Fast-Women.com: How did you feel about today's race and how did it go out there?
Alissa McKaig: I was disappointed with how I did. You know, everyone tells you it's awesome just to get here, but still, you know, there's always that little bit where you're just disappointed... So I wasn't really happy with how I ended up. I thought I should have run better, but you don't have a good race every [time].

FW: Do you have any thoughts as to what you could have done differently, or was it just not there for you today?
AM: I think I just kind of lost a little focus in the middle of the race. I should have gone with people as they passed me and I just didn't. It was just a combination of lots of little things, it wasn't really any one moment where I just completely messed up, it was just kind of that I...didn't feel really good today. It just didn't really work out.

FW: Was it hard not having been here before, you think?
AM: I think so. I wish I could have made it last year, have another year... But just not knowing what to expect, I just wasn't really sure how everything worked and I think it would have been nice to have made it last year to have that experience. But you run courses that you don't know [all the time], so you can't really use that as an excuse. I just messed up (laughs).

FW: But just being here gives you a little more experience for the future.
AM: Yeah, it was really fun. I'm so glad I made it, just to meet all these awesome runners and just to be here...

FW: Do all (three) of you Indiana runners get along well?
AM: Yeah, it's fun. [Katie Harrington] and I raced a lot indoors and Racheal (Marchand) is awesome, we get along really well. It's just fun, we're good friends too, so...

FW: Do you have teammates who are as serious about running as you are, or are you pretty much on your own in that?
AM: No, there are two other girls on my team who are really good and they're really focused, so that helps. They kept training through Regionals and everything, so it was nice to have them to race with, and have someone else going through the same things.

FW: You're one of the runners who was involved with Amy Yoder Begley, right?
AM: Yeah.

FW: Can you tell us a little about how you came to be involved with Amy and Andrew Begley and what they've done for you?
AM: ...Her hometown is just like 30-40 minutes from my house, they're really involved with different [young runners] in their community. They just got involved with us, too — the two other girls from my school and me. We went to their camp... We just stayed at their house for a while this summer and just ran with them and hung out... We didn't really talk much running, we just watched movies and hung out. It's just really nice to know that they care.

FW: Do they coach you?
AM: It's just more like they sent me a postcard from Australia just wishing me luck for this... My coach is a teacher at my school, they just kind of send e-mails...

FW: So it more like just having a little extra support on the side.
AM: Yeah, it's just support, it's not like they're coaching me at all, they just support the different runners in our area.

FW: Amy talked about how she was encouraging some of you to go after her state (3,200) record... Is that something you're targeting this year?
AM: It's definitely something I really want to do. Last year I just kind of got really tired because I raced a lot... But this year we're going to do things a little differently and [put in] a little more base in the winter, just try some different things and maybe try to break that record. It's definitely a goal...

FW: Are you going to take a break now?
AM: Yeah, I think I'm going to take at least 10 days off, and just maybe bike or swim, just crosstrain a little bit... I definitely need a break, I'm ready to just kind of relax a little bit.

FW: Did you plan your season to peak for Foot Locker, or were you focusing more on the state meet?
AM: We definitely had this meet in mind. I think the state meet was more...kind of what we were concentrating on, but we definitely had December 13th in mind the whole way.

FW: We were just talking to Katie Harrington about the USA Junior Cross Country Championships in Indianapolis. Are you thinking about doing that at all?
AM: I'll probably just give it a shot because it's in Indy and it's only two hours away... February! It's probably going to be pretty cold (laughs) but I think I'm going to try it, just for the heck of it...get more experience under my belt...