The Lukas Verzbicas Interview

As we close out 2010,  Lukas Verzbicas took the high school cross country landscape by storm.

Lukas’ running resume highlights now include Nike Cross National champ (NXN), 2x Foot Locker National champ, 2x Illinois state 3A champ. This Illinois champ won by  22 seconds in a near-record 13:54 for 3 miles while the NXN and Foot Locker wins were on back to back weekends. All these Ws come from someone who is only 17 and plans to graduate from high school early. Hopefully, this interviews sheds some light on Lukas’ mindset, who is being hailed as the next superstar for America in running and even a gold medal hopeful in the triathlon.

Ryan: Running Times described you as having a fierce competitiveness and tireless work ethic. Give us some insight into your training.

Lukas: In terms of training, this season was different from any others I had in the past. Following the Adidas Dream Mile back in June, I concentrated mainly on triathlon. I concentrated very much on improving my swim and bike for the World Junior Championships in September. Few weeks before he race I tweaked my back muscle and had to sort of miss a week of good training being only able to do workouts easy on the body, without pushing myself as much as needed. On race day in Budapest, Hungary my swim was a little off and I ended up in the chasing pack on the bike. During the run I ran down 42 athletes ahead of me only to learn I had to stop right before the finish line and serve a 15 second penalty for misplacement of my wetsuit in the first transition area. So I ended up jogging in with a 4th place finish. It was a race I took a lot of experience from.

Once I was back home I went straight to running with my cross country team. Most of the running was done on trails with crazy hills. Some of the hardest workouts were fartleks because hitting hills that were at a 120-degree angle in the middle of the workout feels like the hardest thing ever. Since most of my base work was done with the triathlon, I did not do many long runs. Typical workouts were a tempo run one day, easy the next, interval training the following day, and once again easy the next day. It was this sort of cycle that was repeated through out the entire 2 months leading up to December, I averaged about 60 miles a week. I most always rest on Sundays. My five-week stretch of regionals and nationals four out of the five weekends was where I had to be careful. I needed to take it easy during the training so that I’m as fresh as can be for each race. The last few weeks of the season was total tapering, making sure I was super sharp. The mileage got down to as little as 25-30 miles by the last two weeks of the championship season.

During this time my social life really suffered I can say. I never mean it in a bad way, because all of my friends understand how committed I must be to have continued success. All of it paid off after the two nationals where for one week I rested up and enjoyed a life without any worry about having to complete a workout or watch very little bite of what I eat. It felt pretty fun the first few days, but by the end of the week I understood that I couldn’t really fit into that sort of lifestyle. I feel that I must always pursue some sort of big goal and put all my attention to it. It will be interesting what I pursue after I’m done with my running career.

Ryan: Can you describe your 2010 cross country season in one word?

Lukas: One word with which I can describe my 2010 cross country season is accomplished. If I could use two words than I would call it almost accomplished. That is because I did not achieve my dream of taking down the famous IL high school state cross country course record held by famed Craig Virgin. You have no idea how mad I was at myself. Now that I look back on it, I feel this was because I peaked for the
national championships, and who knows, maybe that is better than owning a state record and maybe not being a two time national champion.

Ryan: Can you give any hints on what color singlet you might be wearing next season? You’re also very good at the triathlon so will this have any affect on turning pro and looking forward to the Olympics in that sport?

Lukas: As of right now I am still in the recruiting stage. My top 5 choices are: University of Oregon, University of Colorado, Oklahoma State University, University of Portland, and Stanford. All these schools have their advantages and all of them are at the highest level of both running and academics so the decision is very difficult to make. I will be taking my time deciding so that my family and me make sure we make the best possible decision. These are the schools I’m choosing for running, there is another option. Next season I will either be a full time triathlete or runner, I cannot play around and switch from one to another. If I choose to be a full time triathlete than I will not be able to run in the NCAA, I will only be going to one of the schools mentioned previously with a USA Triathlon Federation scholarship and train to be selected for a championship team in the future. This will be a difficult decision, and once again,
my family and I will take our time deciding. Also, this year I am concentrating on indoor track to see just how good of a track runner I can be. This will also play a big part in the decision-making.

Ryan: What message (quote/music lyrics/advice) defines your running style?

Lukas: Well I do not know a quote I can give you from my father, who is also my coach. I do whatever he tells me and depend on his training program to get me to that highest level. I do enjoy listening to music a lot though. My favorite artist is rapper Eminem. Listening to his lyrics brings out a sense of how powerful his music is and whenever I need motivation, I look to him. There are endless quotes which tremendously admire, but my favorites I think come from the song Lose Yourself. The entire song is about going out and taking a shot at something to succeed, just the way I do in sports. Here are a few of my favorite lines:

“I’ve got to formulate a plot or end up in jail or shot. Success is my only ************ option, failure’s not”

“So here I go it’s my shot. Feet fail me not ’cause this may be the only opportunity that I got”

“You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime”

“You can do anything you set your mind to, man”

Advertisement