LVRR: What college will you attend and what is your intended major of study? Do you plan to run while attending college?
CF: I will attend Moravian College and I intend to major in Actuarial Science. I will be running for the cross country and track teams.
LVRR: What age did you start running and why?
CF: I started running in 7th grade because a friend asked me if I wanted to do cross country with him, so I decided to give it a chance.
LVRR: What is your greatest accomplishment in your running career?
CF: I think that my greatest accomplishment is my ability to push through adversity. I dealt with several setbacks throughout my running career but I never gave up.
LVRR: Describe an experience where you had to “sink or swim.” What did you learn from it?
CF: I was always afraid of heights until we went to Disney and I was forced to go on a rollercoaster. I was terrified and wanted to back out at the last second (my brother did) but I decided to do it and it ended up helping me overcome my fear of heights. I even ended up going on the ride two more times.
LVRR: Who has been your most influential role model and why?
CF: My parents are my most influential role models because they sacrifice their own time and effort every day in order to make sure that I am doing what I need to do in order to become successful.
LVRR: What would most people be surprised to learn about you?
CF: I’ve never been injured from running but I have been injured multiple times throughout my running career; for example I broke my arm from falling off my bike while messing around and I was put in a boot from being spiked in the foot playing football.
LVRR: What is one word you would say to someone who has just started running– whether it be a youth in the LVRR Kids Series, or an older individual- about why running is worth it?
CF: Running teaches a person how to be dedicated because you can track your progress and see that the more work you put in the better you get.
LVRR: Is anyone else in your family a runner?
CF: Yes, my mom ran at Moravian and my brother runs for Liberty. Both of them were District 11 champions while in high school.
LVRR: What events did you run in high school?
CF: I ran the 800, 1600, 3200, 4×8, 4×4, and the 5k in high school.
LVRR: What cross training do you incorporate into your running routine, if any? Do you focus more on cross training in the off season (if there is an off season for you!), or do you tend to cross train throughout the entire training cycle?
CF: I cross train by biking pretty often during the summer. I also swim on rare occasions.
LVRR: What are the top three “little things” that you do to prevent injury?
CF: 1. Stretch every day after I run. 2. I take a yamuna/pilates class once per week with Jeanne Reilly from Meant2Move and also do it on my own. 3. I make sure I eat healthy foods, particularly when I’m in season.
LVRR: What are your favorite pre-race and post-race meals?
CF: My favorite meal the night before a race is pasta, and then for breakfast the day of a race I’ll have a bagel with peanut butter. Post-race I typically allow myself to eat whatever I want which usually is wings or pizza or something similar.
LVRR: If you ever feel unmotivated to get out the door during PA cold winter months, what tips or tricks do you use to push yourself? Also do you brave the poor weather conditions or stick indoors/on the treadmill?
CF: I actually prefer to run in the cold winter months over the summer, so going out to run in the winter isn’t much of a problem for me. I typically brave the poor weather conditions for two reasons. I think it’s more fun to run during poor conditions, and I can’t stand running on a treadmill.
