Cheever Goes the Distance for the Gophers

University of Minnesota junior Jamie Cheever put in a total of 11,218 meters last weekend at the Big Ten Championships. Her second place finish in the mile and sixth in both the 3K and 5K helped the women win their second straight Big Ten team title. This week she was named to the All Big Ten Indoor Team. She tells DtB about the weekend and her plans for NCAA indoors and outdoor season.

DtB: You put in a lot of mileage over the weekend. How did you approach it? Take one at a time? Just block out the fatigue or let the adrenaline of the team race pull you through?

JC: I definitely took each race one at a time. On Friday night I visualized the mile prelims and talked to coach Wilson about how Heather and I should run the race. Once the mile prelims were done, I repeated the process with the 3K, then mile finals, then the 5K, although there wasn't much time to prepare for that race. It's difficult to block out the fatigue, but running at home in front my friends, family, and other Minnesota track fans was so exciting, that I forgot how tired I was during my races. The adrenaline of the team also helped pull me through because everyone had spectacular performances from the first event to the last event.

DtB: There wasn't a lot of time between the events. Did that help or make it more difficult?

JC: The limited amount of time was challenging. I was very thankful for the two false starts in the 5K. However, watching other athletes with tough doubles and triples--Liz and Heather come to mind right away--gave me inspiration.

DtB: Did being in front of the home crowd help? Where they able to push you along when the fatigue started to set in?

JC: I had so much fun running at home. The University staff did a wonderful job of setting up the fieldhouse, and the meet was well run. The crowd was very supportive, which made racing even more exciting than usual.

DtB: What were your thoughts during the 600 when you saw Heather go down?

JC: I was warming up for the 5K during her race, but I heard all about the fall. As usual, she amazes me with her strength and competitiveness. I am proud that I have a teammate who is so tough. I heard Jamie Dittmar also looked very strong during the 600 meters. I was able to see the finish of the 800 meters, which was very inspiring.

DtB: What are your plans for the rest of the indoor season? NCAAs? Outdoors?

JC: I will declare in either the mile or 3K for nationals, and I will run in the distance medley relay. I'm excited to see how well our DMR can do, and hopefully Heather will stay on her feet. During the outdoor season, I want to focus on the steeplechase and 1500 meters.

Photo Courtesy of the University of Minnesota