Pre-Race Interview with Bobby Curtis, December 7, 2001

By Alison Wade

Bobby Curtis on his way to a 21st-place, 15:40 finish at the 2001 Foot Locker Cross Country Championships. (Alison Wade/New York Road Runners)

Bobby Curtis Bio

First of all, congratulations on qualifying again, what's it like to be back for a second time?
You enjoy the experience better because you know what to do, as far as all of the activities go, and how to do it. It gives you race experience as well so it's probably better the second time around.

At the beginning of the season you were running some extremely fast times and then you got sick?
I had a stomach infection.

How have things gone since then?
I had to take 10 days off - five days with no running and five days of crap running. I've been playing catch-up for the past month or so. I've been training pretty hard. I'm either going to have a good race and be caught up or have not tapered enough and have tired legs. But that's really all I could do to get back in shape. It's no big deal. I think I'm pretty much over it and will be ready to race tomorrow.

How did you feel at the South Regional?
I wasn't very confident, I hadn't raced since the state meet. I was just hoping to qualify; it was a big confidence boost for me to qualify.

Do you have a specific race plan for tomorrow?
It depends on what happens. Joking around, I just said to my coach, "I'm going to stay on TV as much as I can," be in the lead as much as I can and be there at the end. If they go out super-fast I'm not going to go with them. If someone's going to try to throw in crazy surges I probably won't go with them. I just want to stay close enough to the lead so that I can make a move at the end.

What do you think of this course in terms of how fast it is?
It's not really fast, it's kind of soft with the grass, it's not really good for running fast times... and the rolling hills, it's hard to get in the groove. It's not a bad course, it's really pretty and everything and there are no potholes or anything. It's a nice course but it's not that fast.

Who is your roommate while you're here?
Tony Truax.

What's it like rooming with your competitors?
It's cool just to meet them and learn how they're running and all that stuff. We'll probably keep in touch with all these people so it's really nice to get to know all these people.

Can you tell us a little about your training over the summer and then what you did during the season?
During the summer I did an eight-mile run in the morning and then a 10-12 mile run on Sundays. I would take days off occasionally. During the season I was doing like 5 x Mile early in the week, then a distance day, then a tempo run, then twelve 400s for six weeks. Then I got sick so I didn't really get to taper and do the speed I wanted to do. I got well again and then just started doing distance stuff and started doing longer intervals. Now I'm trying to get some speed in but I really haven't had the opportunity.

What kind of mileage were you hitting?
In the summer I was doing about 55-60 and during the season 45-50.

That's not a ton compared to some of your competition.
No.

But you're only a junior, do you think you'll do more next year?
I'm not going to step it up that much next year but I'll gradually increase so that I can have a good career in college and after that.

Have you started to look at colleges at all yet?
Not really. I can't talk to the coaches so I can't really get a feel for what the programs are about. In July they can contact me so I'll start thinking about it a little more then.

Do you have any goals for track season yet?
I just really want to improve my mile PR. I was disappointed with how I ran, after running fast indoors and then not translating that into a fast time outdoors. I want to improve my PRs by a lot in every event.

Do you have a specific time you want to hit?
Not really. When the season rolls around I'll think about all of that a little more.

Do you think a sub-4:00 mile is possible yet?
This year it would be a huge gift but I'll be disappointed in myself if I don't do it by the time I graduate.