Indiana Runner

Christina Blair (10) - Wheeler

Interviwed by Stephen M. Bain

Last spring, the women’s 3200 meter field took to the line in Bloomington for the state championship. The queen of Indiana distance running at the time was on this line, Alex Banfich, and a heavy favorite in the field. She quickly broke away from most of the field except for one runner, Christina Blair. This caught my attention as I debated if this girl was a serious contender. It turned out to be a daring move as this freshman gave it her all the challenge the heavy favorite in the race. She went on to finish 8th in this race. She also finished sixth this past cross country season as a sophomore. The first sophomore in the race.

Christina Blair seems to have a bright future ahead of her in the distance running world. She doesn’t come from a dominant team; she was actually the only girl from Wheeler to run in the mile at the sectional meet. While it would seem that Christina could be a dominant runner in the state for years to come, this has been reportedly not the case. This will in fact be her last year running in Indiana. Christina will be moving out to Ohio for the fall season and living there for the foreseeable future.

We get a few words with her about her final season as a Hoosier.

Bain: How has it been for you to have to take a front running role so early in your high school campaign?
Blair: When I first started racing it was a huge deal to me. I would feel intimidated by girls from bigger schools. After a while though I realized they were teenage girls just like me. We were all there to run and run our very best. As soon as that realization hit me running up with girls in the front was easier for me.

Bain: How is your team chemistry at Wheeler and what is your training like with your team?
Blair: My team. We all get along great and have a lot of fun times with each other. We support each other in every race by screaming times and cheers. The team itself is very small though and most of them aren't at the level of training I'm at. During cross country I would run with the boys and by myself. Now during track I run mostly by myself. Most of the time I don't mind but some days are harder than others. My team is very supportive though. When I am still doing a workout they'll wait for me to finish and cheer me on.

Bain: What was your thought process like when you found out this was going to be your last year running in Indiana and for Wheeler?
Blair: Leaving Wheeler is easier said than done. I've poured a lot of time, effort, and emotions here. I'm sad to leave behind my friends, school, and running career in Indiana. I'm also looking forward to the new opportunities I will be having. It's going to be a change that I hope will benefit from. For my last track season in Indiana I want to be able to say I gave it my all and my very best. I think of it as my last chance to go out with a bang! I want to leave an impact on the state of Indiana.

Bain: What can you tell us about your future high school? Have you been in contact with the team at all out there, and what do they think getting a pretty talented athlete coming in?
Blair: The school I will be attending is called Cuyahoga Christian Academy. I'm excited to go to school there. Not only do they have great education, but they have a great girls cross country and track team. I met some of the girls and the coach. The girls are very sweet and are excited that I will be attending school there next year. The coach has a lot of experience and is happy that I will be on the team next year. I think that without this new school I'll be going to it would be a lot harder for me to move.

Bain: How would you like to end your season? What kind of goals do you have?
Blair: Well like I said earlier, I want to go out with a bang. I would really like to run my very best. The two mile and mile are the events I would like to make it to state in. In the mile I want to go under 5 minutes and in the two mile I want to break 11 minutes.

Bain: What could you tell us about your training? Some of your favorite and least favorite parts?
Blair: Training is a lot of hard work. I have workouts and recovery days. On recovery days I sometimes do weights. My favorite part of my training is when I do really well on a hard workout. I'll have to hit certain times and I do better. I love feeling that I'm improving and getting stronger. The worst part of training is sometimes finding a place to run. Getting all of my mileage in can be at times difficult to do.

Bain: What is your favorite running moment up to this point in your young career?
Blair: My favorite moment was running in the snow. It was during the offseason and I was training for track. It had snowed all day and was still snowing. All sports and after school events were cancelled and I had nowhere to run indoors. I wasn't going to run but my parents told me I should. It ended up being the best run ever!! Snow was falling and it was cold. I loved it!!!

Bain: Alright, as a friend of your coach could you tell me and the rest of the running community what you think about Coach Louie Guillen with his first year working with you? What do you really think about him?
Blair: Coach Louie is a great guy and you can ask anyone who knows him that he loves running. He loves working with us and helping us succeed. He's always there for us and is comitted to making everyone not only excel in running but also in life. I respect him and am grateful for all he's done for the Wheeler High School Track and Field Team and for what he's going to do in the future.

Bain: Lastly, any words of advice to readers out there that you would like to share?
Blair: My advice would be to stay focused. Don't get caught up in the things that don't really matter. Find something you love to do and it will help you excel. You have one shot in life so you want to make the best of it. Never give up on your dreams and what you believe in.

We here at IndianaRunner wish Christina the best of luck with her future in school and athletics. We hope to see great results from her at the Ohio state meets in the future and beyond. We also would like to thank her for taking her time to answer all of these questions to help provide the IndianaRunner community a little insight to what she is all about.