Fast-Women.com: First of all, how does it feel to be back here after two years away?
Liza Pasciuto: Oh, it's awesome every time. My freshman year was overwhelming... Now that I'm a senior, I know the drill and I'm kind of helping other people. It's awesome to end my high school career here.

FW: Was it hard sitting at home the past two years?
LP: Oh definitely. Well, last year I came and watched because I live so close; I came and supported my friends Katelyn and Megan Kaltenbach. It was just hard being a spectator, it's like you're hurt, except it's actually just that you didn't qualify (laughs). It was hard, but I got over it...

FW: Was the West Regional a pretty intense experience for you this year, because you felt like you had to make it back as a senior?
LP: Yeah, everybody kind of put that pressure on me, but I think that this year, I've realized that I don't need to pay attention to the pressures. Everybody was kind of like, 'Oh, it would be cool if you made it back...' And of course it would be cool, but I wanted to do it for myself. I wanted to make it back for my own reasons.

FW: How does this season compare with all of your other cross country seasons?
LP: I think I can compare it most with my freshman year [in terms of] how I'm feeling. My freshman year, I didn't know what I was doing, so I ran really well. Now I'm really experienced and I'm looking forward to college, and this is kind of just my stepping stone. I think this is my best season... I'm more mature.

FW: What has kept you out of Nationals the last two years, has it mostly been injuries?
LP: My sophomore year, at the Western Regional, another girl and I collided. They said I hyperextended my knee, but it was really just like we bumped and [that] knocked it out of place or something. The next week, I was still running, so it was fine. Then last year, I just had a really bad race. I was in ninth place with like 250 meters to go, and then I just cruised in because I knew I wasn't going to make it. That was a bad attitude to have (laughs).

FW: Is there anyone here that was here when you were a freshman?
LP: No, because I was the only freshman [that] year. It's all new people.

FW: That seems so long ago, that was the year that Sara Bei won...
LP: Yeah, everyone was like, 'Wasn't that cool to [watch] that?' And I was like, 'I was running in that race!' But yeah, it was so long ago.

FW: So you've committed to [the University of Colorado] already, is it nice to have that out of the way?
LP: Yeah, definitely. I mean, it wasn't a burden being recruited, but all of the coaches want to know what you're doing... I fell in love with Colorado the second I stepped onto campus, so hopefully it will be a good fit. We're going to be really good next year, so I'm excited to be a part of a team like that.

FW: What's your training been like this season compared to other years?
LP: During cross country, I think I raised my mileage just a little bit this year. I did like 55-mile weeks over the summer and now I've just been doing like 30-35. I think I've raised the intensity more, like on long runs and things like that.

We have this thing where we have to do 90 minutes of [distance running], which is really long for a lot of other people, but it's [part of our training program] from Joe Vigil...

FW: So does Joe Vigil do a tailored program for your team?
LP: Yeah, one of our coaches, Tim Sall, ran for Adams State, so Coach Vigil came down to our school one day and just kind of talked about it and believing in the program. We definitely tailor it, it's not exactly the same at all, it's really different. But it's really cool, having the opportunity, meeting Deena Drossin and Coach Vigil... The newcomers on our team, they don't realize how big of a deal this is. Me, I'm like, 'This is so cool, you guys!'

FW: Have you thought about the rest of the year yet and what you want to accomplish in track?
LP: Yeah, I was injured in track season last year... I just want to focus on getting PRs in the 1,600 and 3,200. I think I can run mid 4:40s this year, so that's what I'm looking forward to doing. My workouts have been really good, so I'm really excited. I'm actually getting surgery on my nose next week, but it's just for [a deviated septum].

FW: Is it going to help you to breathe better?
LP: They said it will, they don't know how I've been running like I have (laughs).

FW: Will that take you out of running for a while?
LP: They said the recovery time is only a couple weeks, so that's good because I usually take two or three weeks off after cross country...

FW: What's your goal for tomorrow?
LP: I think, with how my training's been going, I can stay with the lead pack. Obviously, it's just going to be whoever wakes up tomorrow feeling good. Every person that's here has worked hard to [get here], so they're all going to be wanting to win... If I end up being in the top pack at the end, great. If not, I just want to give it my all. (Colorado) Coach (Mark) Wetmore is coming to watch, so I'd like to impress him (laughs).