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Full name: Elizabeth Nicole Fitts Academic interest: Veterinary Science Hobbies: Horseback riding, guitar, Frisbee, I love playing just about all sports Event PR\'s: 5k- 20:57 Date of Birth: 11/4/88 Brothers and Sisters: Younger brother and sister (Matthew 7, Madeline 13) |
fitts: I started to run in eighth grade.
scrunners: Who gave you the idea to start to run?
My dad.
scrunners: Do you remember my first race?
fitts: Yes, I ran around a 25 min. 5k in the 8th grade.
scrunners: How would you rate your 2004 cross-country season at Wando?
fitts: On a scale of 1-10 a 7, I couldn\'t run in 2003 because of an injury so it was a \"catch up\" year for me.
scrunners: How would you rate your 2005 season?
fitts: On a scale of 1-10 a 9, at the beginning of the season I had a few issues with my knee but I was able to work through it, and I was also able to find a way to control my exercise induced asthma which helped my running tremendously and I feel like I\'ve had a very successful season.
scrunners: What kind of training are you doing as season as the season progresses?
fitts: More speed workouts.
scrunners: What kind of training did you undergo this summer for cross-country?
fitts: We practiced three mornings a week and went to cross-country camp at Appalachian State.
scrunners: What is your strongest track event? Why?
fitts: The 2 mile because I do better at long distances. It takes me awhile to get my speed up.
scrunners: What keeps you motivated to get out the door for life and training?
fitts: My dad, and I really like staying active and in shape. It\'s good for the body, soul, and mind.
scrunners: Living near the beach how often do you run there?
fitts: During the cross-country season about once a week, off season 1-2 times a month
scrunners: Do you prefer to run on the beach or around Mt. Pleasant?
fitts: No preference, it depends on what kind of mood I\'m in. I also really enjoy running through the woods on trails.
scrunners: Who do you train with the most at Wando?
fitts: My cross-country team.
scrunners: Does or did anyone in your family run?
scrunners: Did they run in high school or college? Where?
fitts: My dad and uncle both ran in high school in Alabama and my uncle ran for the University of North Alabama and South Alabama.
scrunners: What kind of race strategy works for you? If a strategy changes, how do you adapt to the changes?
fitts: The race strategy that works best for me is to get out in front really early then set a slightly uncomfortable pace, keep it, then pick it up and give it all I\'ve got the last mile. I haven\'t ever really needed to change this strategy but if for some reason I did I would probably take to new strategy and \"run with it\" the best I could.
scrunners: What race has been your biggest challenge? Explain.
fitts: The Great American meet. It\'s a really tough course with some really big hills and it\'s really easy to sike yourself out. It\'s definitely a mental race so I always have to talk/think myself through the whole course.
scrunners: As a junior, looking forward, what do you want to achieve prior to graduation in 2007, in life, athletics, and academics?
fitts: That\'s a big question because I have a lot of goals for myself before graduation. In life, I want to maintain a good and positive attitude in all situations, I want to live every day as my last and make to most of every opportunity. In athletics, I want to continue running and have my last season the best of the four. I also want to stay injury free which as I\'ve learned over the past three years has about 90 percent to do with the athlete and how dedicated/aware he/she in taking care of his/her body. Finally, in academics I want to maintain and A-B average (mostly A\'s) and challenge myself intellectually with difficult courses so I will not only be able to get into a good college but also be prepared for it.
scrunners: Where is your favorite place to run and why?
fitts: While I like running in the woods there\'s not very many places to do that in Mt.Pleasant so the beach is probable my favorite place to run.
scrunners: Does your team have a tradition prior to a race?
fitts: On the starting line we always yell \"sexy xc.\"
scrunners: Who is your biggest individual and team rival?
fitts: I don\'t have and individual rival but Stratford HS is probably our team\'s biggest rival/competition.
scrunners: When do these rivals become the most intense? Explain.
fitts: They become the most intense at meets like state and region.
scrunners: Have you ever been injured?
fitts: Yes, I got a stress fracture my freshman year right before the season began, and I also got IT band syndrome at the beginning of this past season.
scrunners: What kind of training did you do during these injuries?
fitts: When I had the stress fracture I worked out in the pool and on an elliptical trainer along with many stretches. For the IT band syndrome I took a few weeks off and used to elliptical trainer and again had many regular stretches I had to do to strengthen my hip.
scrunners: How did you stay motivated during this time and throughout the each season?
fitts: To stay motivated I set goals for myself so that I am always working for toward something. I think if you're working hard for a purpose it helps to continue working hard, so you can reach your goals, which is always rewarding.
scrunners: Do you have a favorite running book or movie?
fitts: Not really, but I do like looking at running magazines.
scrunners: What would you like to accomplish with running in the future?
fitts: My long term goal for running is to make it a life long sport. Something that I continue doing regularly throughout my life even if I\'m no longer competing. I\'m also considering running in college.
scrunners: How do I see myself achieving these accomplishments?
fitts: To make running a life sport I need to find other people with the same goal to keep me accountable. My dad has a running group that runs together every week, and they help each other keep up with their running, I think this is a great way help make running a discipline while being fun at the same time. As far as running in college goes it probably going to depend on where I go but I plan to continue getting faster in order to increase my chances of running in college.
scrunners: What do you look for in a coach and what do you expect a coach to look for in you?
fitts: I think my coach (Gwen Branham-Hooffstetter) is the perfect example of what I look for in a coach. Someone who cares about each one of her runners individually, and can push and challenge us in a way that we want to get better and aren\'t being forced. Someone who can make running fun even when it\'s really tough, and is always encouraging not discouraging even if we have a bad day, which we all do. The things I expect to look for in me are dedication, discipline, a \"love\" for running, and the will to push myself and not give up.
scrunners: Have you ever thought about coaching track or cross-country? On what level? And why?
fitts: Yes, I have thought about coaching cross-country probably on a high-school level. I think it would be cool to impact girls lives the way my coach has impacted mine. I think running is a great sport and would love to be involved in helping other girls see this.
scrunners: What do you see happening with South Carolina cross-country in the future? How would you like to be involved?
fitts: I think South Carolina has some very talented runners now and coming up in the next couple years, my sister being one. I hope that more and more of these talented girls will take running to the next level, college, because I know many of South Carolina\'s colleges have great cross-country programs. I would like to be involved in anyway I can if not by running at least by supporting girls like my sister and encouraging them to keep up with the sport.
scrunners: To beginning runners, what to you recommend to them to make running a life sport?
fitts: I recommend them to work hard but stay balanced so they don\'t get burnt out too fast. Keep up with running even in the off-season, also try to find a group of friends who share the same goals and keep each other accountable.
scrunners: Based on your 80th position in the 4A girl\'s race, were you pleased with this placing and Wando\'s 17th team placing?
fitts: Um...yes and no. Many of our varsity runners were out injured or sick so we had the potential to place higher but overall each girl individually ran pretty well.
scrunners: What were you thinking prior to the race that morning?
fitts: I just kept telling myself that it was the last race of the season and to run my best.
scrunners: How did the race unfold for you?
fitts: I felt pretty good about it for the most part. I wasn\'t very familiar with the course so I probably could have picked it up a little more towards the end, but i was satisfied with my time.
scrunners: What did you think of the course?
fitts: It was ok I didn\'t like the all the sand but there wasn\'t anything really worth complaining about, you can always find something you don\'t like about a three mile course you have to race.
scrunners: Where was your most favorite part of the course, the most challenging, and worse part of the course? Explain.
fitts: My favorite part of the course was the last 200 meters of the race. I always like the finish. The most challenging was the one big hill and the worst part was last mile, you were so close to the end but all the turns and serpentines made it seem like it took you forever to get there. It was like one of those so close and yet so far feelings.
scrunners: Did you do anything special the night before with your team?
fitts: Yes, we always have a \"pre-state,\" \"carbo\" loading dinner at one of our houses the night before which always involves lots of yummy pastas.
scrunners: At the meet, what would you consider the most exciting part of the whole meet?
fitts: The most exciting part of the whole meet was crossing the finish line knowing it was over and i\'d run my best and left everything out on the course.