Interval Session #67 - Mac Fleet By SteveU - September 18, 2008 Track will always be Mac Fleet’s first love, but if there’s any XC meet that truly motivates the San Diego (University City HS) CA senior, it’s this weekend’s Woodbridge Invitational.  “There is nothing like it,” he told DyeStatCal’s Doug Speck last year after setting his second consecutive meet/class record with a 14:17 (3 miles) as a junior.  He hopes to repeat there, as well as win a D3 state title this fall, and perhaps make it to the Foot Locker Finals in front of a home crowd. But Fleet is really at home around the oval, where he first drew national raves when he ran a 3:50.48 1500 and 4:08.09 1600 as a soph.  Naturally, expectations were huge after that, and an up-and-down junior year – plagued by injuries, but also including high points like a 1:50.40 800 – ensued.  Now the son of former CA state 2M champ Dale Fleet is healthy and ready for a big senior year before he enters the college ranks (his short list includes Oregon, Wisconsin, Northern Arizona, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, and Washington). Whether he’s posting in the online cauldron that can be the “Playground” on the DyeStat message boards, or honing his potential media skills with Chris Derrick last spring at Nike Outdoor, Fleet rarely hesitates to be “out there” in the running community – much like his San Diegan predecessors Marc Davis and AJ Acosta.  DyeStat Senior Editor SteveU zipped down to “America’s Finest City” and caught him on very short notice as he prepared for this weekend’s meet..

1) First of all, how has your summer gone?  Talk about your training the last several weeks and what some of your early-season plans are? In short, my summer has been awesome.  Details on training?  I’ve kept my mileage higher then any other time in my short career – 70-80 mpw all through summer with a few weeks at altitude.  Last Saturday was my first track workout (and probably my last for about 6 weeks), just to get the body used to the speed that Woodbridge is anticipated to hit.  The quickie: 4 X 200m at 34, 3 X 1000m in 2:46/2:43/2:37, then 4 X 200 at 34. The early-season plans are to race Woodbridge, then head up to Stanford the following week to run with the team.  After that, I’m laying low until the end of the season, just running dual meets and getting some quality training in. 2) As a middle-distance runner with a pretty good measure of talent over 3 miles or 5K, how important is cross-country to you?  Is getting to the Foot Locker or NXN Finals a really big priority?  Is there a particular interest in Foot Locker with it being in your home town, and with guys like AJ Acosta and Marc Davis on the record books ... or are you thinking of the NXN route? Cross country is fun, and fun to be good at, but there is nothing like track (in my mind at least).  Getting to Foot Locker is probably my third highest goal as of right now, coming after winning state and a course record at Woodbridge.  To my appeasement, other top runners are leaning back towards Foot Locker, as am I.  The overall idea of NXN is great, but with it comes losing almost 30 years of precious history, so I have mixed emotions about it (The course needs to be changed, if I haven’t mentioned that before).  The main reason for me wanting to run Foot Locker isn’t really for myself, but more of a “thank you” to everyone that has helped me get to where I am.  Kind of a tribute, I guess. 3) Can you tell us a little bit about the program and your coach at University City High?  Riley Booker was a Foot Locker Finalist from your school, and a senior when you were a freshman.  Was/is he a friend of yours and/or was he a role model for you that may have given you some inspiration in your running? My coach, Gimi McCarthy, has been at University City for about 13 years, teaches ceramics and yearbook (the artsy type) and ran for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.  He’s always produced great teams (and individuals) from the small talent pool that he gets each year…and is arguably one of the best coaches in San Diego.  Yes, Riley and I are good friends (although I haven’t talked to him recently).  If Riley taught me anything or showed me anything, it was the ability to “dig.”  Riley has an unbelievable ability to scrape the bottom of the well.  And now, when I do workouts or I’m racing, I really focus on giving it my all because of that. 4) I’ve read where your father was a pretty outstanding runner, too.  Can you tell us about him and how he has influenced you? My dad (Dale) was the 1971 California State Meet 2-mile Champion in 8:53.  In college, he was a steepler with a PR of 8:38 and eventually ran a marathon in 2:20.  He’s my team’s assistant coach (9 years) and he and my coach come up with our workouts.  With both of them having completely different views/pasts regarding training, it eventually leads to a real balanced training schedule for the whole team.  His biggest influences on me are the small “here and there” training or racing tips.  What to think about, or how to hit a certain time or mileage goal. 5) You’re someone who’s pretty active on the DyeStat Message Boards and never one to hide behind a screen name.  A lot of elite runners don’t like to socialize and subject themselves to potential criticism if they don’t have good races.  What is your take on that kind of thing and what’s inspired you to be so “out there” on DyeStat? I post on DyeStat in waves … for a few reasons (but we wont go there).  The main reason I don’t hide behind screen names or turn down friend requests is because I want other kids to run faster. I’m there if anyone wants to send me something, most send the “good luck this weekend” or the “how can I get my mile time down” questions.  But there’s always the “you think you’re just so good, don’t you” messages, too.   It’s always good to have a laugh.  I try and give the best advice I can to those that ask.  It’s also good to keep a level head and not get too sure of yourself (of which DyeStat does a very good job). 6) You seem like someone who isn't afraid to have fun with what you're doing, win or lose.  I recall you made a crack about wishing you'd chosen the 800 instead of the 1600 when German ran 4:00 in front of you last spring.  Can you tell me a bit about your mental outlook on the sport and how you have that kind of fun with it? Even if I would have been 100 percent on that day, I wouldn’t have beat German, no way.  Obviously, I’m going to say “I wish I would’ve run the 8” because I lost, but in all honesty, I don’t think the outcome would have been much different.  Why do anything if you’re not having fun or if you don’t love what your doing?  People in general take life way too seriously and need to loosen up a little.  That’s why I really enjoy anchoring the 4x4 team and kicking down those big 400 runners, because it’s funny/unusual to see a “white distance kid” do that. 7) It seems like you’ve had more than your share of injuries.  Can you tell us a little bit about your injury history and how it’s affected your seasons?  Are you doing some particular things now to try and prevent those and stay healthy? I have had my share of injuries.  Last winter was the worst, having foot surgery then terrible sciatica down my leg.  I have always run through most of my injuries (I ran on a broken foot all junior XC season until CIF because of surgery).  It has really made me realize how much I love this sport and competing; not being able to go out and race for my team was one of the hardest things I have ever done.  Because of injuries last winter I proceeded to put on 20 pounds (I don’t really know how), then all of the sudden I was racing – at 185 pounds.  It was hard, to say the least.  My weight and lack of a winter base really affected my post-season last spring, with me eventually wearing out at state.  Right now, I’m almost 100 percent; I have a few aches and pains here and there, but nothing more than any other serious runner.  Vitamins, massages, acupuncture, exercises and stretching is basically my life. 8) You ran some really fast times as a sophomore in track.  How tough was it trying to live up to or surpass expectations your junior year?  Does this have to do with what you told me about preferring to be underrated?  Now, what kind of place are you in mentally this year compared to last year at this time? Since I had believed that I wasn’t even going to be racing during track, I didn’t have too many goals or expectations, and surprisingly, no one else did either.  I could care less about rankings, and being from San Diego that’s a good thing, because generally, everyone down here in the southwest corner gets overlooked. But I love having pressure on my shoulders because it makes me nervous, and when I’m nervous I run really well.  And when I’m healthy, I expect to perform well and expect to have more pressure, hopefully resulting in, well, a win, regardless of the race. 9) Finally, looking at your senior year as a whole, what are some goals you have for both XC and track?  How do you want to finish your career and what would you like to say you’ve accomplished by June of next spring? State champion in both XC and track (in the mile, I’ve gotten 2nd and 3rd; I have to win it) A real 2 mile - goal range around 8:40 1:47ish 800 47 open 400/ 46 split We’ll see about that mile. Many have said that I have the tools to break 4 minutes; let's see if I can use them. Photos (in order) by Bob Bettencourt (2007 3:50.48 1500), Rich Gonzalez (2008 SDS Finals 1600), and John Scherling (2006 CIF XC).

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