In our weekly Q&A segment we asked Alice Wright a few questions about life on and off the course. We caught up with her right after she led New Mexico to a 3rd Place Team finish at the NCAA Championships.

Coming in as the 2nd Freshman to lead your team to a 3rd place finish at NCAAs, tell us how the season built up to the race and take us through the championship.

Our season was tailored so that we would peak for the NCAAs. The coaches here have a lot of experience and make sure that we don’t over-do it early on in the season. My season started off with an 8th place finish at the Notre Dame Invite and as the weeks progressed towards NCAA nationals I competed in more races and gained more race experience. It had been a good few years since I’d properly raced before Notre Dame, due to injury problems, so I felt extremely lucky to be back out there racing again and doing what I love.

Describe your childhood dream.

To win Olympic gold in long distance running is still the dream!

Describe your fondest race memory.

It’s a toss-up between my first English School cross country race back in 2009 when I came 3rd after going into the race not knowing what to expect at all…or my first race this season, realizing my former running self had returned after three years of basically cross training. It was all worth it!

Describe the biggest difference between training in England and training in the US.

In the US there is more of an emphasis on the team; something you don’t really find in England as most of running there is club based and, unless you’re from a large club, you’re lucky to have a full squad of teammates really.

Describe your worst habit.

Procrastination. I’m the biggest procrastinator ever! It’s as if I physically can’t write an essay if it’s not due in half an hour…

What is it like training in Albuquerque?

It’s great! I love it so much here as it seems like quite a quiet part of America and coming from the countryside myself, I wasn’t completely overwhelmed when I got here. The foothills are a beautiful place to run on a Sunday and we have some really pretty trails to tempo along too. When you first arrive, the altitude can come as a bit of a shock, but once you get used to it you don’t really notice any more.

Describe the kind of kid you were in high school.

I was a bit rebellious at school, but nothing too serious – I just had fun really. I’ll never forget the time my friend and I skived an assembly and were caught hiding in a music room by one of the strictest teachers. We were pretty much dragged hand in hand into the assembly hall in front of the whole school…that ended with a detention (needless to say we didn’t try and skive that!).

If you had a day off from your everyday responsibilities, describe how you would spend it.

I would start it off with a run to get the endorphins going and then spend all day shopping with my housemates (who also love to shop!). We would get our nails done and then drain our bank accounts buying clothes we’d probably never wear but look nice. Then we’d finish the evening with a good chick flick and a delicious meal.

Describe your most embarrassing moment as an athlete.

Oh goodness I’ve had many! But off the top of my head, I do remember feeling pretty embarrassed when I turned up to training with my shorts inside out/back to front – obviously slept through my alarm that day!

Tell us about your favorite memory with one of your current or past training partners.

Again, I’ve had many. I’ve had some pretty hilarious times with Calli Thackery here in New Mexico. We’ve been rooming together at the meets all season. I remember when we went on a run and got horribly lost last year – we ended up running three times the amount we were supposed to! We laugh about it now, but at the time it wasn’t quite so funny! I’ve also got some great memories from when I trained at Worcester AC back at home. I’ll never forget the time one of the guys ran straight into a sign post and nearly knocked himself out – again, it wasn’t that funny at the time, but something to laugh about now.

Describe the perfect post-race meal in detail.

I’ve recently just got into spicy food (after being a hater for as long as I can remember!). New Mexico has changed my food preferences, as most of the traditional dishes here are spicy. So, a perfect post-race meal would be probably be a chili followed by lots of fro-yo (something else I’ve really got into since being in America!).

Describe your favorite workout?

I love Sunday long runs in the foothills; it’s so peaceful and has really pretty scenery. I also enjoy tempos…well I enjoy the satisfaction after completing them – the last mile normally isn’t too fun…

Dream place to run or train and why?

I really do feel lucky to be able to train in New Mexico so it’s difficult to chose somewhere else, but if I had to I have always wanted to see what training at the Iten training camp in Kenya is like, especially after hearing all the good reviews from other long distance runners.

Who is your childhood hero and why?

Kelly Holmes. She has always been a big inspiration to me since she got the double gold at the 2004 Olympics. Having been fortunate enough to attend some of her training camps, I think she’s even more of an inspiration in person!

Describe your guilty pleasure.

Probably drinking hot chocolate…I can’t get enough of it! I think it’s starting to become an unhealthy addiction…my housemates will agree, haha.

If you could give one piece of advice you think to any runner that is looking to compete in America for the first time, what would it be and why?

Enjoy it! You have to ask yourself why you dedicate so much time to something if you don’t enjoy it. The coaches here always tell us to go out and have a good time before we race and they’re so right. It’s such a fantastic opportunity being able to race against the best in America and experience different training out here.

If you had to listen to 1 song in your head every time you ran for the rest of you life, what would it be?

That’s such a hard one! I love listening to all sorts of music when I run depending on my mood. I guess I’d have to say some kind of electro-dance music with a good beat.

Dinner for 3 (living or dead) who and why?

My two sisters! I love my sisters to death; we’re very close. I miss them when I’m in America, so I’d have my dinner with them if I could. We’d have a lot to catch up on!

Describe your pre-race ritual.

To be honest it changes from race to race, depending on the circumstances. Obviously I do all the normal things like jogging the course beforehand and warming up before the race starts. I don’t think I really do anything different from what my competitors do. If we’re staying in a hotel, I like to watch a bit of the TLC channel before leaving my room in the morning – normally it’s Friday brideday and I love to watch a good wedding.

What does racing/training look like for you in the next 6 months?

Well, I’m hoping to do some 5ks indoor and outdoor in 2015. One day I’d like to do the 10km but I think that’s a bit soon for me yet (especially with all the injury problems I’ve had in the last few years). I’m hoping to slowly progress to the longer distances and the aim is to see improvements each year. I’d be delighted with some PRs next season!