entire fall and and I was able 642 00:32:18,680 --> 00:32:22,200 to just, you know, do really well based off just purely 643 00:32:22,200 --> 00:32:25,520 consistency. And so if I had another year, I 644 00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:29,720 would be telling myself, just focus on not getting hurt, just 645 00:32:29,720 --> 00:32:31,400 training consistently. Doesn't have to be crazy 646 00:32:31,400 --> 00:32:33,640 numbers, doesn't have to be crazy workouts, but just 647 00:32:34,120 --> 00:32:36,080 consistency over the last 15 weeks. 648 00:32:36,080 --> 00:32:38,800 And this is where I was able to get off of 15 weeks of training. 649 00:32:38,800 --> 00:32:41,560 And so that's, that's probably the part I'd stress the most for 650 00:32:41,560 --> 00:32:44,840 sure. Yeah, I'm sure a lot of college 651 00:32:44,840 --> 00:32:47,480 kids could probably like take take that advice to, to heart 652 00:32:47,480 --> 00:32:50,760 for sure. All right, so now Next up is the 653 00:32:50,760 --> 00:32:53,720 indoor track season. And we were talking about this 654 00:32:53,720 --> 00:32:54,960 right before we started recording. 655 00:32:54,960 --> 00:32:56,880 I was like, all right, we'll, we could we'll we'll we'll talk 656 00:32:56,880 --> 00:32:58,280 about this middle rest two mile field. 657 00:32:58,280 --> 00:33:00,680 But I feel like there's just like just seeing the names on 658 00:33:00,680 --> 00:33:02,720 paper. It's like there's not as you 659 00:33:02,720 --> 00:33:04,560 don't need to add any more hype to this thing. 660 00:33:04,560 --> 00:33:08,160 It's like most most of the biggest stars are turning out 661 00:33:08,160 --> 00:33:11,280 for this one. When you saw the full list, I 662 00:33:11,280 --> 00:33:12,640 guess like what was your reaction? 663 00:33:13,080 --> 00:33:14,840 Yeah, I was pumped. I'm super pumped. 664 00:33:14,840 --> 00:33:17,880 I can't wait. It's gonna be like as 665 00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:20,000 competitive as a field as I think we could get it. 666 00:33:20,840 --> 00:33:24,040 So I'm, I mean, I, I think I thrive really well with the fast 667 00:33:24,040 --> 00:33:26,840 pace and a really good field. And so that's what I'm looking 668 00:33:26,840 --> 00:33:27,880 forward to. I know there's going to be a 669 00:33:27,880 --> 00:33:31,120 pacer and I, I've, I've heard different ideas how fast you're 670 00:33:31,120 --> 00:33:32,720 going to go, but they all sound fast. 671 00:33:32,720 --> 00:33:37,320 So just put me on the track and, and get in a line and, and just 672 00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:40,120 try to hang on. So I, yeah, I, I don't know how 673 00:33:40,120 --> 00:33:43,400 much more hype you can add to, to that field because it's got 674 00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:44,520 it all. You got everybody. 675 00:33:44,640 --> 00:33:48,600 So I'm I'm super excited for it. I guess like when you think 676 00:33:48,600 --> 00:33:51,560 about just sort of like what would an A day be for you like 677 00:33:51,560 --> 00:33:55,120 that and and the like with the thing you'd be most proud of, 678 00:33:55,120 --> 00:33:58,040 like in a race like that and obviously the win, but what else 679 00:33:58,040 --> 00:34:01,440 is it just sort of like, hey, like knowing that you know, with 680 00:34:01,440 --> 00:34:07,120 guys like Josh Cole Grant, like is it just sticking your nose 681 00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:08,880 and being right behind him or like what are some of the other 682 00:34:08,880 --> 00:34:11,480 things that you want to maybe look at without revealing 683 00:34:11,480 --> 00:34:15,120 obviously like a race plan? No, no, I think so if I could 684 00:34:15,120 --> 00:34:16,880 just be competitive. I mean, that was our whole thing 685 00:34:16,880 --> 00:34:19,199 of doing cross country in the fall was like do something hard 686 00:34:19,199 --> 00:34:21,960 that we can just, you know, keep sticking your nose in every time 687 00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:24,600 it gets hard. And so I think that's going to 688 00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:26,560 just be perfect for, for what we're going to do on the track. 689 00:34:26,560 --> 00:34:28,800 He's like, keep putting yourself in it when stuff gets hard. 690 00:34:28,800 --> 00:34:31,440 And I mean, I'm, I'm a competitive person, so I'm 691 00:34:31,440 --> 00:34:33,520 always going to try and, and win a race. 692 00:34:33,719 --> 00:34:36,639 I don't care who's in it. And as long as I'm, I'm their 693 00:34:36,639 --> 00:34:39,440 fitness wise, I know that I, I can be competitive. 694 00:34:39,440 --> 00:34:42,520 So obviously going to try to try to put myself in it and, you 695 00:34:42,520 --> 00:34:45,520 know, see if I can end up with a win and we'll see how it pans 696 00:34:45,520 --> 00:34:46,960 out. But it's a good field. 697 00:34:46,960 --> 00:34:49,560 And I think if you can, if you can just be competitive in this, 698 00:34:49,560 --> 00:34:53,040 you're going to end up with one, a good time and two, a really 699 00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:55,679 good spot. So I'm, I'm yeah, that's all I 700 00:34:55,679 --> 00:34:59,040 need from it. If you were to sit down with 701 00:34:59,080 --> 00:35:01,560 Coach Mike Smith because he's like the, you know, the the 702 00:35:01,560 --> 00:35:04,520 coaching czar who preaches against outcomes, right? 703 00:35:04,520 --> 00:35:10,600 Like, you know, to focus on goals for the upcoming year, I 704 00:35:10,600 --> 00:35:13,560 guess, like, has that discussion sort of happened between the two 705 00:35:13,560 --> 00:35:15,200 of you? And like, what are some of the 706 00:35:15,200 --> 00:35:17,760 early ideas that you have for 2026? 707 00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:22,480 Yeah, the, the big part of this whole year with Coach Smith was 708 00:35:22,480 --> 00:35:25,840 just like, obviously focusing on consistency and not getting too 709 00:35:25,840 --> 00:35:28,760 greedy with racing. I think a lot of the injuries I 710 00:35:28,760 --> 00:35:31,040 had last year were, you know, in the college system, you're 711 00:35:31,040 --> 00:35:33,040 racing a lot, you're racing every couple weeks, you're 712 00:35:33,040 --> 00:35:37,120 racing hard, you're doubling at A at an ACC meet, that stuff you 713 00:35:37,120 --> 00:35:39,240 wouldn't do as a pro. And so this year, you know, 714 00:35:39,240 --> 00:35:41,320 really focusing on being selective with what races we do 715 00:35:42,040 --> 00:35:44,600 and then getting in those races and competing to win every 716 00:35:44,600 --> 00:35:47,640 single one of them. I think I'm in a spot fitness 717 00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:49,800 wise where I can compete at the front of every one of these 718 00:35:49,800 --> 00:35:52,120 races and I think I can win a lot of them. 719 00:35:52,120 --> 00:35:55,320 And so I think the big goal for this year is use these indoor 720 00:35:55,320 --> 00:35:59,560 races to just practice competing and, and put ourselves in a 721 00:35:59,560 --> 00:36:02,240 really good spot so that when we go to outdoors and we get on the 722 00:36:02,240 --> 00:36:05,320 outdoor track and, and we're racing in different countries or 723 00:36:05,320 --> 00:36:08,280 different stadiums, whatever it is, we can compete against any 724 00:36:08,280 --> 00:36:10,200 of these guys. And so that's really the main 725 00:36:10,200 --> 00:36:13,360 goal of this year is, is get this consistency under our belt 726 00:36:13,400 --> 00:36:16,560 and and then getting some really hard races and and test to see 727 00:36:16,560 --> 00:36:19,040 how deep we can go. What's the loose schedule right 728 00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:22,120 now for indoors for you? Right now, I think we've only 729 00:36:22,120 --> 00:36:24,000 have two races that that we're looking at. 730 00:36:24,000 --> 00:36:28,000 We're looking at obviously this mill rose 2 mile and then 731 00:36:28,200 --> 00:36:31,480 looking at a 5K most likely in Boston. 732 00:36:32,200 --> 00:36:35,920 Not sure what weekend yet, but maybe the Valentine's weekend, 733 00:36:37,240 --> 00:36:38,720 maybe not. I don't, I don't actually don't 734 00:36:38,720 --> 00:36:40,960 know for sure yet, but just two races. 735 00:36:40,960 --> 00:36:43,640 That's it. I think like like I said, not 736 00:36:43,640 --> 00:36:47,000 getting greedy with it. I think what some of the guys I 737 00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:49,640 saw professionals last year that had a really good outdoor 738 00:36:49,640 --> 00:36:52,640 season, their indoor season was, was fairly abbreviated and I 739 00:36:52,640 --> 00:36:53,880 think that's just where I want to be right now. 740 00:36:53,880 --> 00:36:57,240 I want to do 2, you know, maybe a third really hard effort this 741 00:36:57,240 --> 00:36:59,640 indoor season and kind of just just wrap it up and get ready 742 00:36:59,640 --> 00:37:02,160 for outdoors. We had a good fall, we had a 743 00:37:02,160 --> 00:37:04,960 good winter. And so race a couple times, then 744 00:37:04,960 --> 00:37:07,680 take a couple, you know, down weeks and then get ready for for 745 00:37:07,680 --> 00:37:10,760 a good outdoor season. I know that like the in the 746 00:37:10,760 --> 00:37:13,400 summer, like the American circuit just with, you know, the 747 00:37:13,440 --> 00:37:17,600 sound running needs and like the Sunset Tour and you know, Sir 748 00:37:17,600 --> 00:37:20,280 Walter, all these opportunities have like popped up to just be 749 00:37:20,280 --> 00:37:22,160 able to stay in the States and race. 750 00:37:22,160 --> 00:37:24,040 But I feel like you got to do Europe. 751 00:37:24,360 --> 00:37:27,000 I know, I know, I think I just need the, the experience of 752 00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:30,720 doing it, you know, at least one, hopefully 2 races out there 753 00:37:30,720 --> 00:37:33,160 just just to get in the, the flow of like travelling to 754 00:37:33,160 --> 00:37:36,120 another country, seeing what it's like to, to get ready for a 755 00:37:36,120 --> 00:37:39,880 race in a place I've never been. I think that's, that's really 756 00:37:39,880 --> 00:37:42,120 what this year is all about with other world champs. 757 00:37:42,640 --> 00:37:45,080 I mean, there's the ultra championships, but there's no 758 00:37:45,080 --> 00:37:47,160 Olympics, there's no true World Championships. 759 00:37:47,160 --> 00:37:49,480 And so that's, that's the beauty of this year is a lot of just 760 00:37:49,480 --> 00:37:53,080 gaining experience and we can kind of race a lot of different 761 00:37:53,080 --> 00:37:55,400 races that we might not race on a world year. 762 00:37:55,440 --> 00:37:58,040 So that's that's what I'm looking forward to, getting some 763 00:37:58,040 --> 00:38:00,680 experience outdoors, racing against some good competition 764 00:38:00,680 --> 00:38:03,600 and yeah, setting ourselves up so we can have a really good 765 00:38:03,840 --> 00:38:07,640 world champs the next year, LA and 28, all that good stuff. 766 00:38:08,040 --> 00:38:10,000 Yeah, because you haven't raced outside the US, right? 767 00:38:10,200 --> 00:38:12,960 No, never, never. I've raced only. 768 00:38:12,960 --> 00:38:14,680 Yeah, only in the US. Wow. 769 00:38:14,720 --> 00:38:18,080 All right, yeah, that's hopefully going to change in 770 00:38:18,080 --> 00:38:21,520 2026. But no, yeah, Parker's super 771 00:38:21,520 --> 00:38:26,760 excited for your awesome fall that you put together this world 772 00:38:26,760 --> 00:38:29,440 cross country performance. And now, you know, looking 773 00:38:29,440 --> 00:38:31,320 forward to seeing you at at Melrose. 774 00:38:31,320 --> 00:38:32,640 Appreciate you taking the time to catch up. 775 00:38:32,800 --> 00:38:34,720 No, thank you. I appreciate you having me on. 776 00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:38,920 Right, that's a wrap on today's episode. 777 00:38:39,200 --> 00:38:41,920 Thanks for listening, for the time, the curiosity, and for 778 00:38:41,920 --> 00:38:44,640 making this show part of your routine or your run. 779 00:38:45,160 --> 00:38:48,000 A big thanks to our producer Jasmine Fair and to everyone 780 00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:51,000 behind the scenes who helps make the Sidious Mag Podcast happen. 781 00:38:51,560 --> 00:38:53,480 If you enjoyed today's episode, a quick five star review on 782 00:38:53,480 --> 00:38:57,360 Apple Podcast or Spotify helps people find this show and we 783 00:38:57,360 --> 00:38:59,240 read every single one. You can find 784 00:38:59,240 --> 00:39:03,080 muchmoretrackandfieldcoverage@sidiousmag.com and you can follow along across 785 00:39:03,080 --> 00:39:04,640 all of Sidious Mag social channels. 786 00:39:04,840 --> 00:39:06,960 We'll see you next time. Thanks again for listening.