Name: Heather Elliott
Hobbies: basketball, guitar, eating
Academic Interest: math (calculus)
Personal Bests: 5K-19.25, 3200-11.22, 1600-5.16, 1500-4.52
How was summer training?
Good, we have a lot of new people that I got to meet and spend time with.
What goals do you have?
I want to go under 19 for 5K, all-state and all-region
Team goals?
We are looking really strong this season. We only had one senior graduate from the varsity team, so we didn't lose too much.
What races are you focusing on?
Coaches Classic, Lake Murray, Low Country, Wendy's, Region, and State.
What do you hope to achieve at state?
All-state, Shrine Bowl Run, and team championship.
What are you looking to do after the regular season?
Foot Locker South and start training for track.
Did anything change in the summer training?
We ran more miles with higher intensity.
How did I get involved and why?
My dad wanted me to run cross country even though I didn't want to, I showed up the first day of freshman year, and after a few days started to love it.
What do you enjoy the most about running?
I'm really competitive, so running gives me a chance to race. I also like the people that are associated with cross country. Eastside cross country is basically a really big family that I can always count on.
What is your favorite workout?
Intervals, preferably 200s or 400s.
What is a preferred race strategy for you?
Go out decently fast and try not to slow down too much. During the race I try to catch people in front of me because it gives me a challenge and I'm competitive.
What is your motivation?
The sense of accomplishment after a hard workout, and the potential of getting faster.
Do you want to compete at the next level?
Yes.
What challenges have you encountered?
Eastside has had some coaching changes with new strategies for training so getting adjusted to a different running routine has been challenging, but I'm used to it now.
Having a brother and sister on the team, what kind of discussions are had at home about the sport and how do you handle being the oldest sibling on the same team?
Having both of my siblings on the same team with me is really encouraging and fun. I love that we all get to run at the same meets and cheer each other on and that we love running. It's really special to me. We tend to talk about running and the team a lot at home whether it be about our next meet or how hot it was at practice. Being the oldest, I try and encourage them to do their best and to not get down if they didn't run what they wanted. I want them to have as good of an experience as I have had with cross country.