Daily Egyptian:What is your personality like away from school?

Katie Meehan:I’m the same as in the classroom and running on the team. I’m serious, and I like to get the job done.

DE:So there’s no difference when you’re in the middle of the meet?

KM:I like to be serious and focused, but at the same time, if there’s no enjoyment in it, then it kind of defeats the purpose of going out there and competing.

DE:Let’s talk about the team. What happened last year with when there were only a few healthy people.

KM:Last year, three weeks before the season started, the head coach, Don DeNoon, resigned. That left us without a head cross country coach. They hired Connie [Price-Smith] for a head coach position, but there wasn’t enough coaching spots left for a distance coach. We had a volunteer come and do his best, but it was basically a rushed position. It was really stressful. A lot of girls couldn’t handle the differences in workouts.

DE:How many head coaches have you had since you’ve been here?

KM:I was recruited by Leann [Reed], but she was never my coach. I came in with Don. I had a volunteer coach last season, and then Connie took over during track season, and then there’s [current coach] Matt [Sparks].

DE:How tough has that been on you?

KM:It’s been tough, but it’s been also been good because I’ve been able to see how different coaches handle athletes, and it’s helped me know my running better. I know what works for me and I also know what doesn’t work for me.

DE:What is it like being a senior and having the others look up to you?

KM:I don’t know if they look up to me because I’m the shortest one on the team. There’s lots of responsibility, but it makes me feel good because I try to be a good role model for them.

DE:How do you prepare for a meet?

KM:Thursday night is the most important night of rest. I usually try to get a lot of sleep. Friday is just an easy jog with some strides and getting to know the course if we’re out of town. Then, Friday night, there is some carbo-loading. Usually pasta. Saturday morning I get up three hours before race time, eat a bagel, get myself focused and know what I have to do, know what times I need to run and what places I need to be. Just go to the course and get it done.

DE:Do you have any superstitions?

KM:I’ve worn the same pairs of socks when I race for the last five years. I guess that could be a superstition. They’re just racing socks.

DE:When I talked to you before, you said that running up a hill can be used to your advantage. How do you explain that?

KM:In cross country, a lot of athletes go out fast. The goal is to go out with the leaders, but continue to increase or hold the pace throughout the rest of the race. A lot of people use the uphill as a time where they will shorten their stride and become tired. Top athletes need to use the hill to surge up the hills and get ahead of the competition. That way you’ve moved up that much farther. Everyone has the energy to get down the hill, but the extra that it takes to get up the hill, you can use to your advantage.

DE:What’s it like dating another runner?

KM:It’s very beneficial because he’s not only on the same schedule, but he understands the importance … and I think a lot of non-runners and non-athletes don’t understand the amount of time and energy that cross country and track can take out of a person.

DE:Let’s get away from running and talk about Carbondale. Where do you like to hang out in Carbondale?

KM:Whenever we’re here, which isn’t all that often, the weeknights are spent studying and trying to recover from the days of practice. On the weekends, I like to hang out with friends, whether it would be at people’s houses watching movies or doing a lot of church organization activities as well.

DE:How does your hometown Sedalia compare to Carbondale?

KM:It is about the same. 20,000 people. We don’t have a mall in Sedalia. We have a junior college. There are a few more things because of the college, so there are more restaurants. Take out the college, and this is my town.

DE:What types of things did you have to do to become Sedalia’s Citizen of the Year in 1998?

KM:My senior year of high school, I won state cross country. That was the first time that had happened and so I think that helped out. I had volunteer service and was really involved with church organizations and many after-school activities.

DE:Do you have a sports idol?

KM:Jim Ryun. He is the first high school boy to break four minutes in the mile. He is now a [Kansas] senator.

DE:Now for the short-answer segment. What is your favorite television show?

DE:What was the last DVD you rented?

DE:Last CD you bought?

KM:A praise and worship CD.

DE:Who is the greatest band ever?

KM:Seven Days. They’re from here. They’ll like to see that in the paper.

DE:Last one. Favorite book?

Reporter Christopher Morrical can be reached at [email protected]