Keeping Track of... Maggie Guiney
By Alison Wade

Maggie Guiney competes at the 2001 Iona Meet of Champions. (New York Road Runners)

Despite not taking up cross country until her senior year of high school, Maggie Guiney's run to the top was a quick one. She and her twin sister Cate have led Boston College's strong distance running contingent for much of the past three-and-a-half years. As a junior, Guiney finished 10th at the 2001 NCAA Cross Country Championships, leading BC to a sixth-place team finish. Since then, however, Guiney has redshirted a full year. We caught up with her on December 7th, 2002 to find out what's next.

Fast-Women.com: The last time we saw you compete on a national stage, you finished 10th at the 2001 NCAA XC meet. What has kept you out of competition since then?
Maggie Guiney: My coach had me redshirt the indoor track season just to take a rest and focus on outdoor track. During outdoor track I pulled a muscle in a workout following the Mt. Sac Relays, which ended my season. In June I was able to run easy again. I spent two months studying in Sweden this summer and while I was there I encountered all these nagging injuries. I think compensating from my track injury caused them. The injuries ranged from my IT band, to my hip flexor, to my SI joint. It was just one injury after the other. So when I returned to Boson in September, it was decided that it was best to redshirt the cross country season.

FW: How is your health right now and should we expect to see you competing on the track for BC this winter and spring?
MG: After some physical therapy I am completely healed of my injuries and have been running pain free for the past few months. My training has been conservative because my number one goal is to stay injury free. I actually competed in my first indoor track meet today; it was a low-key meet, more like a workout than a race. [Editor's Note: She won the mile in a duel meet against Harvard, running 4:59.97.] But I definitely am looking forward to competing this indoor and outdoor track season.

FW: Academically you're a senior but athletically you're only a junior, will you stay on at BC for a fifth year?
MG: I will definitely compete my fifth year. I am looking at a variety of graduate schools and am I am not yet certain where I will end up.

FW: What are you majoring in and where do you hope to go with it?
MG: I am majoring in finance and minoring in mathematics. I’m not sure what I want to do, I could picture myself doing so many different occupations, it’s so hard to decide!

FW: How have you handled this layoff both mentally and physically? Was it hard emotionally taking all of that time off?
MG: When I was injured this summer, I was studying in Sweden. I joined a five-star gym and after my frequent visits I became best friends with the entire staff. I actually enjoyed cross training. I would switch it up between pool workouts and elliptical. Sometimes I would do a spinning class for fun. The best part about doing the elliptical was that I could watch all the European track meets on TV while I worked out. I would get workouts from my coach via email. When I returned to BC this fall, I did strengthening exercises every day with the trainer.

Mentally I just tried to keep everything in perspective. Things could be a lot worse.

FW: How is Cate (who has also redshirted the past year) doing?
MG: Cate is doing really well. She’s injury free and running.

(Interview posted December 9, 2002)