Frances Koons graduated from Allentown Central Catholic in 2004 as one of the most highly recruited athletes in the country – and with good reason. Her senior year was one of state titles and participation in prestigious events from beginning to end. Her cross country campaign included an individual title in AAA, plus a berth in the Foot Locker finals in San Diego, where she earned all-American with a 9th place finish. Indoor, she qualified for and captured 3rd in the Millrose Mile, and then won both the Mile and the 3000 at the PTFCA Indoor State Championships. Her outdoor season was no less spectacular, as she took 3rd in the Girls' Mile at the Penn Relays, and 3rd at Golden West in the Mile in a high school PR 4:47.90. In between, she won the AAA 1600 at the PIAA State Championships. Her freshman year at Villanova was hampered by an iron-deficiency problem that has since been corrected. During her sophomore year, she earned three Division I All-American certificates with the indoor DMR and the 3000. She added the third in outdoor at the NCAA Championships in the 1500. Koons had run the opening 1200m leg of the winning DMR at the Penn Relays Carnival, the first DMR title for the school since 1997, and their tenth overall. This past season, Koons had a strong cross country campaign heading into the NCAA Championships, winning the Paul Short Run, taking 2nd at Pre-Nats, and sweeping the Big East and NCAA Mid-Atlantic titles. But her return to Terre Haute, Indiana for NCAA's was not one for the scrapbook. Koons was gracious enough to take time from her schedule to share some of her collegiate experiences with PennTrackXC.com readers, including a candid discussion of her NCAA Championships race. She also talks about the tradition and the high level of expectations that attracted her to the Philadelphia Mainline school, leaving no doubt that her best races lie ahead.
Frances Koons at the Pre-Nats meet in Terre Haute, Indiania,
where she posted the 2nd best time of the meet.
(Photo by Timothy O'Dowd, Irishrunner.com)
THE SEASON
PTXC: Was there a race, or a workout that you think helped to move you to an obviously higher level this season than your sophomore year?
Koons: I would have to say that my improvement from last year to this year can just be attributed to all the typical things that help a person get faster: great coaching, patience, and a solid track season. I am just older, more experienced, and I have more miles and training under my belt. If you have all these things going for you and you stay injury free and motivated, you are golden.
PTXC: Where do you think you are in your development as a runner? Are some of the things you're doing now laying the groundwork for reaching increasingly tougher goals? What are some of those goals?
Koons: I am definitely in the early stages in my development. We have added little things each year, so that I can improve bit by bit and continue to move forward. There is not a lot of thinking involved for me personally in the process of my development as a runner. I just listen to what my coach says and trust 100% that she is leading me in the right direction. She has me run certain workouts and races so that I am prepared for bigger things in the future. I have always set high goals for myself; I think anyone who is competitive has to. I just discuss these things with my coach and then she makes a plan for how we will get there.
PTXC: Can you give an overview of your training this XC season, and how it dove-tailed with your races, starting with pre-season, then Paul Short, Pre-Nats, Big East, Mid-Atlantic and NC's?
Koons: Over the summer, I averaged around sixty miles per week of just pure mileage, no workouts. Once the season started, I maintained about 50-55 miles per week and a typical week during the season would involve: 3 days a week a morning run of 25 minutes, 45 minutes on Mondays, some sort of 1000m or mile repeats on Tuesdays, 8 miles on Wednesdays, 35 minutes Thursdays, usually a 6 or 8 mile tempo on Fridays, a rest day on Saturdays, and an 11 mile long run on Sundays. This of course varied with races and involved core and strength work every day as well. The races came every two weeks, and we tapered the mileage and intensity the last week and a half of the season going into nationals.
PTXC: What was your best race this season?
Koons: I think perhaps NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals I was sharpest and felt the best.
NCAA'S
PTXC: What happened midway through your NCAA champs race? What were you thinking at the time, and then through the finish? How quickly were you able to feel any improvement?
Koons: I had gotten out well with the pack at nationals, and felt pretty good through the first 2 miles or so. I started feeling kind of bad at 4k - locked legs, dizziness, and things were getting blurry. At 5k, things really turned sour, I was still in the top 15 or so but my legs just wouldn't come off the ground. I really was just going backwards. So many people went by in that last straightaway, and I had been in decent position the last time my dad and coach had seen me go by. They were confused at the finish, when I wasn't coming in. My dad said he thought the wild turkeys had gotten me or something.
PTXC: Was there anything different about your pre-race preparations?
Koons: Unfortunately, I made a huge mistake in my pre-race preparations. I have always been a person who needs to eat a lot, whether I have a high metabolism or low blood sugar I am not quite sure, but it has always just been that way. I woke up early the morning of nationals and ate right away. I had a bowl of cereal, a muffin, some yogurt, and juice. Maybe 300-400 calories max. The problem was that my race was still 4.5 hours away. This is on a day when I am especially nervous and it is a little colder out than usual so I am burning more energy than I would normally. When you are glucose-depleted, you start to feel sick, a little dizzy, etc. The first things to go after this stage are your major muscle groups, i.e., your legs. Legs are kind of important in a cross country race. This would account for the locking of my muscles, etc., in the last stages of the race.
PTXC: What did you learn from the experience?
Koons: I was extremely disappointed (and baffled) after the race. I wasn't really sure what had happened or why my body had decided to shut down. When we really sat down and talked about what went wrong, what I did differently beforehand, etc, we got to the bottom of things. I made a tremendously stupid error. I should have eaten more, or at least closer to the race. It is a tough lesson to learn in the biggest race of my life to date. It is hard not to think about it without wanting to kick myself, but I know that in the grand scheme of things, I can either learn from a disaster like this or let it bring me down. I would like to choose the former option.
PTXC: Has the reaction of your coach, teammates and family helped you move on?
Koons: We were all pretty crushed after the race, but somehow I have a feeling there were at least 20 other competitors that day that walked away disappointed with their performance. Failure is a part of competing; it is how you deal with it that remains the true test. I am blessed with a wonderful family, great friends and teammates, and an amazing coaching staff here at Villanova. I am disappointed with the race, and that will never change, but positive things can always be taken out of these experiences. My dad always sends me excerpts from his favorite poem before big races. It is called "If" by Rudyard Kipling. There is one part that talks about how you must treat a win and a defeat in the same way. I need to learn from it, and not dwell on it, so that I can get ready for the next race:
"If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same"
ADJUSTMENT TO COLLEGE
PTXC: What is something every high school athlete should prepare for or think about while they are searching for and/or making their college selection?
Koons: Think about things like proximity to home, quality of the team, the coach, academics, etc. What kind of program are you looking for- high mileage, cross country, middle distance? Never base your decision about a school on hearsay. Get to know the school, coach, the program, the team. Feel comfortable.
PTXC: What was the biggest change for you moving from high school as an elite runner to a top Division I program?
Koons: The biggest change from high school to college for an athlete would be the new independence. You go from high school where you live at home, you have meals provided for you, your mom reminds you to do your homework, and it is unlikely you are hanging out with friends during the week because you have to drive everywhere. In college, you are living in a strange place with a new person, you must now make your own nutrition choices, manage your own time between schoolwork and running, and you can hang out with friends all the time.
INDOOR/FUTURE
PTXC: What will you be doing this indoor season? How does it impact what you may try outdoor?
Koons: I will run some 1000s, miles, a 3k, the DMR, and some 4x800s. Outdoors I will run the 1500m again.
PTXC: Any firm goals for the rest of your junior year?
Koons: I want to win every race that I can, set some personal records, etc. That sounds generic, but it really is just that simple. Any really particular goals, I just discuss with my coach because she will decide what I am ready for with training.
PTXC: Are the 2008 Olympic Trials on your radar? What event?
Koons: Technically, right now, the only thing on my radar is this upcoming indoor season. But when I think about the future, that is absolutely a goal. As far as what event, I have no idea. My favorite is the 1500m but a lot of things can happen in 2 years.
VILLANOVA
At the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional at Lock Haven, PA, Koons had her best race of the season.
(Photo by Don Rich)
PTXC: You're obviously thriving in the Villanova program? What kind of person/athlete do you think would benefit from this kind of program and competition?
Koons: I love Villanova and everything that comes with it. Anyone who is motivated to win, likes running fast, and is willing to listen 100% to their coaches can thrive in the program. The last part is so important. I think it is the most essential piece of advice I could give to a young collegiate runner in general. LISTEN TO YOUR COACH. Our generation sometimes tends to think they know better. We don't. You seriously have the easiest job running in college. All you have to do is show up and run. The coach does all the thinking. This is the best plan for success. Shut up and run.
PTXC: What are the most interesting questions you get from top recruits? What do you tell them?
Koons: Recruits usually ask pretty general questions about training, school, meal plan, etc. I just try to cover everything, and emphasize how amazing and wonderful is Villanova University. ;-).
PTXC: Talk about the Villanova family of past-runners; at any level; and how that impacts your progress and the program?
Koons: Villanova has such a rich history and tradition of NCAA champions and record holders. From Sonia O'Sullivan to Vikki Huber and Ron Delaney to Marti Liquori, our history is tough to beat. Walking into Coach Gina's office, you see the wall of Olympians and individual NCAA champions to the left, and photos of winning teams at Penn Relays and cross country national champions are scattered all over. The corridor between Jake Nevin Hall and the Pavilion (our basketball arena) is plastered with Penn Relays plaques. To get a school record in most middle distance events, you would almost always need to produce an NCAA record, and Villanova has many. These champions walked the same halls, learned in these classrooms, and ran around this school. I've run with and talked to Carmen Duma-Hussar, Carrie Tollefson, Ann McGranahan, Jen Rhines, and many other running greats. I am coached by Gina Procaccio, one of the best American woman runners in history. That would be difficult or impossible to do at any other institution. What I can say about all these is that they are great people, real role models. This impacts me in a huge way because there is a sense of duty to honor Villanova and the people that built up the program's past and present. When I am wearing that 'Nova uniform on the start line, I know there are expectations to bring home a great performance and a win. Something inside takes over because there is just something special about running as a Wildcat. And I love it. That is what I thrive on.