"Ears" What They Had to Say

An Interview with Justin Wager ('06)
March 4, 2008

Justin Wager ('06) spent a lot of his time at Guilderland as a supporting cast-member, often running as #2 or #3 to the likes of Seth DuBois or BRD.  Now the Cortland State sophomore is making a name for himself on the National scene by running an astonishing 4:09 mile!  He's currently got the 2nd fastest time in the nation, D-3, going into the 2008 national championships March 14-15 at Ohio Northern University. Justin is also going to be taking an active role as a webmaster for this website in the coming months.  We had an opportunity to catch up to the flying Red Dragon in between his workouts in preparation for his big meet.

Andrew Rickert (AR): First of all, tell us how you started your running career at G'land?  Did you start out freshmen year?

Justin Wager (JW): That’s kind of a funny story actually. It was more or less an accident. Here’s the way GHS teams “recruit” kids from the middle school (just so everyone knows the process, it’s kind of important to this story). Each of the coaches comes down to the middle school one afternoon talk to the 8th graders about the different sports offered. After that’s all said and done, everyone breaks up with each sport being assigned to a certain classroom, and each 8th grader goes to the room of the sport he/she thinks he/she might like best. In that room, the coach starts to get down to more details.

So here I am, little 8th grade me. I’ve got my Math A test that day so I miss out on that first essential portion of the process – the coaches talking to the mass of 8th grade students. I walk into the gymnasium right as everyone is breaking off into sport-specific groups, and low and behold I have no idea what’s going on. So I find my trusty friend Seth and he gives me the low down. Then, since I…A) don’t care and B) still don’t exactly know what’s going on…I just follow Seth to the room that would forever change my life, the cross country room. Inside, Coach Oates drones on (no offense coach) for a little bit about running this and running that and other stuff that I had little interest in. I just sat there. Once he was finished he handed out half sheets of paper with a little form on it. I thought nothing of it and simply filled in the required fields – name, address, phone #, why you want to run cross country (the choices were: a) win states, b) win states, and c) win states). I handed it back in and Coach says “Ok, see you guys on August 18th”.

Here’s where my mind started to figure out what happened. I turned to Seth and said, “Did I just sign up for cross country?” He simply replied that I had. I protested and Oates told me to try it for a week and then if I still don’t wanna run then I can quit. So I attended the first day of practice, ran probably 30 minutes with the team in my Etnies skateboarding shoes, loved it, and the rest is history. I went home that day and told my parents that I love running, and well here we are.

AR: That's helarious!  I can remember a similar experience when Coach Wagner was the one recruiting us at FMS.  It's so amazing how that day really is one of the most important as far as attracting future runners.  Well, as you know we just retired Coach Oates, I know you had States that weekend, would you like to speak to what it was like running for him?

JW:  Running for Coach Oates is probably one of the biggest reasons why I am where I am today, both as an athlete and as a person. It was nothing short of a blessing. What he did for me goes beyond the prescription of workouts, mileage, and race plans. Not only was he a coach, but he was a mentor, a role model, and a friend. He made running fun. We’d have practices where we’d play capture the flag, hounds and hares, or just run around and throw balls at each other. What’s more fun than that? And then of course you’ve got your raffle runs and flag-based fartleks. And who can forget the Men In Black workouts? (Men In Black workouts: Held on the track, you start running as soon as you hear the PA system start to crank out “Men In Black” by Will Smith. When you hear the line “Now freeze!” you stop. You take your marker (usually a flag) and stick it in the ground where you stopped. Next rep you have to try and get past your flag. If you do, you move your flag up to the new spot and the workout continues). Creativity in training was his specialty and it helped us have some (extra) fun every now and then. It did a great job of breaking up the regular monotony of training while still getting the job done. Aside from his coaching he was just a great guy to have around. He’s taught me so many things simply through his attitude and approach to life.

AR: Well said!  What is your favorite running memory from HS?

JW: Performance-wise it’s between the Penn Relays DMR, the team getting 8th @ Feds in ’05, and the State Quals 4x8 in ’06. Those three are definitely the first things that come to mind when you ask about PERFORMANCE memories. But I think some of the best times are stuff that wasn’t even meet or racing-oriented. Just fun stuff like van trips, goofing around at practice (one time we decided we wanted to play Lord of the Rings instead of go for our easy run), and really just hanging out are some of the best memories.

AR: This season you've really exploded in terms of your mile PR.  I think it'd be great for some of the younger, less-experienced runners exactly how far  you've come with each successive year of HS/College.

JW:
HS Freshman – non-existant, I was strictly a 400/800 guy.
HS Sophomore – 4:54
HS Junior – 4:36
HS Senior – 4:33
College Freshman – 3:57.27 1500m, “converts” to 4:14-4:16
College Sophomore – 4:09.08

AR: That's incredible.  I think that speaks multitudes to what can be achieved with hard work and perseverance.  Now was it difficult always running in the shadow of BRD or DuBois?

JW:  Never. If anything it was a blessing. Yeah I never got to win races or be in the spotlight, but it kind of let me just do my own thing. I was pretty low-key and I don’t think anyone even knew who I was until maybe the spring of my junior year. There was no pressure, and that allowed me to build a love for the sport. If there was always someone checking up on how fast I ran or what place I finished, I think anything short of success would’ve pushed me away. I think Brian and Seth both brought things to the table that have been helpful to me as I’ve progressed through this great sport of ours. Brian was always the guy out there running sub-60 for the last quarter of a workout…just because someone told him he couldn’t or wouldn’t do it. He was the guy that wasn’t afraid of anyone. That sort of confidence and work ethic has become engrained into who I am as a runner now. And Seth? He just ran and was successful. He didn’t really care who knew his times or knew where he finished. He just went out there and performed. The kid finished 11th at Feds his senior year and it was almost like no one cared. I mean, look at who he got recruited by…Buffalo? Most kids who finish 11th at Feds would be kinda frustrated with that. And maybe Seth was, but you’d never know because he would just keep his mouth shut and do his thing. So that’s become a little part of me too, no one needs to hear from me how fast I’m running. If they ask, then maybe I’ll say something, but other than that Seth has kind of taught me to do the talking with my legs as best as I can.

AR: It seems you've had the biggest drop in times since attending Cortland--what's the secret?

JW:  I’m not sure if I can tell you the answer to that because I’m not sure if such an answer exists. But if I had to pick out some things I think are important, I’d say desire, consistency, and belief in your training. When it comes to racing, I think you have to love winning and beating people. You need that desire. Look at all the greats…every one of them had it. I’ve had a conversation about this with some of my teammates here at Cortland. Here’s the way I see it. You’re getting on the line to RACE. Think about what that means. Think back to when you were 8 years old and standing around with a bunch of kids from your neighborhood. One of your buddies goes “Hey, I’ll race you around the block.” You say “Ok, let’s go, bring it on.” And you race him. You don’t care about how fast you run, you just go out there and try to beat him. Fast forward to being a HS senior. You’re at the state meet, running the 1600. You step on the line, the gun goes off and you start running. You tuck into the pack, come around to the 400 mark and what happens? Someone reads you a split. You adjust your pace to match what you THINK you can run. Where the heck did that come from? What happened to that innate nature of competitiveness? Maybe next lap at the 800, you’re not feeling so good, your split is a little slow, and that’s when the negative thoughts start. But wait…who CARES how you feel or how fast you’re running. Aren’t you in this race to try and win? I think too many young runners these days are too focused on things like splits and feeling. When you were 8 years old and your buddy asks you to race, you don’t tell him “Ok, but hold on, lemme go get my dad so he can give me my split at the corner”. You just lace ‘em up and go try to beat people. You get halfway around the block and you don’t say “Man, my legs feel awful, I ran this pace in practice the other day and it felt way easier…I’m gonna slow down.” You just don’t care, you want to WIN. I think it’s that 8 year old “racing-your-buddies” mentality that needs to come back.

Training-wise? Get out there everyday and do all the extra things that are gonna give you an edge on your competitors and help you stay healthy (Coach Oates always simply called it “attention to detail”). But I think most of all, have FUN with your running. Be passionate. Nothing was ever accomplished by someone who didn’t love what they were doing.

AR: What was it like competing in the US Junior XC Nationals?

JW: That was an experience to say the least. I’m pretty sure I had mono over winter break and then after I got my blood taken I got a really bad sinus infection. I had a fever and had was forced to sleep in my computer chair because when I tried to lay down, my head would hurt more. That was probably 2 weeks out from the race. It went away for the most part but everything was still lingering, most likely because I refused to take enough time off for it to actually go away. So needless to say, the actual race in Boulder didn’t go as planned. But on the other hand, the experience was still a great one to have. You get to see the “pros” out there doing the same stuff you’re doing and it kind of brings them down a level or two. They’re just like you are. It lets you look at them as people instead of elite runners and really gives you that idea that hey, I can actually be where they are…I just need some time. On top of that, it’s pretty inspiring to see what those guys can do on two feet. Plus trips across the country are always fun.

AR: Do you have any pre-race rituals? Pump-up music?

JW: I used to. In HS I was really superstitious. I’d eat the same thing for breakfast (strawberry oatmeal), the same thing exactly 4 hours from my race (goldfish and pb&j), and then the same thing exactly 2 hours from my race (a small macintosh apple and a Nature Valley Fruit & Nut bar). I’d wear the same shirt and basketball shorts on my strides, etc. Once I got to Cortland it was just different. I started getting TOO superstitious – to the point where if my pre-race preparations didn’t go exactly as I wanted them to, I’d get this idea in my head that my race was gonna be awful. The result was a pretty poor end to my cross country season and an absolutely terrible indoor season.

So after talking to my current coach (Matt Moran), I settled those pre-race rituals down. I started to realize that things don’t have to be exact in my pre-race preparations. I was still fit and I could still run fast. All that needed to be done was NORMAL preparations – eat right, get your sleep, hydrate, etc. I didn’t have to eat the same food or have the same bedtime or drink the same volume of Gatorade. I made that change in the early part of the outdoor season and the effects were clear. The season started with a 4:19 1500m @ Ithaca College (a 4:36 mile, equal to my junior year PR for those of you counting at home). I finished the season with a 3rd place showing in the 1500 @ ECAC’s, running 3:57.27 and more importantly, feeling like I could RACE again. It was night and day. So yeah I used to have those rituals, but now my pre-race focus is just to prepare properly. And as far as pump up music, I usually just focus. I never bring my iPod to meets because I either A) forget or B) don’t want to lose it. So music doesn’t really play a factor. But let me tell you, if I did listen to music before my races my song of choice would be “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” by Dropkick Murphys. If that song doesn’t get you going then I’m not sure you have adrenal glands. Second on the playlist would be “On the Eve of War” by Jedi Mind Tricks…a little more on the rap side but it gets me kind of angry.

AR: What do you hope to accomplish before you graduate from Cortland?

JW: First and foremost, I want to win some titles. Team XC comes first, no doubt in my mind - I want that one more than anything. But I guess I’m kind of greedy. I don’t just want one. I want to win as many titles as I can, both team and individual. The second goal is running fast. Ultimately, I’d like to make it onto the D3 Outdoor Track Top 10 List in something (probably 1500 or 5k).

AR: What are you studying in college?  What do you plan to do after college?

JW: My major is Kinesiology (the study of human movement & muscles) with a concentration in Exercise Science and I have a minor in Computer Applications. After college I’ll go to grad school and try to take my schooling as far my academic abilities will let me. Grad work will probably be in Exercise Physiology or Biomechanics, the jury’s still out on that one. As far as a career choice? I’d like to start by coaching on the collegiate level and maybe doing some research. I just think it would be fun. I’ve always been into that kind of thing so I want to give it a shot. After that maybe something with running shoe design. That stuff is kinda cool too. Whatever I chose, I know it’s going to be running oriented. Isn’t it funny how one day of your life can change it forever?

AR: We hear you've accepted the invitation to take on this website, how do you know so much about web-design?

JW:  Well let’s not jump the gun. I don’t know a whole lot about web-design yet, but I’m getting there. I think Dave Frey still has a leg up on me. I started learning it last spring, after I spent HOURS creating a pretty intense Excel-based training log program. I got addicted to it…for some reason I find that stuff fun. After a while I got tired of not being able to access that log from outside of my house/dorm. Coach Moran is pretty proficient at web-design and he gave me a book or two and started pushing me to learn. The limiter was that I never had a project to give my learning any direction. I got the hang of some stuff but really I think the best way to learn is via necessity – I needed something to make me figure things out. So I’m still learning but I’m having fun with it. Seth is gonna help out (I think) and together hopefully we’ll bring you guys something enjoyable.

AR: What plans/ideas do you have for the website?

JW: A searchable (and hopefully bigger) alumni database, a performance database, a new look (gotta keep it fresh right?). Those are big ones for now. Maybe more ideas will pop into my head as I go along. If anyone has any ideas – let me know. I’ll figure out how to do it I promise. Even if you’ve just got a little idea, let me know. jwager1@gmail.com

AR:  Cool, sounds exciting!  Any advice for the future leaders of the Guilderland team?

JW:  Keep the traditions. Guilderland Cross Country is built on class and respect. Coach Drake started it, and Coach Oates continued it. Keep wearing the reds. Stand up for the winners at meets - both individual and team (hopefully you’ll be standing for yourselves most of the time). Don’t wear a hat when you’re in reds. Thank the meet directors. Clean up after yourselves. The list goes on and on and you guys know the contents of it. One of the things I am most proud of is the reputation that Guilderland Cross Country carries. I don’t ever want to see that die. Train hard, train smart, and be passionate – pretend to be 8 years old in your next race. Last but not least: sisu.