800m - 2:00.46
1600m - 4:23.59
3200m - 9:42.4
2 Mile (xc) - 10:07.00
5K (xc) - 16:09.20
XC State 2016 - 16:38.7 39th place
XC State 2015 - 17:00.7 100th place
Where were you born? What sports did you play growing up and what led you to play the ones you do now?
I was born in Arizona. My main sport when I was in middle school was basketball. That helped me become a better runner. My older brother Jeremy Dahl competed in cross country and track & field and my older sister Kristine Dahl was a pole vaulter. Since I always did well in the school mile run test it was only natural that I also competed in those sports.
Who are your coaches? How did they help you as a runner and a person?
My coaches are Ross Fleming, and assistant coaches Aaron Thompson and Bill Pratt. They all help me improve in my running skills, and Coach Fleming has really helped me learn a lot of life lessons about leaving a positive legacy, and focusing on what's important in whatever I'm doing.
Name some important teammates you have had over the years. How have they influenced you? Why are or were they important to you?
All of my teammates are important to me, especially the older varsity runners from my sophomore year. They taught me what it's like to run on varsity and showed me that the sport is about the team, not just getting a personal best. Zeke Lelinga and Austin Streit are the guys who push me the hardest in races.
Who are your toughest opponents? What are your relationships like with them? Please name some favorite opponents and what school they attend.
My toughest opponents are Acer Iverson from Roseville, Ben Olson from Blaine and Austin Streit my teammate. We all have good relationships and its fun to go out and race with them.
How does Ross Fleming train the team and what makes him such an effective distance coach?
Our training gets more intense throughout the season and then before sections we start tapering to do our best at sections and state. Coach Fleming is such a great coach because he's been coaching for so long and knows what he's doing. He also doesn't just care about what the stopwatch says, but wants quality people on his team and works on teaching his runners life lessons.
What do you do to prepare for each season?
Every offseason we meet up and go on our own runs. Our main goal is to get as many people to come to give the program more depth.
Do you do any strength training? Have you worked with a physical therapist or personal trainer? Running is not a perfect sport, we develop imbalances over time and if we work too hard. Why is what you do important? What do you think is your downfall in this area?
We do core and weights often, but I've never met with a personal trainer. Coach Thompson is very smart with running and kind of acts as our trainer. We go to him if we're feeling anything is wrong. I think personally, I don't have enough calf strength and sometimes at the end of races that hurts me.
What is a typical workout start to finish at Mounds View? It would be interesting to see the warm ups, paces, recovery, and cool down. It could be for track or cross country.
A typical workout for us is a 10-15 min warm up followed by some static stretching and dynamics. Then we'll have anything from mile repeats to 200s with the pace varying person to person based on fitness level. We sometimes also do static stretching at the end of the workout. Then we have a 10 min cooldown.
What about a long run with the team during the cross country season? What are the components there? I'm looking for the warm up, strides, how the long run is done, strides, cool down...if that is typical.
We usually do two workouts per week, two recovery runs, and one long run per week. The long run starts out at about 65 minutes and by the end of the season might go as long as 80 minutes. Typically we are told to do an easy 20 minute run on Sunday on our own.
What is your general race strategy? Do you experiment with different styles during the season?
A lot of the race strategy depends on the course or weather, but as a team we like to start out slower than others, and finish strong when others are struggling. Sometimes I try going out harder to see if I can hold it and run a better time if I go hard from the gun.
Photo provided by David Dahl
Mounds View is a tough team in cross country almost every season. Do feel pressure from the community to do well or are they generally just very supportive?
We receive great support from the community. I love being a Mustang. We are all really close and become good friends throughout the season.
Do you follow any college or professional runners? What have you learned by watching them?
I love watching Hassan Mead race, my teammate's dad last year coached him and it's awesome seeing a Minnesotan qualify for the Olympics. Galen Rupp is another one of my favorites to watch with Mo Farah. Bernard Lagat is my favorite, because he's 42 and still one of the top runners in the country, which shows how it's a lifelong sport that you can compete in for a long time.
What are your goals for this year?
I want our varsity team to go undefeated up to state, and place at least top 3 there. Personally, I'd like to run 15:40s and place top 5 at state.
Do you have any plans for after high school?
In July I went to Los Angles, California and looked at colleges in the area. I am seriously considering going to school out there but want to keep my options open.
Does your team do anything unique to get fired up? Do you have a special cheer or game you play?
We don't have any unique pump up but before races a lot of us listen to music. Before the season we go on a running trip to Whitewater state park and the seniors have a mostly water balloon fight against the rest of the team.
Are you involved in other arts, academics, or athletics at Mounds View? What are those activities?
I am a member of the National Honors Society and a frequent Spanish club attendee.
What is the most important lesson you have learned in your career? When did you learn it? Did you learn it by accident?
I've learned a lot about race strategy and prep the day of based on experience. My best race, I had a Lipton that morning, so sometimes I drink it on race day. I also learned freshman year that it's a bad idea to not eat for 8 hours before your race. That was the only over 20 min 5k I've ever had.
Where do you like to run races? Do you prefer being cheered on by lots of people like at the state meet, or do you like courses where you are not seen for the most part?
I really like the state meet because it's a mix of both. The start and most of it is a lot of adrenaline, and all you can hear is the crowd, but then you go in the field where spectators aren't allowed and it's just footsteps and breathing.
