Meet Alabama Cross Country Freshman Chris Buechner
11/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field, Cross Country
Nov. 3, 2015
I was initially attracted to the university's amazing scholarships, but once I visited and talked to the coaches, I knew Alabama was everything I was looking for in a college.
In your opinion, what is your best distance race and why?
I raced the 800 meters my whole high school career and got a lot of experience in that race, so I'd say that's my best race going into college.
What is your favorite distance race and why?
My favorite distance is probably the mile. It's a distance everyone understands, whether they run or not, and it's short enough to be fast and entertaining while being long enough to be a tactical race.
Are you competing in any new distance races that you did not train for in high school?
Cross country is a huge step up in distance for me. In Illinois, we run three miles for our cross country races, so I'm nearly doubling the race in an 8k and going over twice as far in a 10k!
What has been the biggest challenge in training as a collegiate athlete overall?
We have practice twice a day nearly every day, which gave me a huge step up in the amount of time I'm working every week to get better. It's very tiring, but I know it will help me get faster.
What has been the best part about training as a collegiate athlete?
Training is much more personalized in college compared to high school. We've been using heart rate training this year, and a lot of the workouts are based on our individual heart rate, which I think is very cool.
How would you describe the cross country team's chemistry?
All of the guys on the team get along so well and have made the transition into college so much better for me. We really are one unit; we look after each other and want everyone to succeed.
What is your favorite part about practice?
The best part of practice is feeling the hard work you put in and knowing results will come out of everything you do.
If you could compete in any event, what would it be and why?
I really enjoy racing the mile, but if I had to choose another event it would have to be the decathlon. The huge range of events they have to master is so impressive.
What are you looking forward to most this cross country season?
I'm looking forward to establishing myself as a student-athlete and getting to race with my team against other great schools.
What are some of your goals for this cross country season?
I want to be a contributing member of the team and help in whatever way I can to make the team better as a whole. As a freshman, it's also very important to get a good base of training.
What motivates you?
There is always room for improvement, and I always want to be improving. In our sport you will only ever get out what you put in, and natural talent can only get you so far. I know I need to work hard to keep up.
What is the greatest part about being a student-athlete for The University of Alabama?
At Alabama, I really feel taken care of. All of the athletes and staff really want me to succeed and that means a lot to me. Whether it's motivational talks or treatment from the trainers, they have my back.
What are some of your hobbies outside of training?
Outside of training, I hang out with my roommates a lot. We get really competitive in NHL 15, which is always good fun. We just got into Game of Thrones recently, and that has consumed a lot of our free time.
What brought you to Alabama?
I was initially attracted to the university's amazing scholarships, but once I visited and talked to the coaches, I knew Alabama was everything I was looking for in a college.
In your opinion, what is your best distance race and why?
I raced the 800 meters my whole high school career and got a lot of experience in that race, so I'd say that's my best race going into college.
What is your favorite distance race and why?
My favorite distance is probably the mile. It's a distance everyone understands, whether they run or not, and it's short enough to be fast and entertaining while being long enough to be a tactical race.
Are you competing in any new distance races that you did not train for in high school?
Cross country is a huge step up in distance for me. In Illinois, we run three miles for our cross country races, so I'm nearly doubling the race in an 8k and going over twice as far in a 10k!
What has been the biggest challenge in training as a collegiate athlete overall?
We have practice twice a day nearly every day, which gave me a huge step up in the amount of time I'm working every week to get better. It's very tiring, but I know it will help me get faster.
What has been the best part about training as a collegiate athlete?
Training is much more personalized in college compared to high school. We've been using heart rate training this year, and a lot of the workouts are based on our individual heart rate, which I think is very cool.
How would you describe the cross country team's chemistry?
All of the guys on the team get along so well and have made the transition into college so much better for me. We really are one unit; we look after each other and want everyone to succeed.
What is your favorite part about practice?
The best part of practice is feeling the hard work you put in and knowing results will come out of everything you do.
If you could compete in any event, what would it be and why?
I really enjoy racing the mile, but if I had to choose another event it would have to be the decathlon. The huge range of events they have to master is so impressive.
What are you looking forward to most this cross country season?
I'm looking forward to establishing myself as a student-athlete and getting to race with my team against other great schools.
What are some of your goals for this cross country season?
I want to be a contributing member of the team and help in whatever way I can to make the team better as a whole. As a freshman, it's also very important to get a good base of training.
What motivates you?
There is always room for improvement, and I always want to be improving. In our sport you will only ever get out what you put in, and natural talent can only get you so far. I know I need to work hard to keep up.
What is the greatest part about being a student-athlete for The University of Alabama?
At Alabama, I really feel taken care of. All of the athletes and staff really want me to succeed and that means a lot to me. Whether it's motivational talks or treatment from the trainers, they have my back.
What are some of your hobbies outside of training?
Outside of training, I hang out with my roommates a lot. We get really competitive in NHL 15, which is always good fun. We just got into Game of Thrones recently, and that has consumed a lot of our free time.
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