Week 28: Paul Salach

Home state: Ohio
Status: Junior
Year on club: 3
College: College of Engineering
Major: Applied Engineering Sciences
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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.”   

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