By Kandace Fung (CMC) ‘19
Staff Writer

THE SCRIPPS VOICE: When did you start liking running?

MEREDITH NIX: I think I started to like running in elementary school. In third grade, I would participate in the school walk-a-thons, and they were really fun for me. Also, there are a lot of trails near my house that I liked to go on, just to go on runs.

TSV: Was running the sport you’ve always like the most/enjoyed?

MN: I started out first grade through sophomore year of high school playing soccer, but I always wanted to get involved in running. There wasn’t a team in my middle school or elementary school so I didn’t start running until high school, but I always really liked running, and I kind of ran on my own until then.

TSV: If you can do any other sport and be great at it, which sport would it be?

MN: I’ve always wanted to try swimming, I just never got around to it.

TSV: What do you run? (like category?)

MN: I’m a distance runner so I run for cross-country. The women run the 5k, and then for track, I’m a middle distance, distance runner. I do the 1500 - that’s my main event.

TSV: Do you enjoy running in a college setting versus a high school setting? How is it different? Similar?

MN: They’re both really fun. College is definitely more “working for the goal”, definitely it requires a bit more commitment and dedication than in high school. The workouts are more intense. But for me it’s kind of different because the team in college is a lot bigger, so that’s pretty fun.

TSV: How does the consortium add or/and detract from the sports team?

MN: Oh, I really like how I get to meet people from Harvey Mudd and Claremont Mckenna, and also from Scripps, but it’s nice to haveteammates from all different schools.

TSV: Do you think you’d continue running after college?

MN: I’ll definitely keep running on my own because I really like running.

TSV: Has it been difficult balancing academics and athletics in college?

MN: It’s definitely always challenging to balance that, but it also keeps you focused. It kind of makes me really set my schedule and be more focused on work when I’m not running. It’s actually kind of nice because I’ll be doing work at two in the afternoon, then two hours run, then go back to work, so it’s a nice break in the middle. It helps me refocus on academics afterwards.

TSV: Do you have any routines or rituals you do before a competition or run or anything?

MN: I like listening to some of my favorite songs.

TSV: Do you have a role model that you look up to?

MN: I’m inspired by my grandma. She’s pretty cool because she’s seventy-seven and in nursing school, even though she already has another degree, she still wants to be a nurse. It’s inspiring that at her age, she’s still doing things to help people.

TSV: Has there been a challenge/situation that made you almost quit/thought about quitting?

MN: I’ve never considered quitting, but I’ve had a lot of injuries. In high school, I had an ankle injury that led to knee injuries. I wasn’t sure what was wrong with my knees which was pretty frustrating, and so I think there were definitely periods of time when it was difficult to stay focused on athletics. But eventually, I overcame my injuries and continued on.

TSV: Favorite running environment?

MN: I really like running on trails between trees.There are some trails behind my house in Redwood Park! I love my trails. There’s this one trail called French trail; I like really narrow trails that weave around curves and are on dirt. The French trail weaves around Redwood Forest for about five miles, and it’s kind of up and down - it reminds me of a video game. This may be a little weird, but I like runs that are twisting through the hills, like I’m in a video game.

TSV: Favorite thing to eat/drink before and after running?

MN: Before races, I try to eat a lot of plain foods and some fruit, about three hours before my race. But after...I’m all about the after. I really like eating a lot of dessert after my races. I usually eat ice cream, and I like pasta. I don’t have a particular ice cream that I eat afterwards, but I really like banana-flavored ice cream or bubble-gum flavored ice cream. I also really like pie! Banana-cream pie, chocolate-cream pie, and the Scripps bread pudding, but they usually don’t have that after races.

TSV: What would you compare running to?

MN: I don’t know if I can compare it to anything. It’s very unique. I really like running because I like pushing myself physically and mentally, and I also like the team-aspect of it and how there is a community.

TSV: Do you prefer running alone/with people? Why?

MN: I like running with other people. On Sundays when we do long runs, usually somewhere off-campus on trails. I really like those because we run in a group and talk a lot. Running with people is always fun because you get to have really interesting conversations on runs, and you kind of forget that you’re running sometimes.

TSV: Is there a certain place you’ve been recently on these Sundays that you really enjoyed?

MN: Ooh! Two weeks ago we got together at Pacific Crest Trail, that was really cool, because I watched the movie Wild. I really just like that trail, it’s pretty cool.

TSV: Do you have a interesting/funny running story?

MN: I don’t know..I have some embarrassing stories..I’m not going to tell you those. Oh, I have one that’s kinda funny, well it’s not that funny, it’s kind of unfortunate. It was at the State meet, and I fell and caused everybody else to fall because they all fell on top of me. So then they had to restart the race because of me.

Ooh! And one time I saw a tarantula! It was just in the middle of the path, and my friend picked it up with a stick and put it on the side.

TSV: Do you run to think?

MN: Running definitely helps me take my mind off of things. And if there is something going on, running can help me think through things and feel less stressed.

TSV: What has running given you in life? What does it mean to you?

MN: Running has definitely given me a community of people. It’s something I always go to because it soothes me.

TSV: In what ways has running changed you? Impacted your life? What do you think would’ve been you if you never started running?

MN: Running just makes me really happy. It’s really fun. Also, when you finish a run or once I do a race, I feel satisfied that I’m working towards pushing myself to get stronger and faster. The aspect of pushing yourself to reach the goal helps me stay focused in life. Running has given me a community of really awesome teammates. When workouts gets really hard, my teammates are always there to support me. It has also taught me how to persevere and be dedicated.