Sherer Finds Success, But Goals Still Remain
5/1/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track and Field
Every student-athete begins their collegiate careers hoping for success. MSU's Steve Sherer is no different. As as freshman, the Spartan distance runner hoped to qualify for the NCAA Championships with the other members of his distance relay team.
The sophomore from Saline, Mich., made the trip to the NCAA indoor meet in Arkansas in March, but went alone. His relay team fell short of its goal, but he qualified for the national meet in the 3,000-meter run.
Q: How did you feel not meeting your freshman goal of going to the NCAA Championships with the distance medley relay team?
Sherer: I really wanted to go with the team, instead of just going individually. It's more fun to go with a bunch of guys to celebrate with instead of just being an individual. It was pretty cool going in the 3,000 though.
Q: Did your goals change for the 2002 season?
Sherer: Last year, my goal was to make it to the NCAAs and I've achieved that. My goal now is to make it there consistently. I would like to make it in both cross country and indoor and outdoor track and get All-America honors in each.
Q: Do you feel closer to your track goals?
Sherer: Definitely. I feel we could make it (to the NCAA meet) in the distance medley relay. We just had a bad run and only did it once this year. We were only a few seconds off the automatic qualifying time. That is just because we didn't race that smart. Next year, we'll definitely make it. Personally, I feel like I have another good year under me that I can build upon.
Q: Did you prepare for this track season any differently?
Sherer: A little bit. I added variety to my workout. Instead of just running and lifting, I added swimming and biking.
Q: Did you change your in-season routine from last year?
Sherer: A lot. I was not ready for high mileage and the fast pace my freshman year. I got used to it and then during the off-season I did a lot of high base (extra miles at a six-minute pace) and tried to run as hard as I could to get me ready for the season. It was mainly getting used to this level of intensity.
Q: How did you go about preparing physically for the NCAA Championship?
Sherer: I tapered a little bit. Instead of doing a lot of longer runs and higher mileage a week, we shortened. We ran faster, shorter.
Q: What were some of your first thoughts after qualifying for the 2002 Indoor NCAA Championship?
Sherer: Excited. I didn't know what to think because I didn't really know what it was all about. I had never been to a meet like that...a national meet. It was just really cool. It kind of slowly hit me. It was definitely...wow.
Q: What did you think when you arrived at the NCAA Championship?
Sherer: Wow...this place is a lot better than Jenison. It was really cool. The track was on stilts and banked. It was just so nice. Even the cups were plastic. All I could think about was 'Wow, all this for a track meet.' I was ogling at all the little things. They also gave us a free camera, which was cool.
Q: How did you feel about your performance there?
Sherer: I think I could've done much better. I kind of died at the end. I think I can do better if I train better towards the end of the season and keep the intensity up instead of dropping it. I did a little too much tapering.
Q: How did the cancellation of the Big Ten Indoor Championship affect the momentum of your season?
Sherer: It was weird. I really wanted to run at the Big Ten Championship. It was sad, too. I don't think it really devastated me, so to speak, for my season. I would have really like to run it, but I will get to do it in a couple of weeks.
Q: Do you think running in the upcoming Big Ten Outdoor Championship will help with your intensity?
Sherer: Definitely. Your whole team is there. It is almost bigger than the NCAA Championship for me because everyone is there. There is more pride. NCAAs are cool, but there is the same amount of pressure at both.