Coming into the season what were your expectations for your team? (Last year the Lewiston Blue Devils were the 2007 Class A Champions, led by Mohamed Noor & Sadam Abdi, however Noor graduated & Abdi moved to Minnesota). Now that you guys have race and are undefeated have those expectations changed? What do you think is the biggest reason for your success?
The expectations were still high because we knew we had the depth to be a contender. It was going to be extremely difficult because Sadam is such a good runner, and leader. Losing him was probably the biggest loss. The expectations are pretty much the same. We want to win the state championship, but it's going to be hard because Scarborough is so deep and just because Cheverus has so many injuries right now they are deep and talented that I wouldn't count them out. The biggest reason for success so far is how hard everyone is working.
The KVAC is filled with some of the states top distance runners. With all the talent around you, does it motivate you to train harder? Who is your biggest rival? What are your individual goals for the season?
Yeah it definitely motivates me to train harder because I want to win, and I'm sure it’s the same for all of them. I wouldn’t really call them rivals but pretty much the whole junior class. All of them are amazing runners and competitors. The individual goal is to win states but I will be happy with top 5.
Last year you had some issues at the State meet, you lost one of your shoes early on, but still went on to finish 36th which was key to your team winning. What did you think when it came off? Did you ever think about stopping to put it back on? What were you thinking mentally as you progressed in the race, as you had to run through the mud and wet course? At any point did you think about dropping out?
When my shoe came off I thought the worse. I didn't think we were going to win. Right when it first came off I thought about putting it back on but I decided against it because it would take too much time and I might not be able to recover from it. The longer the race went on the more exhausted I got because I was using so much energy to keep my balance because it was so slippery going down hills and through the puddles. I never thought about dropping out. I knew that even if we don't win we have a good chance at going to the New England Championship and being able to actually show how good we are. I also wanted to finish because there was a chance that we could win.
Being a top distance runner isn’t easy, you have to put in the miles and do all the work, you can’t fake it. What’s a regular training week look like for you? What is your favorite workout to run? How about what’s the one workout you dread, rumor has it you have done some pretty tough workouts?
A regular training week starts with repeats of whatever Putnam comes up with, then we do Fartleks, we have a hill day, and then we have a day for just distance. I'd go into more detail but I'd rather not deal with Coach Putnam.
What has your Coach meant to the Lewiston XC program?
Coach Putnam turned the whole program around. His first year as the XC coach was Leeman's and my first year running. From what I heard from upperclassmen that Putnam's training was way harder than what they had been getting from the former coach. That first year we won the regional meet. Then the next year we finished 2nd in regionals and 3rd in states. He made the program what it is today.
Since you’re a senior, do you have any idea where you’re going to go to college next year? Do you plan on continuing your running?
I'm not 100% sure on where I am going yet. Coach Putnam and I are still working on it. I do plan on continuing my running at college.