Geoffrey Kleinberg is one of the 2021 recipients of the LVRR Scholarship.
LVRR: What college will you attend and intended major of study? Do you plan to run while attending college?
GK: I will be attending Moravian University in the fall to study Mathematics and Computer Science. I plan to run both cross country and track while attending.
LVRR: What age did you start running and why?
GK: I started running at three years old in the LVRR Kids’ Summer Series races because my parents would bring my older siblings and I to run in the races. I started running more seriously in 7th grade for middle school cross country, because I wanted to follow the example of my older brother and spend time with some of my friends who were also running.
LVRR: What is your greatest accomplishment in your running career?
GK: My greatest running accomplishment is my running streak of 840 days, where I ran a mile or more every day. I began it in the summer before my freshman year and ended at the beginning of my junior year due to an injury.
LVRR: Describe an experience where you had to “sink or swim.” What did you learn from it?
GK: I had to “sink or swim” in my senior year when I took a physics class without taking any of the prerequisites. At first it was difficult to grasp some of the concepts, but I did all the practice problems and took detailed notes in class and slowly I started to understand what was going on. I learned that with enough hard work, even the hardest obstacles can be overcome.
LVRR: Who has been your most influential role model and why?
GK: My most influential role model is Eliud Kipchoge; his running is incredibly impressive, especially his sub-2:00 marathon and all the other marathons he’s won. I also admire his humility and how even as the best marathoner in the world currently, he is modest and seems to enjoy running for the sake of running, not for fame or money or any other influence.
LVRR: What would most people be surprised to learn about you?
GK: Most people would be surprised to learn about my musical endeavors. I have played the saxophone for nine years, starting in 4th grade and continuing throughout middle school and high school, including three years in the high school Jazz Band. I also participated in school choral groups where we performed in concerts and various community events.
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?
GK: The word I would say to someone who just started running about why it’s worth it is “friendships.” More than anything else, running has developed so many friendships in my life and I’m super grateful for that. Through running, you’ll meet so many new people and you’ll have the shared experiences of early morning runs or giving your all in a workout, so there are many opportunities for deep and lasting friendships that can be formed with running.
LVRR: Is anyone else in your family a runner?
GK: Everyone in my family is a runner, or was in the past. My dad has completed two marathons, and my mom has been a runner her whole life, participating in occasional road races. My brother ran cross country and track in high school and still runs recreationally, and my sister runs sometimes as part of her workouts.
LVRR: What events did you run in high school?
GK: In high school, I ran every distance from the 400m to the 3200m for track, along with the 4×8 and 4×4 relays. In cross country, I ran the 5k.
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?
GK: My favorite type of cross training is swimming – I usually just do it during the offseason, going for a nice relaxing swim after a hot summer run, and then just focus on running during the season.
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?
GK:To motivate myself in the cold winter months, I like to tell myself that everyone that I’ll be competing against is facing the same weather and the same challenges, so if I don’t do that day’s workout, someone else will and that could make the difference in a race. I always run outside in the cold or snow because I don’t have a treadmill and because I feel like it increases my mental toughness.
LVRR: When faced with a rare but disappointing race finish or workout, how do you pick up and motivate yourself to try again? Is there a specific running mantra that has helped you pull through disappointment?
GK: My main motivation to try again is that I can’t change the past and how I performed in any previous race or workout, but I can change how my future races will go. If I know I gave my all in the race but still didn’t get the right result, I know that it just wasn’t my day so there was nothing I could’ve done and I just have to give that same effort in the next race to perform my best. If I felt like I could have given more effort, I learn from that and realize that my limit is higher than I thought, and try to reach that limit in the next race. My mantra is that “the comfort zone is where dreams go to die” – if I stayed in my comfort zone for a race or workout, I try to recognize that and force myself out of it for the next one. That way, I’ll eventually perform at the best of my ability.
