Santa Clara Catches Up with Allison Maio

Posted: Oct 31, 2013

Written by Student Assistant Sofia Huerta '15

After not making the Broncos' West Coast Conference team her freshman year, Allison Maio (AM) is willing to do whatever she can to achieve her goals. Maio talks about her goals and aspirations this year and what her rituals are before each meet to try and beat her personal record.

SCB: Do you feel like you accomplished your goals as a freshman?

AM: I didn't go into freshman year with too many expectations because I wasn't sure what the transition to college running would be like. I really surprised myself by shattering my high school PR's meet after meet. After feeling this success, I was bummed when I did not make the conference team, but I figured I was only a freshman and it was a goal to look to achieve the next year.

SCB: What are you going to do differently during this fall season as a sophomore?

AM: During this fall season, I've really been focused on doing all the right things outside of practice, such as watching my eating and sleeping and making sure I am being diligent about taking all of the vitamins and supplements my body needs. I also am working on my confidence during workouts and races. Believing you can achieve your set goal for that day is super important and helpful.

SCB: What are your goals and aspirations for this season?

AM: My goals for this season are to continue to PR, hopefully get to 21:30 for the 6k. I want to make it to conference and regionals with my team and be a contributing scorer. I also want to work on executing my races in the right way, not going out too fast and negative splitting.

SCB: What has been your favorite part about the season so far?

AM: My favorite part of this season has just been watching our team's success. We are all doing better than ever this year and continue to improve from week to week. It's exciting to think about what all we can accomplish if we continue to improve the way we are. It's been amazing being able to have a solid workout group with Emily Robinson, Kelly Ryan, and Audrey Hiatt. They've helped me so much this season!

SCB: Do you have any rituals you do before each event?

AM: Before each race, I'm very specific about what I will eat and drink starting from the night before. A big pasta dinner the night before always makes me feel carbo-loaded for the race and smaller snacks with some Gatorade in the morning are just right. I also love to listen to music while we warm up for our races. It helps get me in the zone and feel pumped up for the race!

SCB: What's your favorite part of running cross-country?

AM: My favorite part about running cross country is running different courses each meet and having to devise a certain race strategy based on the terrain of the specific course. I also love the team aspect. To me, it is more predominant in cross-country than in track. We've really worked on pack running this year, which is really helpful in races and I think, makes us an even closer team.

SCB: Explain to us the emotions you feel before and after your race.

AM: Before a race, I always get really nervous no matter what. I try not to let my nerves get to me too early but when we do our strides and line up for the start my heart is always pounding. After the race is over, I mainly feel relief that it is over because it is never a comfortable experience. I immediately start to analyze my race though. I not only worry about my finishing time but how well I executed the race from start to finish. While I do get upset if I don't feel like I did what I should have, I usually don't let it get me too down for too long and I try to just start focusing on what I will change for the next race.