Pre-Season XC Q&A: Skyler Bollinger
MileSplit: You will compete for the great (!) Great Oak squad in the fall. Were you considering other schools? How did you and your parents decide on Great Oak?
Skyler Bollinger: We looked at what schools were in the area and wanted to find one with strong academics and a good running program, so when we found out Great Oak was in the area we were very excited to have the opportunity to go there. They are clearly one of the best teams in the country and have the best academic programs in the area so it was the obvious choice.
How closely do you follow the national XC scene and how much do you know about the Great Oak program, who many peg as the top team heading into the 2015 season?
I followed the national xc scene fairly closely while living in Illinois and always stayed up to date on the top runners in the country so I definitely knew who Great Oak was but I didn't really have any idea that that would ever be an option to go there until we researched schools and found out it was near San Diego.
What are you most excited about as you head to this new program?
Heading into xc season I'm excited to have the opportunity to run against some of the best girls in the country and hopefully get some new PRs. I'm really excited about all the new meets I'll get to compete at, like Mt. Sac. This is my senior year so I'm hoping to continue improving and make some big jumps this season. Everyday at Great Oak you get to train with some of the best girls in the country and we get to push each other harder and harder, so I am excited to see how far we can go.
Not really sure who left this at my door but thank you!! Can't wait to start running with everyone! pic.twitter.com/bOuCgJRkzk
-- Skyler Bollinger (@SkyBollinger) July 7, 2015How is your summer training going? Have you been in touch with Coach Doug Soles to get workouts? Did you go to the team cross country camp?
I've only been training with the team for about 6 weeks and it has been a big adjustment from my previous training but so far it has been going very well. A week after I arrived we had our first time trial and from that I qualified for team camp in Mammoth, CA which was amazing! I've never been somewhere beautiful and the trails there, although very difficult at altitude, were so fun to run on.
How would you evaluate your fitness right now compared to past summers?
Its hard to evaluate where I am at because I'm not doing the same workouts so I can't really compare the ones this year to last years, but I feel good while I'm running and my workouts are getting better and better so I'm confident I'll be ready to go when we start racing.
What are your goals for cross country and track this year?
For xc my main goal is to be a top 7 runner for Great Oak and be able to compete at state and NXN. For track my goal is to go sub 4:50 in the mile and to qualify for the state finals.
What is the biggest difference between Lockport, IL and Temecula, CA?
Yorkville and Temecula are pretty much night and day in most ways. Temecula is really really hot and there are a ton more hills than in Illinois. Illinois is basically one big corn field so the mountains and palm trees are definitely a nice change in scenery. I think what I'm most looking forward to not having to run on my treadmill all winter because of 2 feet of snow and -30 degree wind chill.
