An Interview with Connor Riley
Conner Riley is a West Virginia high
school distance runner who has successfully participated in the high school
State Cross Country Championships held at the Cabell Midland XC Course in Ona,
WV, placing 19th as a freshman (16:36.84), 2nd as a sophomore (16:05.11), and
3rd as a junior (16:30.70). Riley is coached under the direction of Mike Ryan.
I caught up with him to talk about his beginnings, training and future plans as
a collegiate runner.
Coach McMillion What school do you
attend?
CR - Morgantown
High School in Morgantown, WV
CM When school starts back up, what
grade will you be going into?
CR I am
entering my senior year.
CM - What sports have you
participated in as a youngster?
CR - As a
kid, hockey and BMX were my main sports.
CM -When did you first start running?
CR - I
started competitively in the spring of 7th grade, but prior to that I ran in a
club and with my dad.
CM Does anybody else in your family
run?
CR - My
brother, sister and dad all run competitively.
CM When did you first start to have
success at running?
CR - During
my 8th grade cross country season. I was 3rd at the Monongalia County Middle
School XC Championship behind Seth Edwards and Alex Minor. After that, I was
more motivated and did well for a freshman at my first state meet, placing
19th. After that, I continued in running and placed second my sophomore year at
the state meet.
CM What is your favorite workout?
CR 8 x 800
meters with 3 minutes rest.
CM About how many miles in a
typical week do you run?
CR -
Approximately 40-50 in season. I dont usually count my miles.
CM Will you be attending any
running camps over the summer, if so where?
CR - Yes,
Penn State Cross Country & Distance Running Camp on July 12th-15th.
CM Over the summer do you train
alone or with a group?
CR - I like
to train with a group, but I end up running alone most of the time.
CM What is the race that youre
most proud of?
CR My sophomore
year at the West Virginia High School AAA Boys State Cross Country Championship,
because I didn't expect to get the place that I did. I just ran as fast as I
could. It was probably my most well run race, tactically, so far.
CM Who would you credit your success
to?
CR - Many
people have had such big impacts on my running career that I can't pick out a
single person to attribute my success to.
CM What is it like to run for Coach
Mike Ryan?
CR - Coach
Ryan really knows what he's doing in how to train for each different aspect of
running and also understands how to get me to peak at the right time in the
season. He makes sure that the whole team is serious about our races but also
likes to make sure that we are still having fun doing it. It's a pleasure to
run under Coach Ryan and I can attribute much of my success to him.
CM Do you set any goals for
yourself? If so, what?
CR - My main
goal each season is to surpass my rankings, but also get a better time than the
last season.
CM Going into the 2015 cross
country season you will be ranked #2 behind University Highs Seth Edwards. Is
there a rivalry between the two county schools? Do you have bragging rights
until the next season?
CR - There's
a little rivalry, and it's gotten pretty tense at times. Overall, though, it's
friendly competition; we are both representing Morgantown and we are all
friends in the end.
CM - This is your last year in high
school, are you looking forward to competing at the next level?
CR - I'm
still deciding whether or not to compete in college.
CM Will you be competing at Foot
Locker or NXN?
CR - I don't
know yet. It will depend on how I'm feeling at that time in the season.
CM Have you committed to a college
or University yet? If not, is there a particular school you are leaning
towards?
CR - I
haven't committed yet, but I have a top 5 list including: New York University
(NYU), Syracuse University (SU), University of Southern California (USC),
Belmont University (BU) and Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU).
A few Quick Questions:
CM: What shoes do you train in?
CR -Saucony Kinvara 6 (I've only run
in Kinvaras, since they came out with the 1 and continuing
now with the 6).
CM - Favorite athlete?
CR -No one
in particular
CM Who do you look up to the most?
CR - My dad.
CM: Favorite song?
CR -
"300 Violin Orchestra" by Jorge Quintero
CM - If you could travel anywhere
where would you go?
CR - St.
Lucia.
CM - Favorite catch-phrase/quote?
CR -
"Luck favors the prepared" and "Just run faster".
CM Thank you so much for your time
Connor. I wish you the best of luck in the future.
Coach Mike
McMillion
e-mail: mgmcmillion@aol.com