Oct. 23, 2014
Getting to Know Cross Country's Chris Capeau
The Basics
Name: Chris Capeau
Title: Assistant Coach - Mid-Distance/Distance
Colleges: San Diego Mesa College and Cal State San Marcos
Season at SDSU: Third season
On how he got into running:
"When I was younger, all of the kids living in my neighborhood would talk about who could run the most laps around the block. The kids would be on their bikes, skateboards and everything, and I ended up outrunning everyone. I didn't think anything of it and didn't start running until middle school. Everyone in Texas where I grew up was playing football but I wasn't a very big kid. I was a skinny guy and remembered running as a kid so I went out, started running and it grew from there."
On running during high school:
"My high school coach believed in me because I came from a background of poverty. Growing up, I wasn't often told that I could do something like that. I probably could have been a lot better than what I was, but unfortunately with bouncing around a lot and different things going on like working full time during high school, it was definitely hard to juggle it all. But, I knew running was something I wanted to do and wanted to do going into college."
On starting out at San Diego Mesa College, then being recruited to CSU San Marcos:
"Out of high school, I was recruited by Central Arkansas but they contacted me and told me they wanted me to be a longer distance guy so it was something I put off. I didn't contact any schools because I wasn't told or taught to reach out and contact any of them. I ended up working on my own and after three years, I moved to San Diego and lived with one of my friends who was stationed here with the Navy. I got my residency after a year and started attending San Diego Mesa. Coach (Thom) Hunt (Mesa) was friends with Coach Steve Scott (CSU San Marcos) and led me towards running for Coach Scott. Coach Hunt deserves a lot of the credit because he got me back into shape after being out of high school for three years. I knew running was something I wanted to do. I remember seeing the counselor in college and she asked me what if I didn't run in college but I thought to myself, I'm going to run somewhere. I don't care where it is. There is no what if. I didn't care if it was a small or big school, I knew I wanted to run."
On being coached by the legendary distance runner Steve Scott:
"I didn't do much research on Coach Scott but Coach Hunt educated me about him. Coach Scott is a good, down-to-earth and humble guy. You would have never known that he was the American record-holder in the mile. He doesn't like to throw around his name."
On how he ended up as the volunteer coach at University of Texas:
"That's where I believed persistence came into play. I reached out to my friend Tia Martinez who lived in Austin and who connected me with Steve Sisson, who was the women's head coach at the University of Texas, after a race she ran.
"After talking to him, she gave me his contact information and I reached out to him. I joined him at the Olympic trials and that's where he told me he would let me know by mid-June if I had the position or not. After giving up on the fact I was going to receive a phone call from him, I started to apply to other managerial jobs in the restaurant business where I was working. Just as I started applying, he called and asked if I still wanted the position and I said yes." [MORE...summarized]
On what he learned being a coach at the University of Texas:
"The great part when I look back is that I got the chance to run at a community college where I learned a lot. I also got to run at NAIA school and then was able to coach there. From there, I started coaching at the Division I level. I realized that you really can do anything and achieve whatever you want. I realized in college you had to be there for other people, not just for yourself. You can sit there and get caught up in yourself but at the end of the day, I love seeing runners like Elaine (Ribeiro) where her best time was a 19:50 (5K) in high school, and now she is running a 17:54 in college after not even a year and a half with me. You can see the joy on her face. Watching seven out of 12 girls have lifetime PRs this past week was great to see. It clicked that you don't have to be the all-star in high school to be this all-star in college. I always reference Sara Sutherland, who is running at University of Colorado. In high school, she ran a 5:05 (mile) time and an 11:10 (2-mile) time and now in college, she runs a 15:50 in the 5K as an All-American. On paper, you wouldn't expect that. It made me realize that if you're willing to put the time and effort into these athletes, they will respond to it and grow from it. I remember Steve Sisson and (former Texas coach) Bev Kearney saying that you're there to achieve the most and be the best that you can be. It didn't matter what your background was. There were girls far better than Sara Sutherland on the team as far as their high school marks. What matters is what you want out of it."
How he ended up coaching at SDSU:
"I emailed (former Aztec assistant) Coach (Michael) Dunne and it just so happened that he was looking for a replacement because he would be leaving soon. That's where I say that life just puts you where you need to be. (SDSU) Coach (Shelia) Burrell contacted me and asked me about coming out. Things fell into place and I started coaching voluntarily at the same time having other jobs to support me. Even though I had three jobs and I was coaching, I knew this is what I wanted to do."
On the SDSU cross country team improving:
"I think it's all about getting the right girls. I've said it multiple times that we are a Division I program and I draw the line of what it takes. We still have work to do but we're progressing at a fair rate. I'm proud of the girls and what they've done. It took time to build that and get girls that are coming on board and want the same thing. Coach Burrell is a huge part because she supports me 100 percent through everything. As far as the team, they are all in it together and they all want to do well. You can see that. It's exciting."
On his coaching philosophy, a distance or a speed program:
"I would say I'm both because I use the track more than most distance coaches but I think it's important for them to see that they can run fast. The track is the only thing that's really relevant to running. If I take them somewhere to run up hills, through grass or mud, it's different from a course in Wyoming or Texas. Courses always change in cross country. My philosophy is that easy days are easy and hard days are hard. I want them to get the most they can when it's time to work and on the easy days, I want them to rest and recover. Over time it's inevitable that you're going to get better. You just have to keep putting in the time and effort where it counts. I do take a very individual stance - where you might run 45 minutes or an hour. I definitely go off time instead of mileage but I coach more mileage than time. Your 45 minutes might be seven miles where my 45 minutes might be 6 miles but at the end of the day, we both ran our relative 45 minutes. As girls join the program and the longer they are trained by me, the more they realize they're getting better.
"Elaine had huge improvements over the summer and she was here her entire freshmen year learning what works best for her. I'm there to coach them as much as I can but they have to find it for themselves, too. I believe in empowering them. I want them to have the voice if they want to speak up and tell me they would like to run a certain event. Even if I disagree, at the end of the day, if you want to do something, you're going to do well at it. If you don't want to do it, you're probably not going to do well.
"For a coach, it's important for them to know the difference between running hard and running easy. If we do 3-x-1-mile, I like to cut the rest so they are able to become faster. They never know what's coming and they prove it to themselves all the time. When you think you can't go anymore, you have way more than you think."
On peaking for the upcoming meets:
"I'm training them all the way to (NCAA West) regionals. We are still ranked ninth out of 11 teams (in the MW poll). We do have a great conference because we have two teams ranked in the Top 25 nationally. It's definitely a tough conference.
"We're also in the hardest region in the country as far as cross country having to compete against schools like UCLA, Stanford, Washington, Arizona and Arizona State. We're now starting our descent into the championship season. I expect them to run really well and surprise themselves. I know that they're ready to do run really well."
On improving the distance program:
"You come to San Diego State to get better. You come here to run well. If your goals aren't to compete at the next level, we are probably not the school for you. I want girls that know what it takes to come here, make an impact and do really well. We didn't bring any girls to (track and field) regionals last year and I said that wasn't going to happen again. Dynasty Gammage is running amazing times and she's a mid-distance runner. I would watch for her name. I think she's going to surprise some people. Our goal and what we want is to be at the national meets with the rest of the team, competing and providing points as well."
On goals for conference meet next week:
"The girls chose early in the season that they wanted to be in the top five. When you look on paper, we might be in the top six if things go well but I think we'll do everything in our power to get that. If we do get sixth place, I'll still be more than happy and proud of them. If we end up having a good day, I think we would be a fourth-place team. I know that we're going to compete and do our best. At the end of the day, I tell them to, 'Be the best you.' So next week when we go out there, I just want them all to do their best. I don't care what place we get, as long as they can walk away and say they did their best."
On indoor/outdoor goals:
"Our goal is to get a strong DMR (distance medley relay). It's going to take more girls to do that but we broke the record last indoor season and I definitely think we'll blow that record out of the water even more this coming season. With outdoor, I definitely want to get more girls at regionals. My ultimate goal would be to take Gammage and whoever else wants to come along. I would like to score at least 25 points on the distance side in our respective events."