As the 2010 Arizona high school cross country season gets in to full swing and we marvel at the dedication, strength and excitement of the current talent in our state, Milesplit applauds each of you for doing what it takes to compete for your team, your school and yourself. We know some of you are working hard and dreaming of competing at the “next level”, and to further inspire, motivate and simply inform you of what it might take to get there….we bring you updates on some of Arizona’s fastest and finest!
“Milesplit AZ Alumni Update”
Bryce Livingston
Bryce attended Salpointe Catholic High School in Tucson and, among many accomplishments, was the State runner-up in 5A1 cross country, the State Champion in the 1600 meters and the State runner-up in the 3200 meters his Senior year. Graduating in 2006, he has gone on to attend and run at the United States Military Academy at West Point...Go Army! Balancing the rigors of academics, athletics and the unique experience of attending one of the country’s heralded military academies….we catch up with Cadet Livingston as he begins his Senior year.
(Photo left: Bryce at the West Point season opener last Friday)
AZTraxckXC: Congratulations Bryce on a great season opener last Friday, leading your team to victory in the Army Open, and for all of your accomplishments as you enter your senior year as a student athlete at West Point Academy!
1. Can you first take a little time to explain how being a student athlete at a US Military Academy might be a bit different from attending and competing at a non-military college or university?
Bryce Livingston: Life as a cadet or midshipman is a very time consuming responsibility. A phrase often heard here at West Point is “time management.” As an athlete, this concept is essential to understand. The best way to describe it is to briefly describe an average day for me here. I wake up at 5:30 for a shake-out run. I then have to be dressed and at breakfast formation (mandatory) at 7:00. Classes start at 7:30 and go all day until 3:00 and then straight down to practice. Practice is done around 6:30 and by the time I’m in my room eating dinner starting homework, it’s about 7:30. I try to go to bed by 10:30 and then start all over again! It is certainly a lifestyle unlike any other, but it is manageable. Over the years I have become very efficient in managing the time I spend at practice and the duties I have as a cadet.
2. AZTraxckXC: How was your experience, and how did you survive the rigors of Cadet Basic Training….were you able to train for XC and track while going through “Beast Barracks”?
Bryce Livingston: Cadet Basic Training, or “Beast Barracks,” is a very difficult time for anyone just out of high school. It is a culture shock that no one can properly prepare for. I made it through Beast by “staying below the radar,” meaning I was quiet enough to not be noticed and did all my tasks and duties well enough so that I wasn’t noticeably “messed up.” With that being said, even if you’re doing everything right, the cadre will find something wrong, so I had my fair share of difficult moments. I also kept a positive attitude. West Point is a beautiful place, so during my difficult times I would take a moment to look off into the distance and notice how incredible a place it really was. That and I had a good sense of humor. It’s all temporary. As for XC training, yes I was able to run but it was often short runs and every other day if I was lucky. That first summer is very difficult to get into good running shape. It’s more important to simply make it through Beast healthy. Every summer has changes however, so one year may allow New Cadets to train a lot and next year may allow a very minimal amount of running.
3. AZTraxckXC: What has kept you motivated in college to continue running when you have so many other priorities? West Point requires every cadet to participate in a sport at some level, does this make it any easier when mental and physical toughness is an expectation of every Cadet on campus?
Bryce Livingston: My team at West Point has been the key to my motivation to continue running. West Point is very stressful and at times overly serious. Practice is a time when I can escape all that and have fun with my closest friends. It is the part of the day I truly look forward to, no matter how hard the workout might be. Additionally, the competitive nature instilled in all cadets due to the Army/Navy rivalry has give me the drive to work as hard as I can to BEAT NAVY. Being in an environment where physical and mental fitness is so important certainly makes the motivation to not quit easier. That ultimately comes from an even greater organization that never accepts losing or quitting, The US Army.
4. 
AZTraxckXC: Looking back at your high school running experience, was there something you, your parents, your coach or a combined effort of all may have done to help you succeed as a student athlete so you could compete at the college level?
(Photo left: Bryce (far right) on his way to winning the 1600 meter run at the Arizona State Championships in 2006)
Bryce Livingston: Like most high school athletes, I initially had no real experience in, nor the desire, to continue my sport in college. Distance running was a developmental process and where I am today is thanks to many different people. My parents were constantly pushing me to accept nothing less than my best and supported me in all my scholastic and athletic endeavors. They were a huge help when it came time to begin my college applications. The West Point application process is very long and arduous. They made sure I made all my deadlines and still gave me enough freedom to focus on running. My coach, in a similar way, never accepted anything less than my best and so that’s what I hoped to give him every time I ran.
5. AZTraxckXC: Has the training in college been what you anticipated; was the intensity and mileage a drastic change from what you did at Salpointe Catholic?
Bryce Livingston: The training in college is much more intense than in high school but in a very different way. In high school I already experimented with high mileage and discovered that just by putting in a little more work than everyone else I was able to race faster than most as a result. In college however, everybody is physically putting in as much work as everyone else. It took be a few years to realize what “putting your heart into it” really meant. I found that I had to mentally exhaust myself in order to be a competitive runner in college. Looking back now, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
6. AZTraxckXC: To continue along that line then, how were your hardest workout in high school in comparison to what you must do now to train successfully? (We would ask you if you find it tougher to run in the AZ heat or NJ cold, but in light of how demanding the life of a cadet is, we thought this might border on absurd for you!)
Bryce Livingston: Hill running has always been my weakness both in high school and in college. I absolutely love running hill workouts because they are so hard and painful for me to complete. I remember one hill repeat workout in high school I ran in Sabino Canyon that had a moderate incline. I remember I was wiped by the end of that workout. Hills took on a new meaning when I came out to West Point however. The first thing I remember thinking during my first run here was “how was it possible that I could constantly be climbing up hills but could never find a single downhill?” Then I was introduced to the West Point home course in which part of it goes up a ski slope. I’ve done hill repeats on that ski slope every year and it hasn’t grown on me yet.
7. AZTraxckXC: Looking back, what is your greatest memory from your cross country career in high school? Is there anything you wish you had accomplished or would have done differently?
Bryce Livingston: My greatest memory from my high school cross country career is my senior year at the State competition where my team got second place. Just the week before my team fell apart and got third place at regionals. After a full season trying to encourage my teammates that they have what it takes to be great, I almost gave up. Even my coach said the night before the State race to just go out and have fun. I will never forget being so surprised by such an unexpected outcome. From my team I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I do wish that I could have trained hard and pushed myself harder to better my team score however. With the knowledge I know today, I believe that many of my unsuccessful races were due to my mentally giving up, not physical inabilities.
8. AZTraxckXC: What advice would you offer to athletes in high school now as far as making it to “the next level” as a competitive runner?
Bryce Livingston: There is a “next level” for everyone. It’s just a matter of finding that school that will take you. Distance running is a unique sport because there are no bounds for improvement. With that being said, it takes a great deal of hard work and dedication to get to that point. Additionally, don’t expect the colleges to be calling you. Get your name out there. Send coaches your résumés and take the initiative.
9. 
AZTraxckXC: What are your plans for the future after you graduate a proud member of the “Long Gray Line”?
(Photo left: Cadet Livingston (second from left)).
Bryce Livingston: Upon graduation I will be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. I must serve at least 5 years of active duty and 3 years of inactive duty. What I will be doing during those 5 years is still unknown. I would like to become a part of Army’s World Class Athletes Program (WCAP), where I would spend my five years training in the Olympic training center in Colorado Springs for running events, ultimately making it into the Olympic trials. If not that I would like to branch into Army Military Intelligence and eventually join Special Forces or some facet of Special Operations. Wherever my path leads I greatly look forward to it and can promise that distance running will always be a significant aspect of my life.
AZTraxckXC: Thank you Bryce, and all of us back home not only wish you much success in all that you are accomplishing at West Point, but we thank you for the path you are taking to serve our country. We will continue to follow your career, and look forward to catching up with you again in the future to talk about your accomplishments as an athlete and career in the United States Army. It is obvious that you are living the motto of West Point: Duty, Honor, County.
Editor's Note: To read more about Bryce Livingston and the West Point Cross Country team, including another Salpointe Catholic XC alum, Freshman Cadet David Sheppard, go to http://www.goarmysports.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=11100&SPID=4584&SPSID=48059 . We will keep you posted on Bryce and David's careers. Go Army!
As the 2010 Arizona high school cross country season gets in to full swing and we marvel at the dedication, strength and excitement of the current talent in our state, Milesplit applauds each of you for doing what it takes to compete for your team, your school and yourself. We know some of you are working hard and dreaming of competing at the “next level”, and to further inspire, motivate and simply inform you of what it might take to get there….we bring you updates on some of Arizona’s fastest and finest!
“Milesplit AZ Alumni Update”