 Home state: Michigan
Status: Sophomore Year on club: 2 College: College of Engineering Major: Computer Science Adam’s favorite season of running is cross country, and he enjoys partying after track meets. During the recent elections, Adam was voted to be the 2016-17 Social Coordinator. This spring, Adam helped organize a Running Club team for the MSU Relay for Life, which had a successful turnout. Check out the email interview with Adam below: Running Club: “What is your favorite memory from Running Club?” Adam Blaida: “My favorite memory from Running Club was definitely Nationals my freshman year. Hosting it in East Lansing, along with the absolutely insane number of people at KARL afterwards from all over the country, certainly felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience.” RC: “Why did you initially join?” AB: “I joined Running Club because in high school all of my friends came from running, and I craved that social running atmosphere. As many people in the club know, I’m not a serious runner anymore. I never have enjoyed competing in running nearly as much as I do going out for a long run with a great group of friends, and Running Club offered exactly what I was looking for: low commitment to races, greatly varied runs, and a social and welcoming atmosphere. It was everything I had hoped for!” RC: “What are you looking forward to most about being an officer?” AB: “I look forward to helping grow the club further. Though growing the club and introducing new members is something that falls on all members of the club, as Social Coordinator it is my job to help grow that sense of family between old and new members, and the better job I do that, the more new members that will stick around.” RC: “Is there anything in particular you hope to do to make the club better as someone on the e-board?” AB: “My biggest goal is to expand the social events in the winter months to encourage more people to come out. I know there are many people, myself admittedly included, that are deterred on some days when it is too cold to bike to practice. By expanding social events in both practice and out of practice, we can hopefully maintain a stronger community through the winter months.” RC: “Why did you run for Social Coordinator?” AB: “I wish I had some deep reasoning behind it, but I like hosting events and getting people to have fun. I think I can do both of those well so Social Coordinator was a good fit.” RC: “What sorts of ideas do you have planned for the club?” AB: “Certainly the biggest thing would be a winter ski trip. It was a blast with those who went last year and having it planned much earlier on would lead to more people going and a much better hill. Beyond that, I hope to get more Running Club IM teams started.” RC: “What is it like living in one of the Running Club houses? Are you excited to keep the Gunson Burner for next year? How will it be different after Pat, Mike, and Jack move out?” AB: “Living in the house was probably one of the best decisions I’ve made. We all get along really well, the house itself isn’t a burning garbage pile like KARL, and we have stories worth a lifetime. I don’t know who will step up to Pat’s place as house mom, or who will hit Rama quite like Mike, or even what it will feel like to actually have 5 roommates, assuming no one disappears for days at a time like Jack. I’ve loved having all these guys as roommates but I certainly can’t wait to have Capitol Hill at the Gunson Burner next year, with 4 out of the 5 roommates being officers.” RC: “Tell me about Dunkin, the fish from Relay for Life.” AB: “Dunkin really was the glue that kept us together for Relay for Life. Most teams left overnight, many of them with many more members than our group. The comradery around that little devil kept us laughing, including doing laps and literally saving his life multiple times. Once, while Eric Haymes was taking a selfie, a Frisbee hit our table and ran right over where Dunkin was not 10 seconds earlier. Beyond that, the amount he walked around the track with us was more than most of our members will do in a week. Certainly Dunkin was a staple member of our Relay team and his death took a toll on us all.”
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 Home state: Michigan
Status: Sophomore Year on club: 2 College: College of Education Major: Kinesiology In addition to Running Club, Emily is involved in Ski Club and the Outdoors Club and works at the campus cafeteria. Her interests besides the clubs involve the outdoors, like hammocking, hiking and going on adventures. She also likes “Tree hugging, Madi and Tori, stalking Squanda, kissing running club boys (Wisconsin), and long walks on the beach.” With conflicting schedules, we had a chance to interview Emily over email: “I joined running club because I saw Madi and Tori running one day, and I really wanted to be like them. My favorite aspect of the club is the social aspect. As soon as I found out this club loved running and loved drinking about as much as running, I knew the people in this club were my people.My least favorite part is the actual running. I'm just a social runner :). I ran track and cross country throughout high school. I'm not quite sure on my favorite events... Totally depends on the shape I'm in. However since I'm slower than I was in high school, I'm starting to like longer distances. Hoping to train for a marathon in the summer! Favorite memory? Oh gosh... Nirca Nats is always a fun memory! Long live #nircasluts,” Emily wrote.  Home state: Michigan
Status: Sophomore Year on club: 1 College: James Madison College Major: Social Relations and Policy Alex is very involved on campus. In addition to being a member on the Running Club, Alex is Treasurer for Delta Phi Epsilon Foreign Service Fraternity, Director of Party Relations for MSU College Democrats, and works at the Horticulture Gardens on campus. He also works at ASMSU as Governmental Affairs Community Liaison and sits on the Student Allocations Board. However, Alex said that his ideal life would be to “spend every day of his life at a beach playing volleyball, drinking beer, reading some Hemingway and getting a good burn.” Aside from that, Alex said he has season tickets to Spartan football and hockey. As far as sports go, Alex said he is best at sleeping, then golfing, and finally, running. Running Club: “So you’re pretty involved with ASMSU, right?” Alex Noffsinger: “Yeah.” RC: “What is your position with them?” AN: “Well, I work as their Governmental Affairs Community Liaison, so I work fourteen hours a week there working for the City of East Lansing. I represent the students of MSU on a couple of commissions.” RC: “So do you have to go into Lansing then to work with them?” AN: “No, I usually just work from the Student Services offices. We have ours on the third floor, so I’ll just go there after class on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Fridays and luckily I just get to work from there. So it’s a pretty nice set up.” RC: “What do you have to do?” AN: “I usually do a lot of research work, like on policies that they are trying to pass. I look through a lot of ordinances and some of them we end up supporting and some of them we end up opposing. So it’s kind of up to me to track them, or if something comes up that doesn’t look good I’ll tell my supervisor like “Hey we should do some more research on this” or “We should make a meeting with the mayor to talk about this.” RC: “What’s an example?” AN: “There’s this housing policy right now called the Non-Conforming Ordinance where it restricts the ability of landlords to make structural updates and changes to rental properties. If they do, it revokes the rental license of the property turning it back into single-family homes, so traditional--not college students. So it’s a way of the city getting rid of student housing close to campus.” RC: “So do you oppose that one?” AN: “Yeah, definitely. I think a lot of students would rather live in houses. Obviously in Running Club we have House KARL and the Gunson Burner, and they are old houses with some character in them. But these are a couple of houses where updates could be made to them and the city is trying to ban it. So it puts landlords in a tough position because people are going to live in them no matter what, and they aren’t bad but they could be better. So it’s just not a good situation. And the city is not going to budge on it, so it’s just kind of a battle.” RC: “Would you opposing it and your supervisor looking more into it do anything. Or is it more of that this is what is going to come, so expect it?” AN: “It kind of does, realistically. He got into the planning commission for the city and then I got onto a committee, a little task-force that was formed through the city. So I would say in that aspect it has been kind of affective because we have had student representation at the city-level. So it’s pretty official in that aspect and we have been been able to go to the meetings and speak out for the students. And so I think we have some influence at the committee level, but eventually everything goes to the city council.” RC: “And they just vote.” AN: “Yeah, so there’s pretty much a 3/2 dividing at the students right now when it comes to student policy. So realistically, there’s probably not too much that we can do, but it makes students look better that we are aware of what is going on.” RC: “How did you get involved with ASMSU?” AN: “I actually just got hired as a marketing intern last year as a freshman in fall semester. So all throughout my freshman year, I did like five hours a week helping with a lot of their projects and events and initiatives and I just focused on flyering and social media stuff. It was pretty easy and it wasn’t really what I wanted to do, but it was a way to get into the door and then going into my sophomore year this year, I applied for this job, and I was able to get it.” RC: “That’s perfect. Do you get paid too?” AN: “Yep, it’s a nice gig.” RC: “Do you want to go into that sort of stuff? I mean, you’re in James Madison. What’s your major?” AN: “I study Social Relations and Policy, so it kind of relates to what I do because even right now we are looking at the social aspect of housing policy and you wouldn’t expect to be able to ever really use that major but you kind of do. East Lansing has a non-discriminatory clause against students. Well they include like ‘student-level’ or ‘student-status’ right up there with religion and race. So it’s pretty significant when you’re looking at it that way. As far as city politics go, I think it’s a good place to start, but I don’t think I would want to spend my life there.” RC: “Would you want to go to law school? Is that your plan?” AN: “Yeah, I kind of do. This semester I am rushing a pre-law fraternity, so I’ve been really busy with that. Like, this past weekend we went down to Northwestern Law School and Loyola of Chicago, so it’s something on the table. Obviously it’s extremely expensive and it’s kind of a gamble as far as if it’s worth it nowadays because that market is kind of saturated, But I guess right now I’m just learning more about it. I wouldn’t rule it out of the table or the option of ideas but it’s always a good option if you’re passionate about it. And I’m pretty passionate about policy and law and the intricacies of it, so I’m definitely open to it.” RC: “How do you balance everything? You’re involved with ASMSU and now you’re rushing this pre-law fraternity. Are you involved with anything else, other than Running Club?” AN: “I’m on the e-board of the College Democrats as well. But I think next year I will probably be taking a smaller role with them. I’ll probably be on the e-board still but I don’t really do that much right now.” RC: “What’s your position?” AN: “I am the Director of Party Relations. So I do a lot of outreach work with a lot of the democratic clubs around us, like the Ingham County Dems and the Meridian Township Dems. So with them I don’t have to do much; I just go to meetings once a week. But I think if I can take a bigger role on next year with ASMSU, I think I would probably just keep it to the fraternity, Running Club, and ASMSU. And that’s why I like Running Club because you can pencil in 5:00 PM I can go run for an hour and you can treat it like an obligation, even though you’re just running--you know what I mean. I think a lot of us are like that. I don’t know, I enjoy it a lot because I get to go out there and I wish I hadn’t been hurt this semester because it kind of sucks.” RC: “What injury have you been dealing with?” AN: “I actually have stress fractures in both of my legs. The pain started back in October and I ignored it of course and I remember running Regionals at Indiana. I initially wasn’t going to go down because I was already hurting a lot and I decided to go and planned to watch with the idea of maybe running. Of course I ran because I got there and popped a bunch of pills and put on a bunch of icy-hot like it was suntan lotion and nothing was helping. So I ran then and then I remember being in so much pain, and then I ran a 5k--the turkey trot--and I was miserable. It was the worst pain of my life. After that, I was like ‘I have to get this checked out,’ so I went in to get an x-ray and they sent me to Sparrow Hospital and I went there over winter break and I got x-rays done. I didn’t expect anything to be wrong because I thought that they were just following up. So I was getting ready to get back out there and I had a follow-up appointment with the physical therapist and he just sat down and told me I had stress fractures in both of my shins and said that I couldn’t run until late March. At first I was like, well it can’t be that bad, but then he scared me because he said that I only have one shot to really fix this because if I ran on it and messed it up some more, I would be dealing with some issues for a while. He jokingly told me that I should start working on my triathlon career so I was just going to bike and swim a lot. But then I got really busy with other things and then it was winter. I also tried swimming in the lap pool at IM Circle and it’s difficult. I never thought that it would be that difficult. I got kind of turned off the day I almost drowned.” RC: “That sounds like a story. What happened there?” AN: “I didn’t literally almost drown, but I was down 50 yards and I was 25 yards back and I was like, ‘Oh my god, I can’t do this.’” RC: “Was this the first lap?” AN: “No it was like the fifth lap, but I swam out and I did that and it was just not good. But I went over to Holden with Jenna Chapman and they have the free cardio gym in the basement, so whenever we both had the time, I would go over and workout down there. I’ve been pretty lazy. I did go for my first run Saturday night, actually.” RC: “How was it?” AN: “It felt pretty good.” RC: “As far as not being in shape and everything else.” AN: “Yeah, not being in shape, not stretching, being really cold. I think I ran three miles. I started out at Campus Village. It was like 3:00AM and we had just gotten back from Chicago my friend was like ‘Chuck, do you want to go for a run?’ I told her that I hadn’t run since November but she said that she didn’t care and that she just wanted someone to go run with so she didn’t go running alone at 3:00AM. So we went running at 3:00 and we ran down all the way to the end of River Trail by Hagadorn and then all the way back. So it was probably too far for the first time out, but it felt really good.”RC: “And you haven’t run since?” AN: “Yeah, I haven’t run since Saturday.” RC: “But did you feel pain? Did your shins hurt?”AN: “No, I didn’t feel pain. A little sore, but I think just because I hadn’t run in that long and I had been up for about 24 hours straight. It wasn’t the best. But I felt kind of good because before I was heel-striking pretty badly and so I’ve been reading a couple of books and Jenna said she would teach me how to run so I got some new shoes and start from scratch. Before I was really slow, and it was just a wasted time and effort with my running form, and it was hurting me too. It was kind of a nice restart, so I’m just trying to take it slow.” RC: “When you’re not injured, do you prefer track or cross country?” AN: “I actually never did either one before I got here. I started running senior year of high school just for fun and then I ran a lot my freshman year, and then this year Jenna told me to check out the club, and that’s when I joined. But I’m pretty slow. That’s fine, I don’t care. So I think I’d enjoy cross a lot more. And I just enjoy running around versus the speed aspect of it as far as being on the track.” RC: “Do you think that there’s more stigma behind track as compared to cross country?” AN: “I think there probably is. For someone who’s never done it before, when you look at track runners compared to cross runners, and the idea too that everyone can see you when you’re running track. Like, with MC5 you were back in the woods and no one cares. And I know that no one actually cares or is judging, but you are judging yourself and I don’t know you can be a little self-conscious that way. I don’t know, my goal is just to be a healthy runner. I’d rather run slow and be able to run every day than be fast and not be able to run that much.” RC: “Do you think the Running Club was welcoming enough for you as a beginner runner, or was it intimidating at all? There are a lot of competitive people.” AN: “It was a little intimidating at first. I remember my first day I felt so embarrassed because I definitely ran too hard for myself. And I remember I would walk back and think that it was terrible but I worked my way into it and I think it helped that I started to make friends on the team. I obviously knew Jenna, but then my friend Austin from high school joined and his roommate, Zach. I started making friends with Melanie and Jackie and as I started getting some friends, I think that helped. And then as far as guys who would run my speed, like Charlie and Nick when I was going out for long runs with them, it helped to run with them. So I think at first it was a little intimidating because I didn’t know who to run with and you don’t want to be the slowest guy ever, But as you start running with a couple of guys it gets better and works out that way.” RC: “What’s your favorite thing about running club? Having other people to run with?” AN: “Yeah, I would say that having to run my whole life by myself, it is a lot of fun getting to run with a group of people. And I like the structure and the challenge of it as well, especially in the fall. You’re trying to get better and you have the routes planned out for you so you try to plan out that you want to be able to run eight or ten by this week or something like that. So that was really cool.”  Home State: Illinois
Status; Junior Year on club:1 College: College of Arts and Letters Major: Graphic Design/Photography Rafael is part of Ski-Club in addition to Running Club, and enjoys playing the drums, traveling, and mountain climbing. Though he was originally supposed to be a walk-on for the MSU Track team, Rafael ended up spending his first couple of years exploring other options on campus before joining the Running Club. Through busy schedules, we were able to interview Rafael through email communication. Check out the email interview below: Running Club: “You mentioned that this is your first year on the club. How did you find out about us, and why did you join?” Rafael Avcioglu: “I found out about Runners Club via mass email sent to students. I ran track & field from 6th grade until I graduated high school. I was originally supposed to be on the Michigan State Team as a walk on but I never showed up to practice because I was simply fed up with the sport and wanted to explore other things. After two years of partying and feeling lost, I realized something. I was missing the thing I needed to keep my life balanced. That thing was running.” RC: “What are your favorite and least favorite things about the club?” RA: “My favorite thing about the club is the competitive nature and the strategies that are implemented to succeed. We compete against other schools and even travel to different states which is really cool. I feel as though I am part of a D1 team without the unwanted pressures of having to win or be the best. The people are awesome, friendly, and pro-active. The events are especially fun. The thing I dislike most is the separation between sexes. I know that people who have been on the team for a while will mingle but other than that, I feel that there are social tensions that lie beneath the surface. Sometimes the only way to really get to know the girls on the team is to go to the social events. I understand the separation in running speeds makes it hard to run and talk but overall, one of the things I enjoy is having mixed genders in the practices like I did growing up in middle school but I wish we would all hang out more.” RC: “Do you have a favorite memory from the club?” RA: “I really enjoyed going to the corn maze in the fall, getting lost and meeting some friends.” RC: “What is your running experience like? Did you run throughout high school for the cross country and track teams?” RA: “To reiterate what I said in the first question. I ran cross county 6th-10th grade and switched to soccer. Track and Field was 6th-12th. Freshmen and Sophomore year of college was spent doing local races around Michigan and Chicago, but I was never consistent.” RC: “Do you prefer the track season to cross country? You noted that your favorite events are the 3200m relay and the 1600m relay. Would you say that you are more of a mid-distance guy? Do you like the open events as well? If not as much as the relays, why do you prefer racing the relays?” RA: “I said that the 3200m relay and 1600m relay were my favorite events because those were the ones I was best at in high-school. I would love to be a sprinter but no matter how hard I tried, I just wasn't fast enough to make it to state finals. I used to really like track but this year, with commitment and all, I have shown myself that I enjoy long runs and cross-country season overall. I feel that next year I will try to me much more devoted to the team and try shorter distance during track season, not feeling the pressure to do what I am best at but having the freedom to choose whatever I want. I prefer racing relays because track and field can be a very lonely, “one man team” sport. In a relay you feel like you are part of a 4 man team and the pressure is not as high. If you succeed and win you can share the success among the 4 of you instead of just one. I suppose my body structure is more mid-distance and that is what I am used to running.” RC: “Are you double majoring in Graphic Design/Photography or is there a photography focus within the graphic design major? What do you plan on doing after college?” RA: “I am a single major in graphic design with a photography specialization which means I take all the classes necessary to be equipped in both fields but only have a degree in one. I plan to go wherever the photography world takes me. Hopefully working for some big name artists, traveling and doing what I love most which is photography. If I am not immediately successful in this, I will go where I please and do free lance. The possibilities are endless. It is crucial that I work as hard as I can possibly work now in order to be competitive in an industry which has never had more photographers in the history of photographer. This is why, unfortunately, I am not as committed to the team this semester as I was the last.” RC: “Do you have a photography website you want me to share with the club so they can check out some of your work? (if you have any?)” RA: “I do. The website is: www.into-the-void.net/index-flatiron/ It is terribly not up to date. For more of my daily work and thoughts my Instagram is @rafikisuave I plan to fully update the website this summer.” RC: “Do you have any other comments about running club, running in general, or anything about yourself?” RA: “I have truly enjoyed the experience and like I said I hope to be much more involved next year. Wish I knew about the club when I was a Freshman in college but I am glad I got to join now before I graduate next year.”  Home state: Ohio
Status: Junior Year on club: 3 College: College of Engineering Major: Applied Engineering Sciences Paul's favorite events are the mile and the 3k. In addition to the club, Paul does research and enjoys playing basketball. He has been on the officer board for the past year as Club Treasurer. Check out the interview below: Running Club: “Why did you decide to be an officer to begin with?” Paul Salach: “Well, Running Club has done a lot for me and I think it’s a great student body organization. And just coming in as a freshman, it gave me something else to do. I met a lot of really great people, so I just wanted to give back. I decided to run for treasurer because I thought I could do a good job.” RC: “Are you happy that you waited two years before joining the officer board, or given the opportunity would you have joined earlier to try another position?” PS: “I’ve enjoyed my time on the board as treasurer a lot. It’s been a good way to put myself out there and I’ve been able to get to meet a lot of newcomers that I normally wouldn’t have been able to meet by being treasurer and requesting money. In terms of running earlier…between my freshman and sophomore year there wasn’t a lot of turnover of officers so it would have been more difficult to get elected. I also think that it was good to get two years as a member to be able to see what I wanted to improve as an officer. I liked being able to get more of a feel of the club before I got a more powerful position.” RC: “You’ve been working to change some of the financial amendments in the constitution. Do you think it will change things as far as when people pay?” PS: “I mean, I hope so. As of right now, it’s kind of hard because I don’t want to be a jerk and there are only so many Facebook messages you can send to people, and for the most part people are pretty good about getting their money in on time. But there are always one or two individuals that have a harder time getting it in, whether it’s because the university is not paying them or whatever. But yeah, hopefully the new amendments will help things go a little more smoothly.” RC: “How did you find out about Running Club?” PS: “I had the opportunity to spend the night with another student in February and he kind of told me about NIRCA and so I was aware that there was a club program. I wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but I knew I would have the opportunity to compete and do races. It was a good place to meet people too.” RC: “So you like the competitive side of the club?” PS: “Yeah I do. Coming out of high school I didn’t know if I wanted to run for a tiny D3 school or go to a big school for the big-college experience. I definitely enjoy the fact that I can still train and get faster; I’ve PR’d in most events that I’ve run since high school. I just find that really rewarding and hard work pays off.” RC: “And then, you’ve seen four different presidents. Are there things that you would keep from each president? Or, what do you hope to bring in when if you’re elected?” PS: “I think each president had their own strengths. Colin my freshman year was a really good coach and he kind of ran the team as a coach. He would take splits at all of the workouts and make sure that everyone was hitting their times. And it was kind of cool to have a senior take that role. Ben was a great leader my sophomore year. He is incredibly friendly and open and very approachable. Megan is very organized and did a lot for the club. She got us regionals my freshman year and she cared a lot. And then Adam has been a really good role model by coming to practice and getting through workouts and he’s just been really great to talk to and answers questions. So I will probably try to take aspects from each of them and do the best job I can.” RC: “Would you say that you are more of a competitive runner than a social runner?” PS: “Yeah, I mean, I definitely joined Running Club to get faster and to keep competing and then obviously I really enjoyed the people on the club which is why I have kept coming back. I think if I were getting faster but I didn’t like the people as much I don’t think that I would come back as much. So although I take it seriously, I definitely enjoy the social aspect.” RC: “Do you think [taking splits at the workouts] would deter social runners from coming to workouts if they knew their times were being monitored so carefully? Or do you think it would be something to have just if you were curious to know?” PS: “For me personally it was helpful to see how I was doing as the season progressed. I could see where that sort of structure might be intimidating to social runners. But a lot of times, the splits were self-recorded because Colin was running workouts with us. So there was just kind of a sheet that you could write your times down on if you wanted to. So it wasn’t really forced on you, it was just an option. But I could see where having that could be a little intimidating.” RC: “But you also think it could be effective if you want to get better.” PS: “Yeah.” RC: “What is your favorite part about running in general?” PS: “I just like the endorphin kick of it. You could be having a really lousy day and not really feel like doing anything. But if I force myself to get out the door, I’m running with friends for 45 minutes and then I feel better by the end of it. If you have a problem that you can’t sort out on your run, then something’s pretty wrong. But most of the time, that’s not the case.”  Home state: Michigan
Status: Junior Year on club: 4 College: College of Engineering Major: Chemical Engineering In addition to the club, Ben is an ENG 100 mentor and competes in various IM sports. This past winter, Ben played on the Magics Johnson basketball team [3-3], which defeated the other running club team. “Ball is life,” according to Ben. Ben’s other interests include the Marvel and James Bond movies and Kesha. He is also thinking about getting into home-brewing. His favorite events are the NIRCA Cross Country Nationals, track mile, and track 5k. Check out the interview below: Running Club: “Why do you think you would be a good President?” Ben Lambert: “I think I am the best candidate to be president because I am one of the most friendly people on the club--I know a lot of people--I have experience being an officer on the club being Travel Coordinator and President before, and I think I’m a really friendly person and I like to talk to all the members of the club. I’m pretty active too as well. I’ve come to almost all of the meets during my four years here. On top of that, I know a lot of the other clubs. For Nationals last cross country season I traveled down with George Mason and I think that kind of shows the kind of person I am and how friendly I am. And I’m willing to make those kinds of relationships with them.” RC: “What would you say if someone was asking you about your time off from the club? Usually the President is supposed to last the entire year of their term on running club. So what would you say to people that might be discouraged by the fact that you dropped half way through your previous presidency?” BL: “Yeah, I’ve thought about that. It’s tough because in one way you should put the club above and before everything else. And that is definitely true. And it’s tough because this opportunity is pretty rare..-” RC: “Well, what was your opportunity?” BL: “It was a co-op with an engineering company that lasted a whole year.” RC: “In Virginia?” BL: “Yeah, in Virginia. So I was far away. Way too far away to be president. And so I just thought that I have to think about my future too more than just with the club. But before I even accepted the position I actually asked the two vice presidents if it was okay and I made sure that one of them was okay being president, and that was all okay. I talked to the other officers too and they all seemed to think that was all okay.” RC: “So how do you feel about coming back now? So you were gone for the semester--the two semesters, the entire year from last spring until now--is it weird coming back?” BL: “Yeah, it’s definitely weird at first coming back because when you work you work 40 hours a week and you don’t have homework so you kind of come home and run and just chill out. And then on the weekends you don’t have homework or anything so that’s amazing. And then to come back here I have homework and exams and all of that. So it took me a few weeks to transition and to really get back into the swing of things. But then, you know, once I got back it was awesome. It’s always fun being on campus and hanging out with all of your friends.” RC: “And then was it weird coming back during the spring semester to Running Club since you had been gone?” BL: “Yeah a little bit. There was definitely at least half of the club that I had no idea who they were. I had never met them before. So it took a little bit to get used to everyone and to make new friends.” RC: “But you’ve been out there introducing yourself and you’ve been pretty involved.” BL: “Yeah, I’d say that now I know almost everyone in the club and I’m pretty good friends with a lot of the new people. Well, the new people to me.” RC: “Is there anything that you could do differently on the club next year that you are thinking about bringing as a president?” BL: “Let’s see. For cross country, I think I either want to go back to Illinois State like they did two years ago because that was a smaller meet that was kind of nice to kind of get our team out there and easier competition--good moral booster. Or we could go to an entirely different meet that we have never gone to before. I like to not only travel around but also go and see what other meets are like. And I think there are other people like that too. I kind of want to reevaluate the training plan. I think it’s good but it can always be better; it’s something that can always be worked on.” RC: “This year, they worked a lot with the sprinters. They had three sprint chairs. Would you keep that?” BL: “Yeah, I think it’s perfect. I think all of the presidents have been distance people, so having some spring experience for the training plan is great. That’s as much as you can ask for. I tried doing this before I left, at least before I left. I tried talking with a member who worked with the Michigan State team as an athletic trainer/assistant coach to help with our training plan, and that kind of dropped when I left. I’m still in contact with him, so I can still plan to try to get some info from him and my high school coach, and of course the other VPs. We all usually meet together and we all bring in our own experience and knowledge.” RC: “What are some of your favorite things about running club?” BL: “Oh, there’s so much. Let’s see. I think first and foremost would be meeting all of the new people who all have the same interest, being running obviously. And just going on runs--you know, easier runs more than hard runs--and talking with people and really getting to know them. And on top of that, social events, like movies and corn maze, parties: all of that. And in particular, overnight meets. I love those. And I do also really enjoy the competitive aspect. Competing, going to Nationals and all of that fun stuff.” RC: “Did you race all four years in high school?” BL: “I only raced two years, actually. Well, I ran track for four years but I did cross country for two years.” RC: “So are you more of a track person?” BL: “I used to be. I definitely used to be. I used to love mid-distance and the 800m, and then as I got older I guess and more like me, I grew to like cross country a lot more. And now I would say I’m a cross country guy.” RC: “What’s the furthest you’ve run/raced?” BL: “I have run 17 miles and raced a half marathon.” RC: “Was there only one half marathon?” BL: “No, I’ve done…” RC: “Many?” BL: “Yeah, I’ve done over four, over five: I don’t really know how many.” RC: “Okay, and then what is your least favorite aspect of running?” BL: “I would say doing really tough workouts when you’re really really sore. Or maybe not the workouts themselves, but the next day when you’re really sore doing the recovery runs. And cooldowns. I really hate cool-downs.” RC: “Why?” BL: “Because I’m really tired. And I’m too lazy. But I always know I have to do a cool-down.” RC: “Do you always do a cool-down?” BL: “Yes. Except usually after Nationals, when it doesn’t matter, I don’t do a cool-down.”  Home state: Michigan
Status: Senior Year on club: 4 College: College of Engineering Major: Mechanical Engineering Pat’s favorite events are the cross country 8k, high jump, and shot-put. He is one of three sprint coaches for this year’s club and is also the main contact for field-eventers. Additionally, Pat is the current Vice President of Operation and has been on the e-board for three years, holding also the positions of social coordinator and fundraising coordinator. Pat is also very active outside of the club as a member and Social Chair of MSU Men's Glee Club, is involved with Spartans Fighting Cancer, a DJ, and is in the Mechanical Engineering Co-Op at Dart Container Corp. Running Club: “Which position has been your favorite?” Pat Frahm: “That’s tough. I’d say probably Vice President of Operations. It’s a lot harder [than the other positions I have held] but I’m able to give a lot more back.” RC: “Okay, and between the other two, which did you prefer?” PF: “I’d say Social Coordinator just because the job was trying to have a fun time. If you are Social Coordinator and you are not having a fun time, that means that you’re doing it wrong.” RC: “You raised a substantial amount of money when you were Fundraising Coordinator. How did you manage to do that?” PF: “Through various restaurant fundraisers and also with ASMSU which is a big reason why the Fundraising Coordinator was put in place. But yeah, just through a bunch of various, different fundraisers with ASMSU just to top it all off.” RC: “What will you miss most about running club after graduating?” PF: “Probably the people. Actually, definitely the people. I can always volunteer at a track and I can always just go running, but Running Club is a great group of people. Especially--shout out to my roommates, running club house. It’s been an absolutely amazing time and it’s given me memories that I’ll look back on years from now.” RC: “Why did you join Running Club?” PF: “I actually told myself when I graduated high school ‘I’m not going to run in college; I’m going to do something else like dodgeball or volleyball.’ But then I looked into those and they were alright. And then I decided that I would show up to Running Club and I just fell in love with the people and their personalities and it became my family away from my family.” RC: “And then If you had advice for future officers, what would it be?” PF: “Probably keep working hard. It’s going to be a lot of hours that you have to put in some weeks, but keep on working hard at your position and know that people really don’t take it for granted and that people really appreciate what you do.” |