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Interview with Kailin Collins and Kate Rizzolo
Kailin Collins and Kate Rizzolo have put a lot of commitment into their running. Whether its trying to bust out a 50+ mile week or polishing off repeat 800M's on the track, it is clear that they have been focused on some pretty serious goals. Having been successful last Saturday, both as individuals and by leading their team to the state finals in Gardner, I thought it would be interesting to catch up with them and ask a few questions.
I was more than a little intrigued with how they got where they are? Without making them give up too many team secrets I started the questioning.
The mind of an athlete is an interesting computer. Much of the time it is the definition of logic when it comes to training, but defies logic when it comes to performance. First I wanted to look at the training.

northrunning : Go back in your thinking to the middle of your summer. Put your starting goals into perspective for me.

Collins : I started this season with one long-term goal: to be state champion. My immediate goal was to stay focused on the state meet; not to taper my mileage for invitational meets no matter how prestigious they may be.

Rizzolo : In the middle of summer I was trying to gain a little more speed for my finishing kick. Of course we were doing the regular training but we changed it up a bit with a fast workout every week in the summertime. I hoped to gain a lot of strength this year in the end of my race. As far as time goals, my only goal was to break my personal bests, namely at the Brown Invitational, Franklin Park, and Borderland. My PRs from the latter two courses went all the way back to sophomore year; I knew I couldn't let myself graduate if I couldn't better my performances from a sophomore to a senior. As for Brown, I really wanted to run a great time there because it's a fast course and basically whatever I ran there would probably be my XC 5K PR. I was also hoping to improve on a bunch of my placements in the Hock Championship meet and Class B's, to name two.

northrunning : Coming into the Class Meet, where did you honestly feel your team would place?

Collins :   At the class meet, I knew our team could qualify, but D3 has some very strong teams (i.e., Feehan, Wellesley, Marblehead) I was really impressed with our third place finish. Athletes like Katie Meagher have come such a long way.

Rizzolo : I was really hoping we would win, but I wasn't about to "count our chickens before they hatched" as the saying goes. I thought realistically we would be able to get second.

northrunning to Collins : What teams were you keying on?

Collins : For the class meet we were keying in on Feehan. They are a very deep team. To be 7 points off of second is a huge accomplishment for Mansfield.

I did a lot of homework before this meet including data-basing every Franklin Park time run this year and cross referencing it with Borderland times. I knew that Franklin was going to be closer to Concord-Carlisle than the times would show, but I still had CC winning by thirty points. Yet Franklin pulled out the win. Didn't they understand the #'s?

northrunning : What did your preparation look like the week leading up to the Class Meet? What do you think about your mental preparation leading up to the meet?

Collins : My mileage did not drop for the week of the class meet because I'm running at Foot Locker. I ran two solid workouts and some good distance. Mentally, I had to accept the weather; it was a factor that everyone had to face, and use it to my advantage.

Rizzolo : The Class meet is what we gear up for all season long, so I had been thinking of Novemeber 13th since the beginning of the season. I try not to dwell too much on the meet early in the week because I don't want to psych myself out or anything. Definitely by the day before I was thinking about what I had to do.

northrunning to Rizzolo : I and many other people thought C-C was a lock to win. What do you think about that?

Rizzolo : Sweeney is really good about scouting other teams. He told us all the CC girls' times and places at Franklin Park so we could know what we were up against. Hearing the times of their solid top five was a bit daunting, but I also thought we had a reasonable chance of pulling off a victory. Of course, I didn't let myself focus on which team would win, we had to run the race first!

northrunning to Rizzolo : How did Coach Sweeney get you ready for the meet both mentally and physically?


Rizzolo : By this point in the season our team is at peak shape, so anything we do is just to maintain. I think on Monday or Tuesday he told us the CC girls' previous times at Franklin Park. Every day we would casually remind us of what we had to do on Saturday. Our workout on Tuesday was pretty easy, we just ran 2 200s in 45, then a fast 800, then 2 more 200s. These kind of workouts are kind of a confidence booster as well, which makes you feel better going into a race if you've got a strong workout behind you.

northrunning to Rizzolo : Does he predict?


Rizzolo : Haha, Sweeney doesn't predict to us. Actually, he predicted all of our times for the invitational, and he was only about 6 seconds off at most. As far as the Class meet, he told us we had a shot but it was going to be a major battle. We already had weathered battles; he just told us the magnitude of the race was "greater than Mansfield". That pretty much summed up how big the race was.

northrunning to Collins: What did you do to get ready the night before the meet ?

Collins : Friday night my mom called from Maine where she was for the Division 3 college regional meet. All she said was go out and buy 1/2in spikes. Unfortunately Bishop Feehan had bought DB Sports out of their 1/2in spikes an hour before, so I was sporting 5/8in spikes.

Now to one of my favorite subjects, the pre-race meal.

northrunning to Collins: What was your pre-meet meal on Friday night?

Collins : Pasta.

Well I guess she was honest but I have to tell you, I just wasn't satiated by the answer. So I thought I'd try it on Riz.

northrunning to Rizzolo : What was your pre-meet meal on Friday night?

Rizzolo : Saturday was my mom's birthday so we went out on Friday to Olive Garden. I had some pasta with shrimp, salad, and bread.

That was a little better. But I still wonder what kind of salad dressing she uses?

I guess I have to just imagine! Maybe they'll be a little more forthcoming about race day! 

northrunning :  What time did you wake up Saturday and what did you think when you looked out the window?

Collins : I woke up at 8:45, and didn't look out the window. My coach called me and told me the meet had been canceled...that was when I looked outside. She laughed and told me she was just kidding. It was a great joke.

Rizzolo : I woke up at 6:30 so I would have time to eat breakfast. When I looked out the window I was very bitter that it was still snowing, but I put it out of my head because I KNEW the MIAA would not cancel the meet. Then Sweeney called and told me "Get your huge spikes, you're running".

northrunning : How about once you got to FP? Did the snow worry you and what did you do to adjust to it?

Collins : I was pumped to run, and I wasn't going to let the weather change that. It was comical though. When we arrived and realized things had been pushed back 30 minutes, Katie and I started looking for ways to keep warm. We hopped onto the empty Weston bus - as usual our bus was MIA.

Rizzolo : Once I knew that we were definitely running in snow, I stopped complaining because everyone was running in the same conditions. When we got to Franklin Park we stayed on the bus because it was warm, and we really delayed our warmup. Usually our teams warms up about and hour-45 minutes before, on Saturday we warmed up a half hour before so to prevent ourselves from geting cold again.

northrunning : Were you concerned about your choices regarding spikes and attire? Who made the final decisions?

Collins : I wasn't worried much about my spikes and attire. With the 5/8 I knew I was going to get as much traction as possible, and with attire, I'm the kind of runner who would rather be over dressed than underdressed.

Rizzolo : I was wearing a ridculous amount of clothes while waiting around and warming up (Underarmour, hat, uniform, spandex, long sleeved shirt, sweatshirt, scarf, mittens, track jacker, track pants... and snow boots). Regarding our race attire, Sweeney bought us white gloves, which I later threw off and lost in the snow. I bought new spikes the night before that were almost a 1/2", Coach Sweeney lets us bring our own but he checked them just to make sure. Regarding underarmour, last year our team had different colors and at All States the officials made Jill and I peel it off in 30 degree conditions. We learned our lesson and made sure the whole varsity team bought white under armour.

Now on to the real nitty-gritty. How did they think they were going to do individually?

northrunning to Rizzolo : Based on times run this year, I had you as 5th seed (although I thought you'd be third) What did you think? (she ended up second)

Rizzolo : I tried to keep my mind away from the actual outcome of the race. I know I can only control what I do, so that's what I try to focus on when I mentally prepare. I was thinking the best I could possibly get was third, so I was shooting for that prior to the race.

northrunning to Collins: Had the weather been good, what were you trying to run for a time? Given the weather conditions, how'd you feel about the time you ran?

Collins : Had the weather been good I was going for 18:30's. I knew given the competition that it was very likely. But this is cross country. Place is more important than time.

And how did it turn out?

northrunning : Take me thru the race. How'd you feel, when did you make your moves and how did your pre-race strategy work out? What part did the weather play?

Rizzolo : The first 100 yards (the first opening field) was ridiculous. The snow was not packed down, it was all over the place and very cumbersome. I was far back around the opening turn; I was a little wary that CC had 5 girls in front of me. I was stuck behind three of them until the 1/2 mile. From there until after bearcage I was by myself in no-mans-land with a pack about 10-20 feet behind me. I was trying to catch up to Emily Tran from Sharon so I could have someone pushing me.  I was hoping before the race that I could stay with her because I've raced her before and she's a great competitor. I passed Tran at the two mile mark and slowly just kept the pace up until the first backstop, where I started kicking it in. The only part of the weather that was a little hard to deal with was the snow in the beginning of the race and the wilderness loop- it was a mess of ice snow and mud. It wasn't that bad though, it was actually kind of fun.

northrunning : Take me thru the race. How'd you feel, when did you make your moves and how did your pre-race strategy work out? What part did the weather play?

Collins : I went into the race with no strategy. When it started to snow Friday night, I decided that I was just going to enjoy my last high school meet at FP. This season I've really worked on my strength: physical and mental, and I felt strong throughout the entire race. The work is starting to pay off

northrunning to Collins : Who did you think was your biggest individual competition? Did you know Alexandra Krieg ahead of time? When did you know you had her beaten?

Collins : Yes, I knew Alexandra before Saturday. We have had some good battles (i.e., Outdoor 2 mile class meet: I ran 11:20 and she 11:21) Having her in the race allowed me to run as fast as I did in the adverse conditions. Mentally, I told myself I had the race from the start. Believing in yourself is the first step, and the most important one.

Time to look forward to this weekend.

northrunning : What are your goals for this Saturday, both individual and team?

Collins : This Saturday, our team should be top five, and with a good day all around 3rd. Individually, well, you know.

Rizzolo : I hope our team can pull off another victory against CC. Personally, I just want I run my best

northrunning : Have you ever been on the Gardner course? What are you doing to prepare? Are you going to get to see the course this week?

Collins : I have never been to the Gardener course. I continue to concentrate on my training, and trying to get enough sleep this week to prepare. We are going up Friday afternoon to see the course

Rizzolo : I've never been to the Gardner course. On Friday both the girls and boys XC teams are going up to check it out.

Kailin is Class C champion and looking to challenge for a Division 2 state championship. Does she appreciate how she got where she is?

northrunning to Collins :  Looking at where you are now and where you started, what do you think is most responsible for you reaching this high level of success?

Collins : I've had a great support system that has allowed me to reach this level of success: parents coaches and team. Also the Mansfield boys team has been instrumental. I did a lot of training with them this year.

Kate was second in Class B. She has come a long way as well. How?

northrunning to Rizzolo :  Looking at where you are now and where you started, what do you think is most responsible for you reaching this high level of success?

Rizzolo : From last year to this year I made a lot of drastic changes in the way I physically and mentally prepare for a race. Physically, last year I was mess. I didn't take care of my body the way I should, I ate little meals and lots of bad snacks, and it was pretty obvious in my performances. The first real scare for me was the Girls Invitational 2mile in Outdoor track. I was running a personal best until the last 200 until I seriously "hit the wall". I finally collapsed 10 meters from the starting line, got up, finished, and collapsed again. Then I spent an hour in the medical tent. I really learned my lesson from that, and I started hydrating myself better the night before races and eating better period. It really has made a difference in the way I feel during races. As far as mentally, I really try to avoid approaching races from a "what if" kind of mentality. I really try to focus on myself in races, and not worry about who else is in it. That's how I have changed since I first began racing. Another factor that is really paying off now was that I took a whole month off between june and July. It really gave my body a chance to rest and recover from 3 years of nonstop training. Then finally I would say that Sweeney does an excellent job of giving us the workouts we are best acclimated for as a team.

Kailin and Riz will be in different races this weekend. How do they feel about that?

northrunning to Collins : How do you feel being in a different race than most of the other top Hockomock runners? Do you wish they were in your race?

Collins : At this point of the season, I like racing against different new competitors. After the dual meets and league meet, it's a nice change. Being in a different race, I also have an opportunity to cheer for the friends I've made in this league.

northrunning to Rizzolo : How do you feel about being in a different race than Kailin.? Do you wish you were running together?

Rizzolo : Honestly, I never even see Collins in a race. That girl flies. I may have liked to run with her for the opening mile, but honestly, she's so good. I was really glad that Emily Tran from Sharon was in my race, because she's a really good runner and we seem to have traded off all season.

Any last words to each other?

northrunning to Collins : Do you have anything you'd like to say to Riz before the race?

Collins : I wish Katie Rizzolo and the Franklin team the best of luck. Their achievements show what a great league we compete in.

northrunning to Rizzolo : Do you have anything to say to Kailin before the race?

Rizzolo : Kailin, I wish you the best of luck on Saturday, go for a state championship! I would love to be able to say the All State champion is in my league!

northrunning would like to take this opportunity to thank Kailin and Kate for taking time off from there busy schedule to answer these questions. They have come a long way in high school and have represented the Hockomock League at the highest levels of competition and with incredible integrity. I wish them success on Saturday in Gardner and throughout the rest of their career. You make us proud.