Q and A with Elisabeth Garner
The University of the Pacific is home to 16 sports, 10 of which are women’s sports. The athletes that participate are more than just incredible competitors.They are students with scholarships, jobs, and interesting hobbies. Read on to see a glimpse into the life of freshman cross country and track athlete Elisabeth Garner, ‘25.
Q: What do you do to prepare for your track and cross country competitions?
A: Preparation for competitions start days beforehand in practice, with emphasis on long run days (6 or more miles) and workout days with repeats of some sort (400s, 800s, miles, etc.) to work on our endurance, speed, and pacing, with lower mileage days in-between. Doing this process helps us to get ourselves used to running long distances at a quick, consistent pace, and prepares us both mentally and physically to do our best.
Q: What events do you do at competitions?
A: During cross country, we all race the 6k, which is a little under 4 miles. During track, we all run different races depending on what we want to focus on for that season. For me, I usually compete in the 3k (a bit less than 2 miles) or the 5k (a little more than 3 miles).
Q: How do you balance school, your personal life, and sports?
A: To balance all three took some trial and error to learn to do, and for me, I learned it requires quite a lot of organization to plan everything out and have good time management. Using calendars, scheduling apps, etc. to organize and put down all I have to do for the semester, a certain week, or a certain day for both school and sports has been a lifesaver, and has helped me to stay on track. Doing so really helps to take the stress off, as well as help me create free time in the week to do other things that I enjoy. I’m definitely not perfect at it, but having this planning routine has helped me to take more control of my schedule.
Q: Walk me through your day, what is your schedule generally like?
A: My schedule generally changes day to day depending on what we are doing for practice (long runs, workouts, easy days, etc.) or what classes I have. Generally, a typical practice day goes a bit like this:
5:50 am: Wake up
6:45 am - 8:30 am: Practice
8:45 am - 9:45 am: Strength training (only twice a week)
9:45 am- 6pm-ish: Class (depending on day)
Q: What is your favorite physical activity that anyone can do?
A: Although tough to pick, besides running, one of my favorite physical activities that anyone can do is to go on rides on a bike or a skateboard/longboard… especially whenever I visit my home town, I love to go longboarding with my siblings; it’s relaxing, and it gives you a good workout!
Q: Lastly, how long have you been doing cross country and track?
A: I have been doing track for about 9 years, and cross country for about 7 years. I started doing track in elementary school, and started doing cross country in junior high, first on my own, and then joining the team in 8th grade.
