Aug. 30, 2005
SAN DIEGO - SDSU Moderator: We would like to welcome Jennifer Nanista and Christal Cuadra to today's chat. Coach and Christal will be here to answer questions for the next hour.
Dan (Temecula): How many miles does your team run each week?
Assistant Coach Jennifer Nanista: 35-60 miles a week, depending on their year in school and if they are a middle-distance runner or a long-distance runner. Bill (Boston, Mass.): How difficult is it running against athletes that train in high altitude?
Assistant Coach Jennifer Nanista: It's challenging, because our conference meet is always at high altitude. So the athletes that train at altitude tend to be able to handle it better and when they do come down to sea-level, they have the advantage of more blood cells. Jill (Pacific Beach): Christal, what is your favorite course to run and why?
Christal Cuadra: My favorite course is the Stanford course, because it is a very exciting race. There is great competition, tons of fans and it is a challenging course. Christi (Glendale): Coach,what do you do to prepare the runners before the start of a race?
Assistant Coach Jennifer Nanista: We discuss race strategy and I like to highlight their strengths and make them aware of any weaknesses in their race that they need to focus on. For example, running in the belly of the race. Shauna (Carmel Valley): Christal, do you plan to race competitively after graduation?
Christal Cuadra: Yes, but in longer distances like the marathon and ultra-marathons. Rich (Santa Monica): Hi Christal, I have a two-part question: Were you always a distance runner, and if not, was there a turning point where you felt you were better suited to run distance?
Christal Cuadra: Yes, I've always been a distance runner, because I was never fast enough to run the shorter distances. I almost didn't make my cross country team the first year and they stuck me in the slow distance events. The turning point was the first year I ran and I was so sick of getting last. My goal was to make it on my varsity team that year and I did. I worked really hard, running mega-mileage, even with my backpack, and I made the varsity team the last meet. Then I stayed on the varsity team throughout my high school career. Kyle (San Diego): Coach, what was your favorite moment as a collegiate runner?
Assistant Coach Jennifer Nanista: My favorite moment was my senior year in college. I had been injured almost the entire season with a stress fracture and at the conference meet, I wound up repeating as the runner-up in the 800. We only lost the whole entire meet by 13 points. We should have won conference that year! Mary (San Diego): Christal, what kind of shoes do you run in, and how many pair do you use during the season?
Christal Cuadra: I have four pairs of training shoes for one cross country season. I also have one lightweight trainer and one for racing. I like to run with a lightweight neutral cushion shoe, especially running around State, when I'm running on the roads. Brennan (Encinitas): Coach Nanista,What made you decide to get into coaching after college?
Assistant Coach Jennifer Nanista: Actually I was a business major and continued training and competing after college. When I returned back to school to get my masters in marketing. I started grad assisting with the track and cross country team and found that I had a true passion for coaching and a natural ability for it. Cori (San Diego): Christal, what did you do over the summer? Did you take a break from running or did you try to stay in shape?
Christal Cuadra: I took a full six weeks off because I was trying to recover from two stress fractures I had in my lower tibia. I started back really slowly, just running every other day and aqua jogging and swimming like a maniac. After a month of doing that, I started doing a lot of training on the trails, where my dad would follow me on his bike. I started working out with the high school team the last few weeks. I was going crazy not being able to run, but the last two months I trained hard. The six weeks I took off was probably the best thing I have ever done. I feel refreshed now. Jay (La Jolla): Coach, what do you and the team do to pass the time on road trips?
Assistant Coach Jennifer Nanista: If we are driving on a long drive, we play games. If we have downtime before a meet, we go to the movies or the mall. Julie (Bay Park): Hey there Christal, Do you listen to any music when you practice and if so, what is your favorite song you like to run to?
Christal Cuadra: Hi! We aren't allowed to listen to music when we are running. It's cool because you can listen to your breathing and your heart. Before meets, I like AC/DC and also hardcore rap. Rick (Las Vegas): Hi coach, aside from location, what are some other selling points you try to impress on recruits?
Assistant Coach Jennifer Nanista: We have a solid tradition in athletics. We push academics very hard, graduating 100 percent of our cross country athletes. Also, we have several athletes who have been able to continue their career after college through our running club. My training program has led most of my athletes to set personal bests through different training techniques. Christal Cuadra: What sold me on being coached by Jennifer Nanista was that she broke traditional running thought of high mileage and long slow runs. She sold me on the idea that if we did more speed, and train at a higher-intensity level, that we could rise to a higher level. SDSU Moderator: Keep the questions coming! We have time for about 20 more minutes. Erin (Alpine): What types of injuries to distance runners encounter? Have you both suffered any and how long was your rehab?
Assistant Coach Jennifer Nanista: We both have had stress fractures in the tibia. This is a very common distance injury that generally starts out as shin splints. Depending on the severity, it can take 4-6 weeks to recover. Plantar fasciitis is also very common and can often take a long time to heal. Nate (San Diego): Christal, what kind of shape are you in heading into the season? What was your mileage like this summer?
Christal Cuadra: I think I'm in the best shape that I have ever been, both physically and mentally. Everything is strong and I have matured as a runner. Once I recovered from my injury, the max I reached was 70 miles for a week. Jerry (La Mesa, CA): Do most of the cross country athletes also compete for the track team?
Assistant Coach Jennifer Nanista: All of the cross country athletes compete in track. It is a very important aspect of their training. Conversely, all of the middle-distance runners compete in cross country to help improve their base. Tracey (Santee): Hey Christal, what's the most extreme weather you've had to race in?
Christal Cuadra: The most traumatizing weather I've ever run in was my freshman year at BYU. It was 30 degrees and I wasn't prepared for the cold weather. Every time I breathed in, it burned. Being from Hawaii, I brought the warmest jacket I could find, which was a thin, jean shirt. Afterwords, my dad bought me a nice ski jacket. Paul (Solana Beach): Coach, does your team go through an extensive training period before the season, or are the runners expected to train on their own over the summer?
Assistant Coach Jennifer Nanista: I am not permitted to work directly with the athletes until late-August. So I send them an extensive training program which they are expected to do on their own during the summer. I check in periodically to make sure they are on track. Our races begin within the first couple of weeks and the season only lasts for two and one-half months, so they need to come in fit. Becky (Normal Heights): Hi Christal, do you and your teammates go through any rituals to get pumped up before a race?
Christal Cuadra: We have a team cheer before the start that we do. The night before a race we usually get together at a teammate's house and have a pasta dinner. We get pumped up for the next day. Sara (San Diego): What do you eat before a race?
Christal Cuadra: My pre-race meal consists of a bagel with peanut butter and a banana. I also try to drink lots of water the day before the meet. The morning of the meet, I switch between water and gatorade. Daniel (San Diego): Christal, I heard that using a slip and slide is a great way to train for endurance athletes. Whats is your opinion on this?
Christal Cuadra: It helps develop the lats and also builds up a lot of the core muscles. It is also a very-good race simulation for those rainy and muddy races. Kids don't try this at home. John (El Cajon): Christal - Is it harder for you to run in the heat and humidity of your home state of Hawaii or when you compete in the Mountains at somewhere like BYU?
Christal Cuadra: I love running back home. I am anti-altitude and cold. Jamie (San Diego): Hey Jennifer, I was wondering if you are exact on your training workouts. For example, would it be 0.8 miles or 1,200 meters? The difference is only about 0.5 tenths of a mile, but I was curious. Thanks!
Assistant Coach Jennifer Nanista: Well Jamie, I feel as long as we consistently run the same thing each time, then we will get an accurate indication of what kind of progress the athlete is making. I am much more precise when we run on the track. SDSU Moderator: All right Aztec fans, we have time for two more questions. Brandy (San Diego): Christal,what's been your favorite class so far at SDSU?
Christal Cuadra: I'm going to go with geology. I took a geology lab class and I never realized that rocks could be so fun. Mark (San Diego): What are your expectations for the 2005 squad?
Assistant Coach Jennifer Nanista: I feel like we have the strongest team we've ever assembled. Our goal is to finish in the top 3 in conference and place in the top 10 at the NCAA Western Regionals with one or two athletes qualifying for the NCAA Championships. SDSU Moderator: Ok, that's all the time we have. Thanks for your great questions. Assistant Coach Jennifer Nanista: Thanks for your interest. Those are all excellent questions and hopefully you can all come out and support your Aztecs on September 17 at 8 a.m. at Balboa Park.
Christal Cuadra: See you on the slip and slide, don't forget to check goaztecs.com to see how we are doing!