I sat down with women's track and field runner Monica Adler '14, who headlined a strong performance by the Big Green last weekend at the Valentine Invitational, setting a Dartmouth record in the 1000-meter race and helping the distance medley relay team log a win. Adler, who was named the Cross High Performance Athlete of the Week on Feb. 16, holds the Massachusetts Division II Indoor State Meet record in the girls' mile run.
Did you think you had a shot to break Dartmouth's 1000-meter record prior to last week's race?
MA: I actually didn't know what the record was, so I was a little bit surprised that I had broken it. I think that my coach had to look it up online actually. It was kind of a shock, but I was happy.
How did you celebrate?
MA: We actually stayed at a hotel that night to get ready for the relays the next day, so we celebrated by taking ice baths and watching some inspirational running videos of past runners that were legacies here at Dartmouth. We were all really happy because everybody else had great races that day as well.
How did it feel to upset the top-ranked North Carolina State team in the distance relay?
MA: It was really surprising but it felt really great. I feel like our team needed a win like that, because in the Ivy League we had been ranked pretty low for distance for most of the season and that win really brought us up.
How have you adjusted to collegiate competition now that the season's getting into the swing of things?
MA: It's definitely a huge change. There's a lot more competition first of all and, second of all, it's a lot harder training to be able to compete. It's also hard because school gets tougher at the same time. But overall, I think it's not as bad because you have a team to do it with. Everyone's in the same situation and we all help each other out. The upperclassmen give us a lot of helpful advice. That definitely makes it a lot smoother and more fun.
What is a typical day like for you?
MA: I try to devote most of the morning to school and classes. We have practice every day at [3 p.m.] and sometimes we like to get there 15 minutes early to socialize. Practice is from [3 p.m.] to [5 p.m.]. Then we go to dinner and then occasionally after dinner I'll go to the pool because I'm on the club swim team. After that, I'll just try to get as much work done as possible. It's pretty routine. There's not really time for much else because I think as a team we decided to make running our top priority after school.
So with such a rigorous schedule, what else do you like to do in your free time?
MA: I like to occasionally play the piano and hang out with friends. And meet new people, because there are so many amazing people here with so many talents and cool stories. It's easy to get wrapped up in your own world and forget there are so many shows other people are putting on.
How was your transition to the Dartmouth team?
MA: It's been much smoother than I've anticipated. I was a bit nervous coming in about making friends, and wasn't sure if college running was going to be really cutthroat and competitive within the team. It's been nothing like that at all. The team is really accepting and supportive of everyone and they've really become my best friends within a matter of months, and it's hard to imagine school without them.
What's the team's outlook for the rest of the season?
MA: We have [the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships] coming up this next weekend, which is probably our biggest meet of the year. We are aiming to place in the top three at Heps, which would require everyone to achieve a lot of their personal goals. If everyone comes together, we should be able to do it. Then after that, we have the [Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference] meet, which quite a few girls qualified for. We're all hoping to make it to finals there and see where we can take it in spring track. By Anthony Yifeng Zhao
I sat down with women's track and field runner Monica Adler '14, who headlined a strong performance by the Big Green last weekend at the Valentine Invitational, setting a Dartmouth record in the 1000-meter race and helping the distance medley relay team log a win. Adler, who was named the Cross High Performance Athlete of the Week on Feb. 16, holds the Massachusetts Division II Indoor State Meet record in the girls' mile run.
Did you think you had a shot to break Dartmouth's 1000-meter record prior to last week's race?
MA: I actually didn't know what the record was, so I was a little bit surprised that I had broken it. I think that my coach had to look it up online actually. It was kind of a shock, but I was happy.
How did you celebrate?
MA: We actually stayed at a hotel that night to get ready for the relays the next day, so we celebrated by taking ice baths and watching some inspirational running videos of past runners that were legacies here at Dartmouth. We were all really happy because everybody else had great races that day as well.
How did it feel to upset the top-ranked North Carolina State team in the distance relay?
MA: It was really surprising but it felt really great. I feel like our team needed a win like that, because in the Ivy League we had been ranked pretty low for distance for most of the season and that win really brought us up.
How have you adjusted to collegiate competition now that the season's getting into the swing of things?
MA: It's definitely a huge change. There's a lot more competition first of all and, second of all, it's a lot harder training to be able to compete. It's also hard because school gets tougher at the same time. But overall, I think it's not as bad because you have a team to do it with. Everyone's in the same situation and we all help each other out. The upperclassmen give us a lot of helpful advice. That definitely makes it a lot smoother and more fun.
What is a typical day like for you?
MA: I try to devote most of the morning to school and classes. We have practice every day at [3 p.m.] and sometimes we like to get there 15 minutes early to socialize. Practice is from [3 p.m.] to [5 p.m.]. Then we go to dinner and then occasionally after dinner I'll go to the pool because I'm on the club swim team. After that, I'll just try to get as much work done as possible. It's pretty routine. There's not really time for much else because I think as a team we decided to make running our top priority after school.
So with such a rigorous schedule, what else do you like to do in your free time?
MA: I like to occasionally play the piano and hang out with friends. And meet new people, because there are so many amazing people here with so many talents and cool stories. It's easy to get wrapped up in your own world and forget there are so many shows other people are putting on.
How was your transition to the Dartmouth team?
MA: It's been much smoother than I've anticipated. I was a bit nervous coming in about making friends, and wasn't sure if college running was going to be really cutthroat and competitive within the team. It's been nothing like that at all. The team is really accepting and supportive of everyone and they've really become my best friends within a matter of months, and it's hard to imagine school without them.
What's the team's outlook for the rest of the season?
MA: We have [the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships] coming up this next weekend, which is probably our biggest meet of the year. We are aiming to place in the top three at Heps, which would require everyone to achieve a lot of their personal goals. If everyone comes together, we should be able to do it. Then after that, we have the [Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference] meet, which quite a few girls qualified for. We're all hoping to make it to finals there and see where we can take it in spring track.
