Senior Salute: Ben Veatch of Carmel High School, IN
Ben Veatch finished third at Foot Locker Nationals and second at NXN 2015, We jumped on FaceTime with him to relive and talk about some of his favorite moments of his high school career. Veatch will attend Indiana University in the Fall to continue his running career.
Transcription:
1:38 Billy- What exactly got you into Running?
Ben- I got into running with my best friend in third grade. We were always the best at tag on the playground. We were always the fastest and could never get caught. We joined the conditioning club and they had three races every year and it just took off from there. Near my 7th grade year in middle school, I found out I was good at it when I won some race. I figured out it was fun to do and I enjoyed running and the atmosphere and hanging out with friends every day.
2:30 Billy- A lot of people grew up playing other sports but it sounds like you grew up running?
Ben- Soccer was my main sport. I was on a travel soccer team up until my freshman year in high school, then I gave it up for running. I played a lot of sports growing up. I played basketball and soccer. I really didn't want to give it up. That was one of the hardest decision was to give it up. I love playing soccer and I still do.
3:45 Billy- What was your first ever high school race?
Ben- My first varsity race was our conference meet,The Mick, we were sitting a couple guys and I got the seventh spot. I finished sixth for the team there so I got to survive to next week. That was my goal was to stay on the team one of our runners was coming back next week so I have to be top six to stay in the top seven.
The course was actually altered, part of the course was completely under water. There a photo of my freshman year, I look super small, at the start line where we are running through this pond. So that was memorable, it was my first real varsity race and I got to run in a tsunami.
5:50 Billy- Indiana next year, are you excited for that?
Ben- Super excited! We just got back from an unofficial team camp. One of my teammates hosted 19 of us in New York. We stayed in some cabins and ran in the state park. It was beautiful. I got to workout with some of the guys for the first time so that was really fun. I sort of miss getting my butt kicked in workouts. The past two years or so I have been working out by myself. Getting to run with the top guy at IU was nice, they kicked my butt. It was fun and I'm excited for more.
7:20 Billy- Talk about your recruiting process. What schools were in the mix and why'd you pick Indiana?
Ben- I took four official visits. I looked at Wisconsin, Indiana, North Carolina & Stanford. It ultimately came down to Stanford and IU. I loved both the coaches there, the teams were great. Indiana just felt like home. The team is awesome I fell in love with the guys there and I really like the coach Philosophy, Ron Helmer. I not gonna lie Stanford was a little scary. Going across the country was a little far from home for me. IU just felt like the right place for me.
9:25 Billy- What are some goals you have going into your freshman year?
Ben- Coach Helmer talks about focusing on the process and I really like that. I going through the summer training and I'm getting the miles in and putting the work in and trusting the process. I would say I do have a couple goals. Looking at a fellow midwest guy Jesse Reiser he went to Illinois. He was top ten at big tens in cross country and I think I am very compatible with the result he had. So he set a goal for me, I'm looking for top ten at Big Tens in cross country. That really the only goal I have right now. I don't know what a 5K or 10K on the track will be like. I'm just focusing on the process right now, getting to know the team, finding my groove and I know the results will come.
10:40 Billy- Is the 5K/10K what you're going to focus on?
Ben- I'm not totally sure. I know a 10K is a lot on the legs, especially on the track. I probably won't. I have not idea what they expect from me. As I progress and get older I will. I always feel better the longer I go. In the future I think that will be me, but who knows maybe I'll be doing the steeple or 1500 if I get some speed. I Definitely think my strong suit is the longer the better.
11:25 Billy- What has your training been like over the summer?
Ben- I've been working out for three weeks. This is my eighth week of training. Had a good build up just getting in some miles with no workouts in the first three or four weeks. I just getting my legs under me feeling strong, feeling confident. I've done four or five workouts now and the first one with the team so I'm pretty excited. More of less I've just been doing some tempos and fartleks.
12:10 Billy- What'd you do today for your workout?
Ben- Today I did an 8m at a lactic threshold pace around 5:15-5:20. Got four mins rest. Then did an 8m tempo at about 5 flat. Took another four min rest. Then did a five min tempo just under five min pace. And then did four min-on-min-offs. It felt good, it was a little hot. I was soiled running in New York where it was 70 Degrees at a state park. It was hot and muggy in Indiana but I felt good and smooth. I'm excited I move in our Sunday to IU and Monday morning is the first practice. I'm excited.
13:30 Billy- Whats a message you have for the guys who are looking to follow in your footsteps?
Ben- I'd say Trust the process, trust your coach especially. A lot of kids around the state ask me what's the secret, what do you do that make you so good? I tell them that I just listen to my coach. A lot of them are very smart, they have been doing this for a while, the know what they're talking about, they've researched a bunch of things. They know more about the sport that you do most likely so listen to them and trust their process. Also just enjoy it. Running is an awful sport really. You push yourself to break a lot of times a week. I love my teammates. My teammates make it worth running. If I didn't have my teammates it wouldn't be fun. Running is a tough sport and your teammates make it so much better. That's why I'm so excited for IU. I want to really get to know the guys on the team and meet my new motivational factor for the next 4-5 years of my life.
15:15 Billy-Is there a specific quote or verse you think about to keep you motivated?
Ben- I have a quote hung on my bathroom mirror that says, "Remember the guy who gave up? Neither does anybody else." I just never want to give up, if you give up nobody's gonna remember what you did or who you could be.
16:10 Billy- What is your favorite XC course?
Ben- I'd say Lavern Gibson in Terre Haute. That's where our state meet is held, that where the NXN Regional is and that's where the NCAA championships are. I've raced on that thing 12 times and I love it. It's a true cross country course. Everyone else I talk to says they hate that course which kinda makes me love it even more. Every time I've run on that course I've been successful.
17:15 Billy- Do you have a course that you dread?
Ben- XC is suppose to be tough. I enjoy the hills more that the flat fast courses. I like the Foot Locker course but it is tough. That hill is tough. But I like every course. If you hate a course you already got that mindset that you're not gonna do very well.
18:05 Billy- What's the craziest XC story you got?
Ben-There are some good Foot Locker Stories. I did see it personally. One year some capture a seagull and threw it in someone's room. It was nuts.
20:05 Billy- What's your favorite non-running thing to do?
Ben- I Love TV, 24 was a great TV show. I also love playing spike ball. It's a combination of volleyball and foursquare.
20:55 Billy- What's one fun fact about yourself?
Ben- My teammates always make fun of me for winning everything. I don't have anything else. I am not that exciting I just run.
23:38 Billy- Did you go into both national meets expecting to finish that well?
Ben- Looking back it was a big regret not to win one of those. Going into Nike I really wanted to win. I was very confident. Good field, If you ran that race ten times there would of been ten different winners. Going into Foot Locker I knew Drew hunter was really good but I felt if I raced it fresh I could of gotten second in that race. Going into both of those races I kind of wanted to beat Olin Hacker who finished 2nd 2nd. But I felt good about my race and my race place and I ultimately just trusted in my training and what my coach and I worked on all year. I was pretty confident going into both races.
25:40 Billy- What are some Olympic predictions?
Ben- 5K Mo Farah's Gonna win. I'm most excited for the 1500. I think Matt Centrowitz can Medal. I also want to see Clayton Murphy do well.
Ben- I got into running with my best friend in third grade. We were always the best at tag on the playground. We were always the fastest and could never get caught. We joined the conditioning club and they had three races every year and it just took off from there. Near my 7th grade year in middle school, I found out I was good at it when I won some race. I figured out it was fun to do and I enjoyed running and the atmosphere and hanging out with friends every day.
2:30 Billy- A lot of people grew up playing other sports but it sounds like you grew up running?
Ben- Soccer was my main sport. I was on a travel soccer team up until my freshman year in high school, then I gave it up for running. I played a lot of sports growing up. I played basketball and soccer. I really didn't want to give it up. That was one of the hardest decision was to give it up. I love playing soccer and I still do.
3:45 Billy- What was your first ever high school race?
Ben- My first varsity race was our conference meet,The Mick, we were sitting a couple guys and I got the seventh spot. I finished sixth for the team there so I got to survive to next week. That was my goal was to stay on the team one of our runners was coming back next week so I have to be top six to stay in the top seven.
The course was actually altered, part of the course was completely under water. There a photo of my freshman year, I look super small, at the start line where we are running through this pond. So that was memorable, it was my first real varsity race and I got to run in a tsunami.
5:50 Billy- Indiana next year, are you excited for that?
Ben- Super excited! We just got back from an unofficial team camp. One of my teammates hosted 19 of us in New York. We stayed in some cabins and ran in the state park. It was beautiful. I got to workout with some of the guys for the first time so that was really fun. I sort of miss getting my butt kicked in workouts. The past two years or so I have been working out by myself. Getting to run with the top guy at IU was nice, they kicked my butt. It was fun and I'm excited for more.
7:20 Billy- Talk about your recruiting process. What schools were in the mix and why'd you pick Indiana?
Ben- I took four official visits. I looked at Wisconsin, Indiana, North Carolina & Stanford. It ultimately came down to Stanford and IU. I loved both the coaches there, the teams were great. Indiana just felt like home. The team is awesome I fell in love with the guys there and I really like the coach Philosophy, Ron Helmer. I not gonna lie Stanford was a little scary. Going across the country was a little far from home for me. IU just felt like the right place for me.
9:25 Billy- What are some goals you have going into your freshman year?
Ben- Coach Helmer talks about focusing on the process and I really like that. I going through the summer training and I'm getting the miles in and putting the work in and trusting the process. I would say I do have a couple goals. Looking at a fellow midwest guy Jesse Reiser he went to Illinois. He was top ten at big tens in cross country and I think I am very compatible with the result he had. So he set a goal for me, I'm looking for top ten at Big Tens in cross country. That really the only goal I have right now. I don't know what a 5K or 10K on the track will be like. I'm just focusing on the process right now, getting to know the team, finding my groove and I know the results will come.
10:40 Billy- Is the 5K/10K what you're going to focus on?
Ben- I'm not totally sure. I know a 10K is a lot on the legs, especially on the track. I probably won't. I have not idea what they expect from me. As I progress and get older I will. I always feel better the longer I go. In the future I think that will be me, but who knows maybe I'll be doing the steeple or 1500 if I get some speed. I Definitely think my strong suit is the longer the better.
11:25 Billy- What has your training been like over the summer?
Ben- I've been working out for three weeks. This is my eighth week of training. Had a good build up just getting in some miles with no workouts in the first three or four weeks. I just getting my legs under me feeling strong, feeling confident. I've done four or five workouts now and the first one with the team so I'm pretty excited. More of less I've just been doing some tempos and fartleks.
12:10 Billy- What'd you do today for your workout?
Ben- Today I did an 8m at a lactic threshold pace around 5:15-5:20. Got four mins rest. Then did an 8m tempo at about 5 flat. Took another four min rest. Then did a five min tempo just under five min pace. And then did four min-on-min-offs. It felt good, it was a little hot. I was soiled running in New York where it was 70 Degrees at a state park. It was hot and muggy in Indiana but I felt good and smooth. I'm excited I move in our Sunday to IU and Monday morning is the first practice. I'm excited.
13:30 Billy- Whats a message you have for the guys who are looking to follow in your footsteps?
Ben- I'd say Trust the process, trust your coach especially. A lot of kids around the state ask me what's the secret, what do you do that make you so good? I tell them that I just listen to my coach. A lot of them are very smart, they have been doing this for a while, the know what they're talking about, they've researched a bunch of things. They know more about the sport that you do most likely so listen to them and trust their process. Also just enjoy it. Running is an awful sport really. You push yourself to break a lot of times a week. I love my teammates. My teammates make it worth running. If I didn't have my teammates it wouldn't be fun. Running is a tough sport and your teammates make it so much better. That's why I'm so excited for IU. I want to really get to know the guys on the team and meet my new motivational factor for the next 4-5 years of my life.
15:15 Billy-Is there a specific quote or verse you think about to keep you motivated?
Ben- I have a quote hung on my bathroom mirror that says, "Remember the guy who gave up? Neither does anybody else." I just never want to give up, if you give up nobody's gonna remember what you did or who you could be.
16:10 Billy- What is your favorite XC course?
Ben- I'd say Lavern Gibson in Terre Haute. That's where our state meet is held, that where the NXN Regional is and that's where the NCAA championships are. I've raced on that thing 12 times and I love it. It's a true cross country course. Everyone else I talk to says they hate that course which kinda makes me love it even more. Every time I've run on that course I've been successful.
17:15 Billy- Do you have a course that you dread?
Ben- XC is suppose to be tough. I enjoy the hills more that the flat fast courses. I like the Foot Locker course but it is tough. That hill is tough. But I like every course. If you hate a course you already got that mindset that you're not gonna do very well.
18:05 Billy- What's the craziest XC story you got?
Ben-There are some good Foot Locker Stories. I did see it personally. One year some capture a seagull and threw it in someone's room. It was nuts.
20:05 Billy- What's your favorite non-running thing to do?
Ben- I Love TV, 24 was a great TV show. I also love playing spike ball. It's a combination of volleyball and foursquare.
20:55 Billy- What's one fun fact about yourself?
Ben- My teammates always make fun of me for winning everything. I don't have anything else. I am not that exciting I just run.
23:38 Billy- Did you go into both national meets expecting to finish that well?
Ben- Looking back it was a big regret not to win one of those. Going into Nike I really wanted to win. I was very confident. Good field, If you ran that race ten times there would of been ten different winners. Going into Foot Locker I knew Drew hunter was really good but I felt if I raced it fresh I could of gotten second in that race. Going into both of those races I kind of wanted to beat Olin Hacker who finished 2nd 2nd. But I felt good about my race and my race place and I ultimately just trusted in my training and what my coach and I worked on all year. I was pretty confident going into both races.
25:40 Billy- What are some Olympic predictions?
Ben- 5K Mo Farah's Gonna win. I'm most excited for the 1500. I think Matt Centrowitz can Medal. I also want to see Clayton Murphy do well.
