Cin. Anderson's Nick Vogele


Cin. Anderson's Nick Vogele burst onto the Ohio, State CC scene last weekened with a big win at the Finish Timing.Com XC Invitational.  Nick's winning time of 15:53.71 bested a strong field that included Lancaster's Brannon Kidder who finished 2nd in 16:29.09.  He's only been on the big stage once and that was at last years State meet where he finished a dissapointing 47th, with a time of 16:11.5.  As a Senior, he's healthy, ready to run and has shown that he will be a contender who just could possibly win in a wide open D1  compeition.


Nick Vogele, 2012  Cin., Anderson

Personal Bests

  • 1600 Meter Run         4:32.33
  • Two Mile Run             9:40.15
  • 3200 Meter Run         9:41.12
  • 5000 Meter Run         15:37.00
  • 800 Meter Run           2:05.10

9:40.15 in the 2Mile at New Balance Outdoor Nationals, placing 10th.

9:41.12 in the 3200m at OHSAA District Track and Field Championships, placing 5th.

16:03.00 in the 5000m at Nike Cross Nationals Midwest Regional, placing 66th.

16:11.50 in the 5000m at OHSAA State Cross Country Championship, placing 47th

15:37.00 in the 5000m at Midwest Meet of Champions, placing 14th.

 

OHRunners:  Congratulations on a strong, early season, 15:53.71 run and your 1st place finish in the FinishTiming.com X-C Invitational. What were your expectations going into this race? Did you have a pre- race strategy? Take us through the 1st mile, 2nd mile and through to the finish.

Nick:  I'm going into every meet this year with the expectation of and goal of winning. Whether it be the Finishtiming Inv't or the State Championship. The only thing that I knew going in was that Kidder was going to be running.  I know that he has great speed and  I wanted to get out ahead, pushing the pace early and start to break away by the end of the first mile so that he wouldn't be anywhere near me at the finish. The first mile ended up being a little slower than I wanted (4:56), but I had a solid lead. The second mile, I pushed the pace hard to try and cement the win early and at the point where I could turn around and see the competition, I saw that I had a big lead. The split ended up being a pretty mediocre 5:19, but there were a lot of sharp turns and a few hills in that section that slowed it down. After that, I just coasted in the final mile (5:07).

OHRunners:  Last year you were 47th at the State CC meet and although you ran a PR 9:41.12 in the 3200 last Spring, you didn't make it to the State Track meet. Did you take time off at the end of the season? What type of miles did you run over the summer? All distance? Did you run any 5 or 10k's.

Nick:  I was really disappointed with my race last year at the State CC meet. I believe I had somewhere around the 15th best time going in, and I ran very poorly.  In track, I was injured for essentially the entire year, so I was actually happy with my District race, even though I believe I can go much faster. I ended up just training through the end of track because my season started when most were ending. As far as training goes, I did anywhere from 50-65 miles a week and tried to keep it all at 6:45 pace or faster. This was a big jump to make from the usual 40 that I logged the past few summers, but I did a good job of building up to it carefully. I also added in some tempo and fartleks, as well as hills. The only 5k I ran was at Newtown, where I won it by a minute in 15:37.

OHRunners::  Coaching experience and race strategies are an important part of CC, as well as track.  Do you strategize with your coaches prior to a competition?  Visualization of a race is also important.  Do you try to visualize your races and plan your race strategy around whom you may know is the competition and what may be their strengths and weaknesses?

Nick I'll talk with my coaches about what I want to do in a race based on the competition, course, etc. I'm not the type of runner that likes to visualize things, but I always make a prediction about how I think a race is going to be run and base how I approach it off of that prediction.

OHRunners:  Each CC course is different, and times are not always the best indicators of how an athlete runs in CC.  When you are considering your race prediction or strategy, how much influence does a course have in the planning and the splits that you may want to hit?

Nick Course differential is huge when it comes to strategy. One of my biggest mistakes at State last year was not being prepared for the hills in the last mile. I dropped back from the top 15 all the way to where I finished. Since then, I've been working on training my mind almost as much as my body. Sometimes, the best runners don't always win because they beat themselves mentally. I don't want that to happen to me.

OHRunners:  Over the summer are most of your runs on your own or do you have some others that you can run with?

Nick:  Anytime that I am doing a tempo run, or another hard workout, I am by myself. Our team is pretty good though, so whenever we have a moderate day, or a long distance day, our varsity guys do a pretty good job of keeping up.

OHRunners:  Last year, as Junior, was your first year running at the State CC meet.  This was your first experience running at that level and in that type of arena.  As you look back at that run, how much do you think that nerves and experience have at how you may have done in that race?

Nick:  I think that I did let my nerves get the best of me. I ran more like I was just happy to be there than anything else. This definitely helped me in the long run though.

OHRunners:  We recently ran an article on how Freshman fare at the State level and it indicated that their youth, strength and inexperience play a big part in running at the State level , as well as larger invitationals.  As you look back at your Freshman and Sophomore years, would you agree with that?

Nick: I actually enjoyed the larger meets back when I was a freshman. There were generally no expectations that I had to live up to and I did pretty well. The 2 biggest ones I ran at were Trinity, in Louisvile, and the Midwest Meet of Champions. I went 16:31 and 16:36 respectively, and I was happy with the times.

OHRunners:  Let’s back up and little.  When did you first start running?  What did you run?

Nick  My first experience with organized running was 7th grade track. I started CC the next fall. I ran only the mile, because I was really lazy. I didn't begin to become serious about running till my Freshman year.

OHRunners:  Are you involved in any other sports at your school?

Nick:  I play in a school run co-ed dodgeball league for fun, but my main concentration after my freshman year is only running.

OHRunners:  Let’s talk about training.  You have already mentioned the type of miles that you ran last summer, as well as some of the type of runs and pace.  At the start of the CC season, you are already in shape.  Take us through a typical week of practice for yourself and the Anderson team as you get ready for a race on a Saturday.  Monday – Friday, what are the practices?  Distances, times, intervals, etc.

Nick:  Monday- 12-16 400's at sub 70 on a 2 minute go. Usually we start off the year doing more slower intervals with shorter rest, and flip it as we get near the post season.

Tuesday- 8-10 mile moderate distance run. Abs and pushups afterwards.

Wednesday- 6 x 1600 at a park. My time to hit was 4:45-4:50.

Thursday- Out and back. Usually we go out 30 minutes and have to make it back in under 26.

Friday- Recovery day. 6 miles and finish with a hard 400 on the track. 6x100 yd strides on the turf. Abs and pushups.

Saturday- Race day!

Sunday- Reocvery distance run, 10-12 miles.

OHRunners:  What is your typical warm up for practice and for a race?

Nick:  First, I start out with 10-15 minutes of easy jogging. Then, I do agility drills and some static stretching. As I near the start of the race, I begin to do dynamic stretches and strides to get my legs ready to go.

OHRunners:  Your goal, as you mentioned, is to win each race that you run.  With that in mind, will you taper or rest for each meet, or run through some meets, looking to peak for the District through State competitions?

Nick:  While I want to win in every race, my coaches and I are working towards me being at my best come the State meet. I've been training through and will continue to do so until around the time of the Regional meet.

OHRunners:OHRunners:   I’ve always felt that CC is an individual sport and that the Team aspect makes it fun.  If each individual runs their best, then the team will have done its best.  How important is the Team aspect for yourself?  

Nick:  I love the team oriented aspect of CC. It gives you a reason to dig down when the going gets tough, knowing that you're running for a greater cause than just yourself.

OHRunners:  Let’s move onto a few questions in regards to the Track season.  After CC, are you planning to run some indoor meets and run at the OATCCC State Indoor Championships?

Nick I have never done indoor track before, but I am planning on getting into it this winter after taking a few weeks off after Nike. I'll probably try and do more of the mile and 800, as my main focus will be the 3200 come outdoors.

OHRunners:  I noticed that as a Freshman you had run both the 1600 and the 3200 in the districts.  You were 3rd in the 1600 with a time of 4:43.58 and 7th in the 3200 with a 10:.03.71as a Freshman and  as a Junior, you opted to just run the 3200 and ran a PR, placing 4th in 9:45.19.  At Regionals, as a Junior you ran 10:13.16  and did not qualify for State.  Coming off your PR in Districts, what happened?

Nick:  I ended up contracting bronchitis early the next weekend and had a really tough race. I felt very good about my district race, and felt that I was ready to PR again, so I was pretty disappointed.

OHRunners:   What can we look for this Spring from you?  Will you concentrate on the 3200?

Nick I will be focusing on the 3200 and 4x8. We return 2 sub 2:00 runners (myself included, I split 1:58 at districts last spring) and a 2:02 and  a 2:04, so we're going to try and get to State in that. I obviously want to try and win state in the 3200, but it will be difficult with all the returning talent. I do have the element of surprise on my side though, since I haven't had a full track season since Freshman year.

OHRunners:  What is your 400 speed

Nick I actually ran the 4x4 a lot my Sophomore year, and split a 50.9 leadoff leg at our league meet that year. But again, I didn't really run anything except that District 3200 my Junior season, so I may be able to go faster. And I've always wanted to test my open 800 speed, but my coach never puts me in it!

OHRunners:   A few last questions.  What motivates you?  In other words, why do you run? 

Nick:  I run because I love to compete. Training is a hassle, but this year I realized that I couldn't rely on talent alone if I wanted to compete at the elite level. That realization alone helped me improve a tremendous amount over the summer.

OHRunners:OHRunners:  Do you prefer to run CC or do you like the track better?

Nick:  I like CC a lot more than track. I know it's cliche to say running around in a circle gets boring, but that's exactly it. I enjoy the changing scenery of cross country, along with the team element. Our track team doesn't get along nearly as well as out CC team does.

OHRunners:  Thanks Nick.  We will be watching for you at State.