Catching up with SF University runner, Ned Tannenbaum...

Today's interview was done SF University's #1 runner, Ned Tannenbaum, following the NCS Meet of Champions meet at Hayward HS. UHS won their 11th NCS title in the past 13 years. Seems logical that they won again this year until you realize that they graduated 6 out of their top 7 from the previous season and 4 out of their top 5 scorers at the NCS meet this year were freshmen. Ned led the way for the young Red Devils as they went on to finish 5th at the CA state meet and will be contenders to win that meet next year with their top 7 back.

1) How did you get started in running?

My middle school, Marin Country Day school had a pretty big cross country team with a lot of kids from grades 6-8. My older brother had enjoyed running there and was running for UHS at the time. Most kids went out for a sport in sixth grade, and I wasn't too good at soccer, so I joined the team. Many of my teammates from those teams have run or are currently running for UHS. The team was pretty relaxed in terms of workouts, but I enjoyed racing, and seeing my gradual improvement each year. In my final year, when I started to get in better shape, and became a leader on the team, I knew that it was something that I wanted to pursue.

2) What other sports have you done before and while at SF University?

Through the eighth grade, the only running I did was during the two months in the fall. Baseball was my primary sport, and I played basketball in the winter. Originally, I had planned on playing baseball at UHS, but as middle school came and went, so did my interest. I have continued to play basketball the past three years. It gives me a little break from running, and keeps it fun.

3) Who were your mentors on the team during your freshman and sophomore seasons? What did you learn from them?

The class of 2009 had a bunch of great runners. Each of them offered something different. Robert and David Kealhofer were both extremely dedicated to improving and motivating me to keep working hard. Robert liked to remind me that he was unable to break a six-minute mile as a freshman, but with a lot of work during track season, and consistent summer training, was running in the 16:20s during his junior and senior seasons. David always relentless in getting me to run with him, and on multiple occasions, I was surprised to find him in my house after I had missed his phone calls and texts. Weishen Mead is just fast. He always put everything he had into workouts, often finishing 16x400m workouts with 61s and 62s. He PR'd 5 straight weeks last track season in the 800, taking a second off each week, culminating in a state meet berth, and an impressive time of 1:55. I credit the attitude I take towards my training to these guys.

4) Tell us a little about some of the traditions on the University HS xc team. Why do you think UHS has been so successful in xc?

As championship season rolls around, the top seven get new singlets that they get to keep. They are white with a red "U," and something that most young guys look at as something to strive for as indication that their hard work and training has paid off.
Also, the unwritten rule is that if it's sunny, its an No Shirt Day. For one, because everyone likes the sun, but mainly because no one likes tan lines.

5) Tell us a little about your summer training this year and the running camp you attended.

My summer training for cross country is interwoven with University's summer basketball program. For most of June, I was running around 40 mpw, and had a basketball practice or a game most days. In early July, basketball died down a bit, and I reached 50 miles the first week of July. I attended Cross Country Base Camp in the Marin Headlands. It is run by Sacramento State Coach, Scott Abbott, and a handful of the Sac State runners. It's a four and a half day camp with a variety of workouts (Long run, hills, fartlek, gradual climb), and features multiple speakers with info about training, shoes, nutrition, and running at higher levels. For the past couple of years, it has been a great motivator for me to get in shape early on in the summer.

6) Last year was your first experience at the CA state xc meet. What do you feel that you learned the most from the meet that will help you in the next two years?

Many people tell you that you have to be careful that you don't go out too fast, but if you go out too conservatively at a meet with so many runners like the state meet, it's easy to fall into a rhythm, and get lost in the pack. Go into the race with a plan and assert yourself early.
In terms of preparation, you have to treat it like any other race. I got pretty nervous, and stressed out the before the race, which disrupted my usually pre-race routine. If you remember to be happy that you are there, to do what you normally do, and to stay focused, you are more likely to be successful.

7) What does a typical week look like for you in terms of training during the early part of the season? Mid-season?

Coach Tracy's training program is a low-mileage, speed-based system. He doesn't require miles upon miles of summer training, but asks that we do what we can to build up a strong base for the season ahead, while doing all that we can to avoid injury. During the first couple weeks, we basically extend our summer training. We don't have speed workouts, and mainly do runs from 5-8 miles. I usually reach my season high for mileage during these couple of weeks. After those initial practices, we begin our normal schedule that lasts until the end of the season. We run distance intervals, breaking up our race distance into multiples of 400s, 600s, 800s, and 1000s, usually doing enough reps to reach our race distance, with the exception of 400s, in which we occasionally do 16. The repeats are done with rest in between. UHS is conveniently located next to the Presidio, and there are plenty of trails for us to run these workouts. We normally have 2 or 3 of these workouts per week depending on whether we have a race that week.

8) What changes for you and the team as you guys approach the league final, ncs and the state meet?

Our training schedule continues on normally. We have the same amount of interval workouts and recovery runs. Coach Jim gradually decreases our rest from the very beginning of the season, adjusting the workouts to our rising level of fitness as we approach more important meets.

9) How has your coach, Jim Tracy, helped you improve as a runner? What do you feel are his most important contributions to the team that allows you and your teammates to be so successful?

Jim Tracy always makes sure that we understand the benefits of each workout. He feels each separate workout gives us a new way to perceive a race. 400s break it up into bursts of speed, 1000s help us gather understanding of how to approach a 5k. Along with this, Jim is observant. He is also very honest. If he notices something that needs improvement, he will let you know loud and clear. Along with keeping our race times and improvements from year to year, he keeps records of our interval workout times, charting our progress throughout the season. His goals for the team and the individual are always clear, all owing us to improve on both levels.

10) Redwood Christian was the favorite going into this season to win the NCS Division V race. When did you feel like your team had a chance to winanother NCS title?

I have to admit that after last season ended I didn't expect an NCS championship. I was more focused on a league title at that point. We graduated 12 of our top 14 runners, and I was the only returner in the top 7. But when practice started in August, I saw that returning runners had managed to get some training in, and could not help but notice the huge freshmen turnout. From the get-go I reminded everyone that there were 6 varsity spots up for grabs, and whoever was willing to put in the work would have a place on the team. They were motivated and ready to dedicate themselves to getting better. After league champs was when I first began to notice that we were in contention for the NCS title. Our 2-6 runners had formed a strong pack at BCLs and I knew that if we had a strong couple weeks of training, and had a good race, that it was well within our grasp. The freshmen really stepped up at Hayward, especially Connor Clark who ran 16:24, improving 15 seconds on his mile pace from league champs.

11) With such a great group of freshmen as well as yourself, how close are the University boys from competing for a state championship?

The almighty Southern Section seems to have 3 teams up front: Woodcrest Christian, Thacher, and Poly. The podium is definitely within reach, but it will take some solid performances all the way through. Our usual #3, Duncan Hosie, was a little sick on Saturday, and we are hoping that he can return to form. We have got nothing to lose, we have yet to crack the top ten in state rankings, so no one should be too nervous, and hopefully everyone will run to their highest potential. If we manage to form a solid pack with a couple guys up front, we have a good chance of being successful, but we will have to wait until Saturday to see.

12) Anything else you would like to add.

Thanks for the opportunity
Happy Thanksgiving and good luck to everyone this Saturday!

Thank you for your time, Ned! AJC