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 don’t 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 you’re 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 High’s 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 Kinvara’s, 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