Jennifer Barringer couldn't have asked for a better year. After winning her second-consecutive Florida 4A State Cross Country title and running a Florida all-time 5k cross country best of 16:55, Barringer went on to record the second-fastest time ever for a Florida girl, running 10:18.84 in the 3,200m. Most recently, she won the Foot Locker South Regional in Charlotte, North Carolina by 14 seconds. Her only loss this season was by one second, to Katelyn Kaltenbach, at the Great American Cross Country Festival in Cary, North Carolina. Friday, the enthusiastic Barringer, talked about the race.

Jennifer Barringer (Photo: Alison Wade/New York Road Runners)

Ricky Quintana: How are you feeling?
Jenny Barringer: Really good. I feel really strong today.

RQ: You've had a chance to walk the course, what do you think about it now?
JB: This is a tough course. This is a really strong course. It's great for Nationals because it is going to challenge each girl. The hill is tough, but I'm not worried about it.

RQ: Going over the course, is this what you expected?
JB: No, actually. I really hadn't read about what the course was going to be like. I heard [about it] from a couple of people. It's a little harder than I thought it was going to be, but with the rolling hills and the downhill and stuff, I think it's going to be a really big race.

RQ: Is that going to change your race strategy?
JB: Not really, no. I had a good strategy coming into the regional race, and then I made up a strategy coming here, so I'm just going to stick with it.

RQ: Can you give me some insight into what that's going to be?
JB: [Laughing] Well, my biggest thing is that I'm not going to allow the girls out here to determine my race. I know what my splits are going to be and that's what I'm going to do, no matter if they go out fast or go out slow. I'm just going to stick with what's worked all year, because it's worked so far.

RQ: What kind of time do you expect to win this race
JB: Zoe Nelson won with a 17:30 last year, and she's an extremely strong runner, so I expect it to be somewhere around there.

RQ: You've raced against some of the top girls this year. Has that given you confidence?
JB: Yeah, racing at Great American gave me confidence the whole entire year. And, of course, my success at the state meet this year... All the experiences change you and it's really given me a lot of confidence. I know I can come out here and be competitive tomorrow.

RQ: You have time to let the 10:18.84 sink in. What do you think about that now?
JB: I still can't believe that I did that. That was an amazing time. The biggest thing about that time isn't necessarily the time, but that I ran competitively with people and it didn't intimidate me. That's my biggest fear coming out here; I don't run with girls, generally, so running with people — whether I can deal with that or [whether I] let it intimidate me — is important. That 10:18 really convinced me that running with people is only going to improve my times.

RQ: You've had a long season with great efforts and times. Are you still feeling fresh?
JB: I still feel really good. I'm ready for a break after this, [but] I still feel really good. I think this is the perfect time for me to be running my national race. I still feel really fit and I'm ready for tomorrow.

RQ: Who are the girls that you are going to be looking for tomorrow?
JB: Obviously, the four girls who won their regions... All four of us should definitely be up there. I think we might have a few surprises. I think Nationals does that to us.

RQ: What are going to be the key places on the course?
JB: One place that I really saw that could be kind of tricky was the hill, obviously. I think a lot of people are going to be focusing on that. But, I think once you go up the hill and take a right, and go up a second little slope, I think that's going to be a key part of the race. Also, carrying through on the downhill is really important. The whole race is really up and down and it creates a really difficult situation. There's not really a good place for a runner to break away. That's good in a sense because that's going to mentally challenge everyone. It's also bad because you have to adjust your plan to the course.

RQ: You have a lot of good kickers here. You have to face Katelyn Kaltenbach again. Are you going to let it come down to a kick again?
JB: Honestly, I know the splits I want to do and if I run the time that I have set for myself, I'll be just fine. If it comes down to a kick, I'm just going to give my all and the results will speak for themselves.

RQ: Do you think sub-17:00 is possible on this course?
JB: I think anything is possible on this course with the talent that we have. There's incredible talent out here. There's at least five or six girls with the potential to win this race... The times are so competitive, we're all going to push each other. It wouldn't surprise me if we all went under 17.

RQ What would be your prediction for the winning time?
JB: Like I said, Zoe Nelson won with a 17:30 and the course record is under 17, so I really don't know. It depends on the weather and how we feel tomorrow. I think low 17s, high 16s would be a winning time for tomorrow.