1) How did you get your start in running? What sports did you play before HS?
I started running through an elementary program that my Mom started called Run for Run, which was a couple times a week and very short runs, sometimes with games mixed in. I then continued into the middle school program where my Mom was also the head coach, along with two other great assistant coaches. Middle school was when I started doing workouts but still low training volume. Before high school, I played competitive Soccer (until 10th grade), basketball, and baseball, and I did recreational surfing/bodyboarding, rock climbing, skateboarding, and golf.
2) What was your experience during your freshman and sophomore seasons in both cross country and track? What did you learn and what were some of your proudest achievements?
I had a great experience my first two years of high school xc/track, largely in part due to the awesome team culture created by the juniors/seniors. I learned several things, but the biggest thing was starting to really love running and taking it one step at a time. One of my proudest accomplishments was helping my team qualify for State freshmen year (first ever time for the Santa Cruz HS boys) and winning the D3 CCS team title.
3) Who were the runners that you looked up to as a freshman on your team or other teams that helped your transition to HS running?
Several people I looked up to on my team (but not limited to) include Jim Ratliff, Will Trowbridge, Isabel and Diego Sanchez, Aidan Cinque, Emmett Thompson, and Kees van der Meer.
4) What does a typical training week look like for you? Typical workouts? Length of longest run? Mileage per week? Strength workouts?
A typical training week in the base building portion of the season this year for xc looked like; an average of 55mi per week, two-three workouts per week (don’t want to say to much about the workouts sorry), and two-three strength training sessions per week (mostly push pull). My longest run was a half marathon which I did consistently for ~2 months, at varying paces and usually Wilder Ranch or Nicsene Marks.
5) Favorite XC meet? Favorite XC course? Favorite XC workout? Favorite long run? Favorite TF invitational? Favorite TF event? Favorite TF workout? Favorite nonrunning activity?
My favorite xc meet and xc course is probably NXN. I enjoyed the grass golf course so much since it’s unique from California and has its own set of challenges (especially at last year's NXN). I also really like Crystal Springs and Woodward Park both as meets and xc courses.
My favorite XC workout is the hills we do at the beginning of every season, not because I particularly enjoy them, but because it’s a specialized workout, a nice change of scenery from track workouts, and because the workout is so difficult/helps me get fit.
My favorite long run is an out-back quicker pace run starting at Shaffer road and going out to the second and third bluff at Wilder.
My favorite track and field meet is either the Dublin Distance Fiesta, State track meet, or NON. My favorite track event is the 1600 although I’m starting to like the 3200 more and more. And favorite track workout is any taper workout where I can really get the legs moving.
My favorite non-running activity is definitely surfing/bodyboarding/bodysurfing with friends in town or up north.
6) Can you tell us about your coach and how he has helped you get to where you are today as a runner?
Coach Brock (aside from my family) has been the most influential part of my running career. He’s developed me both as an athlete and a person, and I could not be more thankful to have him as a Coach and Mentor. In my opinion, he is one of the top coaches in the state and even the country, and he has coached some incredible athletes in the past. One of Coach Brock’s philosophies that I appreciate a lot is the idea of lifetime fitness, and it’s incredible to see him still doing 11+ pull ups and sometimes benching more than I can. I also am appreciative that he has helped me realize to ‘trust the process’ more, as I feel he always has me peak at the right time of the season, and not get distracted by big early season meets or times.
7) Your mom was one of the top runners in the US. Can you tell us a bit about how she got into running and what were some of her accomplishments as a runner.
My Mom got a late start to running when compared to many of the top US distance women at the time, starting when she was out of college. My Grandpa had recently passed, and she wanted to move back to San Jose/Sunnyvale, where she grew up, so she saw an ad for this thing called the Nike farm team and wanted to join them. She called the number and didn’t realize it at the time, but Meb Keflezighi answered, and shortly after, she joined the farm team. She was coached by Jeff Johnson for the majority of her time on the farm team (and Vin Lananna for a little). During this time, she had a 3rd place team finish for the US at the World XC Championships, 4th in the Pan AM Games in the 10k, had multiple Olympic Trials appearances (9th in the 10k), and won wharf to wharf twice. She is someone I look up to a lot, and has been an incredible support in my running career.
8) You have committed to attend Duke next fall. What led you to pick that college?
A number of things led me to pick Duke over some other great programs and schools. However, the two biggest aspects are the incredible team culture, and I have a lot of faith in Coach Kevin for developing Duke into a top NCAA program. The education is also word class and I didn’t want to pass up that opportunity. The only set back is how far Duke is from Santa Cruz, however Jeremy Kain (who is on the team and graduated from Scott’s Valley HS right by Santa Cruz) answered a lot of my questions about the distance and the team made me feel I would fit in right away.
9) You qualified for NXN last year as an individual. At what point of the season did you think that could be a possibility? What do you remember most about your NXN experience? What did you learn?
Although very ambitious, my goal going into the season was not only to make NXN but also to place high in the race. However, for much of the season, it wasn’t really looking like a possibility. It was only until my league meet and CCS that I started to realize how much fitness I had gained from last season. My biggest memory from last year's NXN was leading the race with Josh Bell and several other California guys. At one point, all I saw in the race was an empty golf course ahead of me, and I realized then that I could do really well if I just kept pushing. The biggest lesson from NXN for me was the sense that I was there and in the midst of the nation's best runners, and that if I consistently put in the work early in the season, I could be competitive with the best HS runners in the nation.
10) At CCS, you lowered the Crystal Springs course record. What was your plan before the race? What does it mean to you to hold the course record on such a legendary course?
My plan going into CCS was to get the course record (and, of course, to win my race). My Coach wanted me to go out in 4:40 and hammer the second mile, which I really tried my best to do, but I didn’t realize how fast I was going, so I went out in 4:28/4:29 but was still able to hammer the second mile. By the 2 mile I was at 9:24 and realized I just needed to hang on and kick for the course record. Getting the course record by 4 seconds (in a solo effort) was/is a huge confidence booster going into the CIF 2024 xc State Meet. Crystal is truly a special course and the CCS atmosphere is so electric, so to get the course record at such a legendary course is something I will remember and cherish for a long time.
11) What would your advice be for a young runner with aspirations to be successful in high school and beyond?
My advice to young runners with aspirations to do well in high school and beyond high school would be to truly enjoy the process. While this may sound repetitive, as many runners have heard this before, High School running (and life/running beyond) goes by so fast, so try to treasure and cherish every moment, the joy, the pain, and the laughs with your teammates on runs and the moments your running alone.
12) Anything else you would like to add.
Thanks for the interview, Albert! And thank you for all you do not only for your incredible Crystal Springs Uplands Program, but also CCS and NorCal running.
Thank you very much for your time, Eli. Albert.