Profile: Christine Coughlin
Shaker Class of 2011

Profile-Christine Coughlin (February 2011): Shaker Senior Christine Coughlin followed the same path of many athletes...first competing in other sports and eventually finding her greatest talent is her outstanding ability as a runner. Her transition may have taken longer than others, but as she increased her running seasons, she has risen to increasingly higher levels of excellence. In her first year of Cross Country this past fall, she was the top Shaker finisher at the Manhattan Invitational and her individual second place finish at the Great American Cross Country Festival in North Carolina led the team to first place in their division. Christine finished 12th in the Girls Suburban Council Championship in the third fastest time ever by a Shaker runner and she was recognized with the Most Valuable Award for the Shaker Girls team. She was named a Suburban Council All-Star this past fall in her one and only season of Cross Country. Christine is a member of the team that set a new Shaker school record in the Outdoor 4X800M Relay last spring. She is also a member of this year's Distance Medley and 4x800M relay teams that already this season have come close to the Indoor School Records.

Her leadership on the team is equalled by her leadership in other activities at the high school. She serves as the President of the Shaker Key Club and is also an active member of student government while regularly earning scholar athlete recognition for academics. Christine often helps out the team when not running, like when she traveled downstate to this years NYS Cross Country Championships to help Coach Gansle, who is the NYS Girls Cross Country coordinator. Christine is well liked by her teammates and her competitors and when she is not racing she can often be heard cheering for other Shaker runners. Shakerrunning.com recently caught up with her to learn more about Christine, her high school running career and her plans for the future...Click here for full Profile and Interview

Shakerrunning.com Interview with Christine Coughlin:

Shakerrunning (SR): How did you first get involved in running?
Christine Coughlin (CC): I first got involved in running back in Blue Creek when I participated in the Elementary cross country races and track meets.

SR: You began your running career as a sprinter after playing lacrosse for a few years, can you explain your decision to switch over to running both Indoor and Outdoor Track?
CC: It was a very a difficult decision for me to make. Lacrosse had always been a big sport in my family ever since my older brother David began playing. He became one of Shaker’s all time leading scorers and broke a Section II record by scoring a total of 171 goals during his Lacrosse career at Shaker. He also led the Blue Bison to a Section II title win his senior year. I looked up to him and wanted to be just like him. After playing lacrosse for three years, my feelings began to change. I was starting to dread going to practices and I wasn’t having fun like I used to. The spark that I had, just wasn’t there anymore. This feeling began the summer after 9th grade. In my freshman year, I ran Indoor Track for the first time and loved it! In fact, Coach Joyner kept hinting to me that I should consider doing Outdoor as well. So after running Indoor my sophomore year, this thought began to weigh heavily on my mind. Finally, after thinking it over and consulting with my parents, I made up my mind and decided during my sophomore year to run Outdoor for the first time.

SR: After becoming a full-time track runner, you switched from a sprinter to a successful distance runner in the middle of your junior year Indoor Track season. How did you come to realize that you would be a better distance runner?
CC: Coach Schroeder knew I was a distance runner the day I started Indoor my freshman year, but I didn’t come to realize it until my junior year when I began running 600s during Indoor. This was a big switch for me because I was used to running 200s, 300s, and 400s. So about halfway through my junior year, Coach Schroeder and Coach Joyner told me that they thought it would be best for me to switch to distance. It was a whole new transition for me, but one that I’m so glad I made!

SR: Not only did you run Outdoor Track as a distance runner your junior year, but you were a member of the 4x800m Relay that set a new Shaker school record. How do you compare running individual events to relays?
CC: I want to say that there’s more pressure on you in an individual event than there is in a relay, but that’s not always the case. The day we broke the 4x800m record we all had a great deal of pressure on us going into the race. The order was me, Zosia Dunn, Melissa Sheridan and Kayleigh Lavender. After me and Zosia had both run PRs of 2:18 the pressure was on Melissa and Kayleigh because we were on our way to breaking the school record. I remember Coach Schroeder yelling to Melissa “2:18, they just ran 2:18!” so I can only imagine the pressure she must of felt knowing we were off to a good start. And let me tell you, it sure worked because Melissa ran a PR of 2:19! So now all the pressure was on Kayleigh. I just remember yelling to her as she came down the straightaway on her last lap, “RECORD! RECORD! RECORD!” Kayleigh finished strong with a PR of 2:21! Our hopes were up as we ran to the finish line to see if we had broken the record. And sure enough, Coach Gansle and Coach Schroeder looked at us with big smiles on their faces and said we did it, we broke the school record! We were so happy that we literally just collapsed on each other after the race. Therefore, I would have to argue that there is just as much pressure in a relay as there is in an individual event.

SR: Even after being a part of the school record team in Outdoor track, you were still unsure as to whether or not you would run cross country in the fall. Fortunately, you made the decision to try cross
country and turned out to be one of the top individual runners in Section 2. You finished 12th in the Suburban Council Championships and earned the Shaker Girls MVP Award for XC. Do you have any regrets about not starting cross country any earlier?
CC: I do. Cross country was an amazing experience for me and one that I enjoyed so much. Despite Coach Gansle encouraging me to join cross country all along, it wasn’t until my senior year that I finally decided to do it. I think it was because before my senior year I had been a sprinter, so I was afraid that doing cross country would affect my sprinting. When I officially became a distance runner my junior year, I felt that it was in my best interest to do cross country in the fall. Looking back now, I wish I had started cross country earlier.

SR: How did you find cross country to be different than track? Which season is your favorite?
CC: The most obvious differences between cross country and track are the training, the weather, the scenery, the courses, and the length of the races. Beyond those differences, I found the mentality of racing to be different in cross country than in track. In cross country you have to mentally prepare yourself to run hard for 3+ miles while in track you have to mentally prepare yourself to run hard for a much shorter distance but at a much faster pace. Therefore, the pacing as well as the tactics used in cross country is completely different from track. Track is my favorite because it’s what I know the best and it’s what I’ve been doing the longest. But don’t get me wrong, I absolutely loved cross country it’s just that I have more experience with track than I do with only one year of cross country.

SR: You have also been the a member Student Government throughout high school and currently serve as the President of Key Club, a community service club at Shaker. Can you talk about how you have balanced your athletic, academic, and club success throughout your high school years?
CC: Balancing school, sports, and extracurricular activities such as clubs is not an easy task. You can’t do everything at the same time so you have to be willing to make sacrifices. For me personally, I have Key Club every Tuesday and Friday. So on those days if my meetings aren’t done on time for practice I have to go late to practice. If I know ahead of time that we’re doing a hard workout, I try my best to be to practice on time which means leaving early from Key Club. There have also been times when I couldn’t go to Key Club at all because of having a meet the same day. Luckily for me, I have great officers that I work with in Key Club. So on days when I can’t make the meetings, they’re very understanding and willing to take over and run the meetings.

SR: What are your favorite cross country courses and tracks, and why?
CC: My favorite cross country course is SPAC. It’s such a beautiful course, especially during the fall when all the leaves are changing colors. I also like the distance of the course and the way its set up (it’s a nice long continuous course, not repetitive). I also ran my personal best time on this course during Suburban Championships this past cross country season. As for track, I would have to say the Armory is my favorite track. Not only is it a fast track because it’s banked but it’s a really nice track too. I just love the environment of the Armory; the big TV screen, the announcers, and of course the music! It makes you feel like you’re at the Olympics. It’s an awesome experience!

SR: How do you prepare for a meet?
CC: The day before a meet and the day of the meet I like to eat very healthy. The night before a meet I always eat pasta with chicken. The day of a meet I like to eat plenty of whole grains, proteins and fruits. Hydrating is also an important factor when it comes to preparing for a meet. I drink lots of water on a day-to-day basis so leading up to a meet I make sure I have plenty of fluids in me. I make sure I am fully hydrated but not overly hydrated on the actual day of the race. I also try to make sure I get a good night’s rest the last two nights before a meet because I’ve learned that the amount of sleep you get in one night affects you two days after, not the day after. Also on the day of the meet I make sure to do a good warm up to get my muscles loose and warm and then make sure I stretch well and do good strides. Coach Schroeder always tells us to do good strides just before we race because its gets our heart rate up for the start of the race.

SR: What do you consider your best racing distance and why?
CC: At this point in my running career, I would consider my best racing distance to be a tie between the 800m and the 1000m. I just started running the 1000m this year but I really like it and think it’s a good fit for me because it’s very similar to the 800m. In fact, Coach Schroeder always says you have to run the 1000 like it’s an 800. It's true..the only difference I think is that in the 1000 you have a little more time (not a whole lot though) to relax and think about the race once you have a good position in the race.

SR: What has been the highlight of your running career up to this point?
CC: Breaking the 4x800m relay record last outdoor season. I’ll never forget that day. It was at Sectionals which were scheduled to be held at Queensbury High School, but because of the high heat index that day they had to postpone the meet to the next day and it was moved to Shen. On that day it was postponed again, to the following day at Colonie. On that Friday afternoon me, Zosia Dunn, Melissa Sheridan, and Kayleigh Lavender broke the school record for the 4x800m relay.

SR: What are some of your goals for the rest of your senior year?
CC: Currently both our DMR and 4x800m relay are very close to beating the indoor school records. So we’re hoping to break these two records at Eastern State Championships at the Armory in early March. The 1000m has been my focus this season, so I hope to continue to excel and PR in it for the remainder of the Indoor season. I have to say that my most important goal for the rest of my senior year is to keep working hard because I’ve learned that hard work pays off. Like the old saying goes, you get out what you put into it. So if you focus and work hard in practice, everything else will fall into place.

SR: What advice would you give to a young runner who is just starting to run on a school team?
CC: Keep running and never give up. Don’t hold back, do what’s best for you. Trust yourself and your training/conditioning. Keep everything in perspective and don’t get down on yourself if you have a bad race. Take what you did wrong in that race and learn from it so that you can improve upon it the next time you run.

SR: In which sport outside of track, do you most enjoy participating?
CC: Outside of track, I love to ski. In the winter I snow ski and in the summer I water ski. I also enjoy the games of soccer and lacrosse even though I don’t participate in them anymore.

SR: What are your plans to continue with running after high school?
CC: I plan on running cross country, indoor, and outdoor track at a Division I level next year in college.

SR: Where do you currently stand on the college decision process?
CC: Currently, I have been accepted into 3 colleges, Marist, Iona and UAlbany. Marist is my top choice.

SR: What careers are you considering for the future?
CC: I want to be an Elementary School Teacher because I love helping others and working with kids. Unfortunately, in this economy the job outlook for teachers isn’t so great right now, but I’m hoping by the time I graduate from college and get my Masters our economy will be in a better state.

SR: How do you like to spend your time when not involved in running?
CC: I absolutely love shopping! I love hanging out with friends and going to the movies. In the summer, I love spending my time (hiking, swimming at the beach, boating) at our camp in the Adirondacks.

SR: What is your favorite movie or TV show?
CC: Favorite movie…..hmm that’s a tough one. I have a lot of favorite movies but one on the top of my list is The Dark Knight. I normally don’t like dark/violent movies but for some reason I really liked this movie and found it to be very powerful. The stars of the movie played their parts well especially Heath Ledger as the Joker. As for TV shows, I don’t get to watch much TV so I don’t have one TV show in particular that I watch on a weekly basis. But when I do watch TV, I love watching shows like CSI Miami, Law and Order, NCIS, Criminal Minds, and Without a Trace.

SR: If you could have dinner with one famous person who would it be and why?
CC: I have to say I’m a big fan of Taylor Swift. I love all her music and the fact that she writes all her own songs. She’s a very talented young artist.

SR: What is something about yourself that most people would be surprised to learn?
CC: I don’t like chocolate. Every time I tell someone this I get the response: “What?! You’re crazy! How do you not like chocolate?!” And I just laugh and say “I don’t know, I just don’t.”

SR: Any other comments you would like to share?
CC: I would first like to thank Brian Hickey for creating my profile and interview, let alone creating shakerrunning.com! I would also like to thank my parents, my coaches, and my teammates for all the support they have given me, you guys are the best! And I want to wish everyone good luck next year! Remember hard work pays off!