GTD: Tell us how the coaching was communicated.
Kate: Coach Braz sent me an email at the beginning of the week with my runs for each day. During the week he checked in via text to see how a certain workout went or how my legs were feeling. Before meets, he called me to check in and talk about the strategy going into the race.
GTD: How did the feedback process work? Tell us how this built and focused your goals during a track season.
Kate: Coach Braz and I always talked about my goals for the season. I did not always have a ton of confidence in myself so Coach Braz used the workouts to show me what I was capable of. If I had a bad race, Coach Braz always found positives to highlight but then talked to me about what I should work on the next time.
GTD: While you were competing on your high school team, did you have an opportunity to sharpen your racing with other meets or workouts with Coach Braz?
Kate: Yes, on days that my team did not have practice or on weekends, I was able to go to Peabody to do my workout with Coach Braz.
GTD: Besides running, how else do you condition yourself to be competitive?
Kate: I stretch, lift and do other exercises to strengthen my muscles and prevent injury. On days off from running, I aqua-jog or bike as well. Additionally, I try to take care of myself by eating properly, hydrating, and getting the right amount of sleep. I have always been a super competitive person, so I am always motivated to make myself better in any way that I can.
GTD: How do you handle nutrition?
Kate: During the season, I try to eat very healthy and avoid processed foods. Typically I eat a lot of protein and carbs to fuel my body. I have a condition called a sucrose intolerance, which is basically a lactose intolerance but for sugar. Because of that, I don’t eat a ton of sugar but every once in a while, I can’t say no to an ice cream. Coach Braz (and Coach Pete) always talked to me about the importance of nutrition and gave me recommendations on what I should eat/drink.
GTD: What’s ahead for your first year athletically at BC? Academically?
Kate: As of right now, I am only going to be competing in two or three low-key cross country races, which will be very new for me, and then I will be running on the indoor and outdoor track teams. I am currently enrolled in the Carroll School of Management at BC and I hope to major in business analytics and computer science.