W Interviews ... W

As the victor of the 2010 Fantasy Track Extravaganza, "W" has won an exclusive front page interview, conducting by... himself.

First off, are you really going to conduct this interview in the third-person?
Well, that's a great question. Yes, I'm going to. The grand prize this year was an interview by W, so I think I owe it to myself for myself to conduct the interview of myself.

I think that's a pretty stupid idea, but let's get this over with. How did you get involved at Run The Arb?
It was just a progression. I got so involved on the message board with the Best Performance List and AotW that eventually people identified me as the owner of the site. Eventually, the Casey handed over the keys to castle, so to speak.

Your choices for AotW leave much to be desired. Is there a thought process behind it, or do you just draw names out of a hat?
There is actually quite a bit of thought put into it. The choice is made subjectively, but there are a lot of race results, comparisons, opinions to compile before I award it. Because it is a weekly award, there are usually two to three comparable athletes to choose from on a weekly basis. Some times the week is a very busy week and I've having to split hairs in order to chose between All Americans. Other weeks, I literally have to scroll through random 40-people road races in order to find anyone to hand an AotW. There is a process to it, and, believe it or not, I do try pretty hard to stay neutral on the matter and not let any biases take effect.

Can you please stop some of the stupidity on the message board?
At times, I wish I could. However, users would be surprised at just which topics people consider to be stupidity. I've had both sides of a debate come to me and ask me to delete (or, in essence, censor) the other side because it was the other side that was so stupid. That's where I have to try to take a hands-off approach, aside from the few rules listed. If people want to make absurd statements that don't break the rules, refute them. Presenting some logic goes a lot further than simple deletion.

Can't you just require registration?
No, that's not going to happen. Anonymous posting has benefits that registration just can't match. Just as one example, there won't be a critical mass of posts to keep any discussion going if everyone was required to register. The board would suffocate in weeks. I do wish more people would adopt handles and stick to them. I have not posted as anything but "W" since I created that moniker. I get enjoyment out of being accountable and being a member of a community, as opposed to being a faceless anon. But, to each his own. I understand the choice to be anonymous.

Which high schoolers do you think are going to win XC '10?
Whoever works the hardest, the longest. It is nearly impossible to predict the finish of an October race based on observations in the track season. I mean, there's a five month period between state track and state cross. Smart runners are progressing during those off seasons, not getting drastically out-of-shape then working like a dog to get back into average shape by September. It's always the smart, progressing runners that screw up everyone's predictions, and it's impossible to know who those runners will be, unless you know their training. Hence, the futility of early season predictions.

Are you a quality or quantity guy?
Quantity, probably to a fault. The compounding effects of mileage are pretty amazing if looked at on a longer timescale. Speed is a good quick fix, but mileage is a long-term steamroller. The problem I run into most with HS'ers and some collegiates is that there isn't any growth in mileage because they're always trying to get back to previous totals, while racing. The training log looks like a roller coaster, and because of their racing schedule there isn't the proper time to build up to a healthy total. How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice...

What's your favorite workout to give?
Probably 12x400m cutdown w/ 75sec recovery. I don't like to give it too often, but there's some primal about those last three or four quarters.

What's your favorite workout to run?
Any sort of hill workout. Usual choices are Towers hills or Arb hills. I would rather be in the Arb, but I'm just happy to do hills.

Ok, well congratulations on winning the Fantasy Extravaganza... I think you're going to be banned from prizes next year.
Thanks, just as long as I can defend my title, I'll be happy.