Alumni Report: 4/17-4/23 With Q&A From App. State 800m Star Ryan Hastings!

Apr 26, 2017

:rotating_light: RECORD ALERT:rotating_light: Ryan Hastings blazes the field in the 800m lowering his own school record time to 1:48.02!!!
-- App State XC/T&F (@AppTF_XC) April 21, 2017

NCRunners: You set about a second and a half PR, does that make you reevaluate your goals for the season, or is this where you expected yourself to be at?

Ryan Hastings: My goal for a while has simply been to break 1:50, and I expected to do that last year, but due to some injuries I was set back and couldn't do the training it took to achieve that. This year, I set higher goals, and I wanted to get down to 1:48. However, now that I have ran that, I believe that I can still run faster. Another goal I have had for a while has been to go to regionals, and now that I am firmly in position to go, it is now my goal to go further, and make it to Oregon for the NCAA championships.

What's been the biggest difference in your training from Porter Ridge to App State?

Structure, in high school, I would randomly do workouts that I felt were tough and would help me get better, but there was no reason or schedule I had to anything really. Here at App State, Coach Weaver has set workouts for us to do and sets them up for us to work on our weaknesses. For instance, doing a workout to get me faster from the 400 meter mark to the 600, which we have been working on. I never would have even thought of that in high school. The other biggest difference is weight training, I rarely ever lifted in high school, and I believe that the weight training program we have has helped me improve greatly.

You started your high school career more focused on the 400. When was it that you realized you could be good in the 800?

I think it was late in my junior year when I started to really discover the 800, I would occasionally run it at meets, and I would do fairly well for the time. But it was over the summer between my junior and senior year when I ran at the Junior Olympics and I got down to 1:57 with no formal 800 training, that is when I really saw some potential in switching over. However, I still enjoy running the 400 time to time, and I believe the speed I got from running the 400 really helped out my 800.

What was the reason you chose App State over all the other schools that recruited you?

Deciding schools was difficult for me, and in the end one of my high school coaches, (Coach Rhodes) told me to pick the school that I would be happiest at regardless of track, and that school for me was App State, it was just a bonus that they had a great track program for me to be a part of.

What's your favorite part about being a student/athlete at App State?

There are many great things about being a student athlete at App State, and there isn't really one thing that is my favorite part. I love the sense of pride I get for being able to represent my school, especially at big meets, and even more so if I do well at those meets. I also really enjoy how supportive the school is. Most teachers are very understandable when you have to miss class and help you make up anything you might have missed. The school also sets up many programs that are for everyone, but they really push for athletes to go to like tutoring if you need it. However, if I had to pick, my favorite thing is being able to represent my school wherever we go.

What's your favorite workout to run?

That's a tough question, personally I enjoy speed training more, so I would have to say when we do 200's. We do anywhere between 8 and 14 depending on the day, and the time will vary between 25 and 27.5 seconds with about a minute and a half to two minutes rest.

What are you studying and what do you want to do with your major?

I am currently studying to become a high school history teacher, and with that I want to go and teach at the high school level, as well as use my knowledge of track to become a track coach.

What goals do you have for the rest of the season?

One goal that I always set on myself is to win conference in the 800, and that is the first goal on my list. After that I hope to get down to 1:47.5 or faster, and see if I can make top 12 at regionals to move on to the NCAA championships in Oregon. I just surprised myself by running 1:48.02, but after running it I feel confident that I still have more in me to run faster.

Apr 17, 2017 - Apr 23, 2017