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| Carre Joyce is a senior at Villanova. Joyce graduated from Summerville High School in 2000. (fast-women.com photo) |
scrunners: What made you choose to run at Villanova?
joyce: I wanted to be part of Villanova's tradition of producing NCAA National Champions, All-Americans, and championship cross country teams. I also liked the team, the coach, the university's academics, choice of majors, location, and campus activities.
scrunners: What other colleges did you look into attending?
joyce: NC State, Georgetown, Wake Forest, UNC-Chapel Hill, Univ. of FL, and William and Mary.
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Full Name--Carre Lynn Joyce Date of Birth-9/28/81 Academic Interest-English Major and Education Minor High School-Summerville High School College-Villanova University Other awards 1998 Foot Locker National Finalist 4X 1600m State 4A Champion 3X 3200m State 4A Champion and 2X 4A Cross Country Champion |
scrunners: When did you start to run?
joyce: I didn't start running competitively until I was in seventh grade and I only ran track in seventh and eighth grade. I started cross country in ninth grade. However, I did run road races as a kid with my father. My first road race was the Shamrock 5K in 1992, so I was 11 years old. I never trained for these races, but I enjoyed running them.
scrunners: What or whom gave you the idea to start running?
joyce: My father and once I started to run a few road races, my times started dropping and I wasn't training at all, so he told me that I have talent and if I work hard, I can be a great runner one day.
scrunners: What South Carolina State records do you hold? What year did you set these records?
joyce: I hold the 1600m record since 1999.
scrunners: How many state championship titles did you win? What years, and were you expecting to win these meets?
joyce: Nine total-- I won cross-country in '98 and '99 and I was expected to win after finishing 2nd in '97 and 3rd in '96. Track I won the 1600m in '97, '98, '99, '00 and I wasn't expected to win as a freshman, but I was expected to finish in the top three since I had won the Coaches Classic 1600m earlier in the season. As far as the other years go, I think I was the favorite after winning as a freshman. I also won the 3200m in '98, '99, and '00. My freshmen year Lindsay Rogers won and she was definitely the favorite. I finished fourth that year. In '98, I think Dee Ayscue from Mauldin was the favorite because she had won the state cross country championship, but I'm not really sure because I was also running very consistent in the 3200 all season. The other two years I think I was the favorite after winning the state cross country title and after winning in '98.
scrunners: How did it feel to win the state championships, in cross-country in both 1998 and 1999 and running faster each year?
joyce: It felt great and I was excited that my hard work over the summer had paid off.
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Event Pr's 800m= 2:15 1500m= 4:28 3000m= 9:45 3000m Steeplechase= 10:45 5000m= 17:20 6000m= 21:31 (cross country) SC Records 1600m State Record Holder |
scrunners: Has Summerville ever captured a team state title?
joyce: Unfortunately, when I was on the cross country team we never actually won the team title. We came very close with three third place finishes and one second place finish. But, in track we captured the team state title in '98 and it was very exciting!
scrunners: How is the competition for you in college?
joyce: It's great because everyone is amazing and there is always plenty of competition. Even if we are running in a low-key meet, I still have plenty of competition because I have my teammates. I've never won a meet in college, but I have finished 2nd on a number of occasions. I am hoping that I can finish my senior year with a few wins.
scrunners: What kind of trainers and racers do you wear?
joyce: We are sponsored my Nike, so I wear the Nike Jana spikes for XC and I wear the Nike Zoom Shifts for Mile and open 3K, but I have special Nike steeplechase spikes that I wear for all my steeple races
scrunners: Where do you train in the summer? What does your summer training consist of?
joyce: I always stay in Philly until the end of June, but after that I usually go home and train in Chas. on the Greenway, which is the only trail in Chas. that is not paved. However, this past summer, I was only home for three and a half weeks and I spent the rest of my summer working two different running camps. One was in Asheville, NC and the other was in Lyndonville, VT. So this past summer, I was able to get in 4 weeks of training in the mountains. In the summer, I just work on building my mileage and I usually get up to about 60 miles a week, but this past summer I ran six weeks of 70 miles for the first time. I also do strides three to four times a week to maintain my speed, and I weight train three times a week and do running drills two times a week.
scrunners: How many national championships have you competed in while at Villanova? What does it feel like to compete in one? What do you think about when you are at the starting line?
joyce: I have competed in three national cross country championships. I love competing at nationals because there are so many great runners and teams. I also love going out there and running for my team, and knowing that I am wearing the Villanova uniform. Running for Villanova means so much to me and I always want to do my best. When I'm on the starting line, I really do not think about much, except I remind myself to stay relaxed for the first mile. During, the race I remind myself that every single point matters, so if a person goes by me, I remember that person could be the difference of our team finishing sixth or eighth.
scrunners: What number are you on Villanova's team?
joyce: The numbers on our team vary, so I'm not sure yet, but last year I was usually the fifth runner. This year, I expect to be either the fourth or fifth runner (by nationals), but right now I am alternating between fifth and sixth because of an Achilles injury I had in mid-September.
scrunners: Being a senior, will you graduate in May and what would you like to do?
joyce: Yes, I will graduate in May and I am currently applying to five teacher service programs, where I will teach in an underprivileged Catholic middle or high school, go to graduate school, and live with other teachers in the program. I am looking forward to teaching next year and still continuing my running as well.
scrunners: How have you prevented injuries since high school?
joyce: I had until this cross country season. This season has been strange for me because I went from running my sixth week of 70 miles to running 15 miles. After the 15-mile week, I was able to slowly build my mileage back up, but I did miss out on some workouts. Now, I'm back at 60, but my injury is not fully healed. I have some type of Achilles tendonitis, where the inner tendon of the Achilles is inflamed and has remained inflamed for five weeks. I am just thankful that it is an injury that I can run through and still compete.
scrunners: Did you play other sports before entering the running scene?
joyce: I played basketball for Ashley Hall from fourth through eighth grades. I also took ballet, pointe and jazz lessons from third until ninth grade.
scrunners: Does anyone else in your family run? If so who, and where?
joyce: My dad ran in high school and college. He ran for Fordham University in New York.
scrunners: Have you ever thought about coaching cross-country or track upon graduation? joyce: If so, why and where would you like to coach?
I would love to coach in a few years. I guess the location depends on where I am living and where there are job openings for coaches and teachers, but I would love to coach in South Carolina one day. I want to coach because I want to share my love of running with teenagers and hopefully, help them achieve their goals. I would also like to help my athletes receive scholarships to go to college.
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| Joyce competes in the steeplechase for Villanova. (fast-women.com photo) |
joyce: I want to continue running and racing, and just see where it takes me. I will always run because I love it too much to stop, and I will probably always race because I love to compete.
scrunners: What does the rest of your cross-country schedule look like?
joyce: We have the Big East Championships on Halloween, the regional meet on Nov. 15, and then nationals on Nov. 24.
scrunners: Who was your biggest high school rival, as an individual and team? How and when did this rival start? When does it become most intense?
joyce: I really didn't have a high school rival. As a team, I think Spartanburg was our biggest rival because they always won the state cross country titles.
scrunners: Do you have any rivals in college?
joyce: Basically all the Big East teams because we always want to do well at the conference meet, but Georgetown is definitely our biggest rival in every sport except football because our football team is not in the Big East conference.
scrunners: What kind of interval workouts do you do at Villanova? What pace do you usually run in these workouts?
joyce: In XC, we do a lot of 1000's, mile repeats, and ladder workouts. The pace depends on the intensity of the workout. In track we still do a lot of 1000's, along with 800's, 600's, 400's, and 200's. I usually try to gear the pace towards my goal mile or 3K times, but once again the pace totally depends on whether the workout is going to be a threshold workout, or a workout where we are expected to run all out.
scrunners: Who do you run with the most at Villanova?
joyce: My teammates. We all basically run together, but sometimes we separate into groups depending on what run we want to do. As far as workouts go, we are put into groups. The only person who I am always with is Kirsty Smith (she is a junior from Canada), but the groups change often depending on the workout and where my teammates and I are at in our training.
scrunners: What kind of pace do you run in normal training runs?
joyce: We consistently train at 7:00 pace for our five to 10 mile runs.
scrunners: What keeps you motivated to get out the door everyday?
joyce: Running for Villanova and my personal goals.
scrunners: Did you run at the 2003 Great American Festival that was held in Cary, NC, what did you think of it?
joyce: No, our boys competed, but we did not.
scrunners: What kind of race tactic works best for you? An all out guts race or a strategic race?
joyce: My teammates tell me that I am a gutsy runner, but I see my races as being very strategic because I am not a kicker. I cannot win a mile, or 1500 race by waiting to kick at the last 200 because there are so many girls in college who have incredible leg speed and run under 2:08 for the 800. Since I am a 2:15 half miler, I rely on my endurance to win a race so I push the pace early on in the race. Actually this past outdoor season, I made a very gutsy move at the Florida Relays in the 1500 because I took the lead at the 800 mark and ended up second, losing by only two tenths of a second. I had so many people tell me that they thought I ran awesome, but then also asked why I didn't wait to move with a 400 to go because they thought I would have had more left at the end. I told them I had a goal and it was to run under 4:30 and make the Penn Relays 4X1500m relay team. Since, I wanted to break the 4:30 barrier, I knew what I had to do and because we slowed down by five seconds the second lap of the race, it would have been impossible for me to reach my goal if I didn't take the lead at the 800 mark. I guess my strategy can be gutsy at times, but as long as I am relaxed, I am able to run well even if I make a gutsy move early on in the race. I have also lead a handful of mile and 3000m races in college and not always by choice, but as long as I remain relaxed I can run a fairly strategic race, even if I am out front for most of the race. As far as the steeplechase goes, that is a totally different race, which requires strategy as well as patience.
scrunners: How many times have you competed at the Penn Relays? What is it like to be at this meet and what events do you usually run at the relays?
joyce: I have competed at the Penn Relays all three years in college and two years in high school. My freshmen year, I ran the collegiate 3000m, and my sophomore and junior years, I ran on the 4X1500 relay teams. I love competing at Penn Relays because there are so many fans and they all love Villanova. I always know when I step up on the starting line, that I will run well because there are so many Villanova alumni and fans shouting go 'Nova. Last year, I lead off the 4X1500m and it was very exciting! I ran awesome and even though our team placed second and lost to UNC-Chapel Hill, we still ran the 10th fastest time ever run at the Penn Relays and there have been over 100 Penn Relay meets. It was a wonderful experience and all of my teammates ran incredible.
scrunners: Did you ever run in the Penn Relays in high school how did you do in the events you ran?
joyce: I ran the mile in '99 and '00. I placed third in '99 and ran 5:01, but in '00 I had an off day and ran 5:06. I'm not sure what I placed in '00, but I was pretty far back in the race. I think I finished around ninth or 10th.
scrunners: What do you remember the most from running at Summerville?
joyce: My favorite moment at Summerville was winning the team state track championship in 1998. It was a special victory for us and I will always cherish my memories from that day.
scrunners: What do you look for in a coach and what do you expect a coach to look for in you?
joyce: I believe that the best coaches are the ones that are extremely positive, tough, and goal oriented. I look for these characteristics in coaches and I would hope that my coach would expect me to also be a positive, focused, hard working, and competitive athlete.
scrunners: What do you see happening with South Carolina running in the future?
joyce: I believe that South Carolina running has a bright future. I would love to come back to SC in a few years and start coaching championship cross country and track teams. I think we just need some more experienced coaches because I know that there are many talented athletes, but unfortunately many schools just have the basketball or football coach, coach the track teams even though they have never been to a track meet before.