Take us through the NXN Championship win this past weekend, how was the race and what was it like to come away with a the championship title after getting second in your last race.
Nike Cross Nationals was such a cool event. The atmosphere on race day was just electric. It was crazy the contrast between the day before when we were in the athlete village, and the day of the race. All of a sudden, everyone was serious. The village was so quiet. The race start was crazy. I actually slipped at the start, so I was toward the back of the big pack. At that first turn, I took the outside and surged so I could get to the front pack. The pace was pretty conservative to start, then Fiona O'Keeffe started to pick it up a little past 1k. The pace continued to increase gradually, and the front pack thinned down to three. i felt pretty calm and relaxed during this part of the race. I'm used to taking a race out at a fast pace, and just trying to gut out the end, but I felt strong at the 4k at nationals, so I started my kick. I know that I'm not a fast sprinter, so I wanted to get a gap on second place before the last 200m.
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When I was able to get a little separation, the thought crossed my mind that I was in first place at nationals, after that happened, I knew I would not give up the lead. I felt strong and determined. This was the most important race of my life, and I was not going to let it slip away. When I neared the finish line, I started crying because I was so unbelievably happy. I had dreamed of winning nationals, but when it actually happened, i could not believe it. It still has barely sunk in...unreal.
Describe your childhood dream.
My childhood dream was to play division one soccer at University of North Carolina, and then play professionally and in the Olympics...basically to become the next Mia Hamm.
Describe your fondest race memory.
My fondest race memory is definitely winning nationals. I've never felt more fulfilled.
Describe your worst habit.
I don't know if this is necessarily a bad habit, but I always flex my feet. When I'm standing, I'll lift up one foot just so I can flex it. I don't even think about it. It just happens.
Training in Alaska is pretty great. I don't run much during the winter, so I miss the bad weather part of the year. The summer temperatures are perfect for running: 50-70 most of the time. There are also some really pretty trails with great views. It gets hard to train during October and November sometimes because of ice and the decreasing daylight.
Describe the kind of kid you are in high school.
In high school I've gotta say that I'm a bit nerdy. I have all the advanced classes, and I have an overwhelming urge to overachieve so I'm usually the one that works ahead and studies the longest.
If you had a day off from your everyday responsibilities, describe how you would spend it.
If I had a free day, I would sleep in and then make some pancakes with my sister. I'd want it to be a perfect summer day--70 and sunny with no wind. I'd want to go to a lake with a bunch of friends and swim, tube, jet ski, kayak, and tan. Then I'd do a long scenic run with my sister and finish the day with a leisurely bike ride to Dairy Queen.
My most embarrassing moment is probably when I got swatted super bad in a basketball game. I was shooting a baseline jumper and a tall girl hit my shot right after I released it, and the ball went right back in my hands.
Who is your favorite pro-runner and why?
My favorite pro runner is Steve Prefontaine because he ran so fearless. He had a lot of confidence, and always took out a race determined to give it his all. He never strategized, but ran to see who had the most guts.
Tell us about your favorite memory with one of your current or past training partners or teammates.
I have so many memories with the guys that I train with, but my favorite is probably when we snuck away from the team after a race and ran a mile to a secret buoy swing that hung from a tree about 70 feet off the ground. The guys all though I was gonna chicken out, but I climbed all the way up the tree and jumped onto the swing..it only took me two tries to work up the courage.
Describe the perfect post-race meal in detail.
The perfect post race meal would be lemon poppyseed pancakes and scrambled eggs with veggies. Taylor and I would make everything homemade and eat it together.
Describe your favorite workout?
My favorite workout is either kilometer or hill repeats because they are mentally and physically challenging. I feel accomplished afterwards.
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My hero is my sister. She works so hard in every area of her life, and is always supportive of me. She is the best role model I could ever ask for. I always run my best races when she is watching.
Describe your guilty pleasure.
GELATO, enough said.
Describe your favorite place to run or train.
Tsalteshi trails, it's a trail system about 10 minutes from my house that has 12 miles of trails. It's all packed diet trails through the woods. There are a lot of hills, and I just think it's the perfect place to train for cross country, and it's the venue of my favorite race.
If you could give one piece of advice to any runner that is looking to compete at the next level and reach NXN Champion status, what would it be?
Just stay relaxed, if you train hard and so everything you can to be your best by nationals, then you've already done the hard part. The race is just when you get to prove to yourself how much the work paid off.
If you had to listen to 1 song in your head every time you ran for the rest of you life, what would it be?
A song: None, I like to think while I'm running.
Dinner for 3 (living or dead) who and why?
Prefontaine, Mo Farah, and Galen Rupp because they are crazy. I have so much respect for them, and how amazing of distance runners they are. I would want to talk about their race strategies and what inspires them.
Describe your pre-race ritual.
Pre race ritual:
Eat Wheaties for breakfast, and go to the bathroom a ridiculous amount of times.
Who is your favorite pro-basketball player and why?
LeBron James..I know people will call me a bandwagoner for that, but he's just so commanding. He has so much confidence on the floor, and is consistent in his play.
What does racing/training look like for you in the next 6 months?
For the next 3 1/2 months, I'll be focusing on basketball. Then around mid March, I'll move into base trading for a couple weeks, then gradually shift to track training which will carry on through May.
Now that you have read more about Allie, watch her journey in becoming a national champion below in our 2 episode ON THE RISE series on Ostrander!
