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TOXC Alumni Update with Allie Lopez
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In the second installment in a series of alumni profiles, I caught up with Allie Lopez from the TOHS class of 2009. As a high school freshman, Allie was the youngest member of the 2005 TOHS state champion team. Plagued with injuries in the years following, requiring two rounds of knee surgery and difficult rehab, Allie was the picture of persistency bouncing back to be the second Lancer girl ever to break 5 minutes in the mile. Thank you Allie for sharing your experience with the TOXC family!
Q: How did you get started in running?
A: My dad ran track and cross-country in college, so the background was always there. At age 3 my dad said I had a “stride” and as Chariots of Fire states, “you can’t teach stride,” so it pretty much was all over for me at that point. I was a soccer player growing up, so I initially gave in and started running at age 9 to keep in shape but quickly fell in love with the competitiveness and unforgiving nature of the sport.
Q: How would you summarize your high school running experience?
A: I would summarize my high school running experience as a roller coaster ride. There were major ups, and major downs that accompanied my 4 years of running in high school. Freshmen year started at one of the highest points with winning the State Championship as a team for Division 1 in Cross Country. In sophomore and junior years I hit my low points, experiencing two ACL tears with accompanied surgeries. I had to sit out most of those two years, and never had enough time to get in good enough shape to get back to where I was. Senior year brought me back up to the top, and although cross was rough that year, I was able to come back in track and finally break the 5-minute barrier in the mile and gain back the interest of colleges.
Q: How does your experience in college running different that in HS?
A: High school running is a lot more forgiving than college running. In XC you only have 5 or 6 races to show what you got, and don’t have the luxury of dual meets to test out a strategy or run as a pack. There are invitationals, and then conference, and then ultimately post season. The races are also longer, so the mentality changes a little. The people and friends you meet are the same, and your team becomes your family, but there are no parents to keep you in line.
Q: What did you learn in High School XC that you still carry with you every day?
A: I still try and keep with me the joy of running. It is very easy to get lost in the increased level of competitiveness of division 1 college running, but it is important to remember why I got into it in the first place. In high school we used regular runs to catch up with friends and talk about the things going on in our lives. On recovery days in college it is easy to compete with the person next to you to push the pace, but sometimes I try to remind myself that I can’t take life so seriously and to relax and have fun with running.
Q: Can you describe a favorite High School moment?
 A: My favorite High School moment has to be winning the Division 1 Cross Country State Championship my freshmen year. It was truly the perfect ending to a fairytale season, and I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I was a wide-eyed freshman experiencing an actual cross-country team for the first time, and in some ways was just along for the ride. The varsity girl’s team was very close that year, and we all ran for each other and pushed each other everyday in practice. That day of the race Coach Radnoti had set it up so there was literally someone yelling at us in every stage of the race. When the gun went off it was a haze and I can remember coach yelling at me with about a 400 to go that I was the first 3rd runner of any team, and I think it was at that moment that I realized we actually had a shot at winning it. I still get chills when I remember the feeling I had when they announced the scores, and they called our names. Q: What do you think is the biggest difference between High School and College training and competition?
A: The main difference in training is the mileage and pace. When I first got to college I experienced about a 25 mile a week increase in distance. It takes a little while to get used to, but usually the coaches do a good job of allowing your body to adjust to the increase in training. The pace of the workouts is slightly increased, but the pace of the regular runs is what is most noticeable. The recovery days you can still take easy, but there is definitely and increase in tempo with the regular runs.
Q: What has running taught you that helped you outside of running?
A: Running has really helped me learn discipline. After an intense workout where I can look back and see how hard I pushed through the pain, it makes me realize that if I can do that in running, I can do that in school and life as well. When there is a test I have to study for or a project I need to complete I can sit down and focus for the hours I need to in order to achieve my desired grade. In life when applying for internships or working a 9-hour day I can sit there and do it because I know that that is nothing compared to the pain I feel during a workout. If I can push myself physically, then pushing myself to accomplish what I want to mentally should not be a problem.
Q: What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?
A: I would have to say that my greatest high school running accomplishment is breaking 5 minutes in my last mile of senior year. If I am talking about my greatest accomplishment in running as a whole, I think it would be that running lead me to the school of my dreams. I was born and raised a UCLA bruin fan, as anyone who has ever met me can attest, but I never thought it would actually be possible to get in there, let alone be an athlete. Even as a kid I dreamt of going to UCLA and playing on the soccer team, so getting to go there and run on the track and cross teams in truly a dream come true. This year my brother will be joining me on the team as well, so I there is not much more I can ask for out of running.
Q: What do you miss the most about High School XC?
A: The thing I miss most about High School XC without a doubt, are the people. I have made best friends that I am positive I will keep in touch with for the rest of my life. I have made good friends in college, but we are older, and the people from high school were the ones you grew up with. You know their families and everything about them. They were your friends through the awkward years, and have been there for you from day one. Throughout my four years in high school we were all truly a family and in college things are more serious and it’s not just all about having fun.
Q: What are your goals of your upcoming college season?
A: I compete mainly in Track in college and do cross races only sometimes if the team needs me, so my goals are mainly in Track. I hope to run low 4:20’s in the 1500 and break the 2:10 barrier in the 800. As for cross, my goals are to help the team where I am needed and make the PAC 12 team.
Q: How has your outlook on running changed since you left for college?
A: My outlook on running has become more business like in college than it was in high school. It is not all about having fun and trying your best, but about getting what you need to done. Especially at a school like UCLA, they expect you to produce results. A coach will give you feedback, but the runners who are doing well at the time are the ones who get the most attention. Coaches do not have the time to be as personable as they were in high school, so when you come to practice, you work, and then you go about the rest of your day. Don’t get me wrong, the coaches still care about you, but they can’t take the time to give you the same individual attention as you received in high school. Everyone who is running in college was the best at their high school and strives to be the best again, so you have to work that much harder to keep up.
 Allie Lopez TOHS Class of 2009College: UCLA. Allie will be a senior this Fall
High School PRs: 2:17 800, 4:59 1600, 18:35 3 mile (Mt. Sac), 18:54 5k (Woodward Park)
College PRs: 2:12 800, 4:31 1500
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