Posted 12/29/05
Jackie Mulrooney is one of the most accomplished runners in UW-Platteville history. She has earned two all-America honors in cross country and three in track and field. The elementary education major from Hartland was also the Pioneers' female student-athlete of the year in 2005. Mulrooney did not participate in cross country this fall because of an injury but set a Williams Fieldhouse track record in the 3,000-meter run (9:59) at the UWP Alumni/Intrasquad Meet Dec. 10.
How did it feel to get back on the track and running again?
"It felt really good. I had been doing a lot of hill work and strength workouts, so just to compete with the team again gave me a lot of energy. It felt really good to be back with everybody. I had been doing road races about once a month, but it's not the same as being with the team."
Was it hard to sit out the cross country season?
"As we got closer to conference, regionals and nationals, it became tougher, just because we had some goals there, but I kept looking at the big picture. I just wanted to keep training so I become superior to what I was before and become stronger and see improvement."
The first time out you set a fieldhouse record. Were you surprised you got it already in December?
"Yes and no. I didn't set a time goal for the race. I just really tried not to let anyone pass me once I passed them and finish with a good kick. I wanted to run better than I did in the first week last year, when I was at 10:20."
You are known as one of hardest-working athletes at UWP. Can you give an example of a typical week and how many hours you spend?
"I try and do three quality days per week, about 70 miles, but I think the biggest things are the extras. I need to work on my power, so doing lifts take about an hour twice a week and a set of plyo drills and quick-dynamic work about three times per week take about 20 minutes. Then I have my bread-and-butter workouts on the other days. (Note: Jackie listed all her workouts, and they are quite extensive, but would take a whole page.)...I guess it comes to about 30 hours."
Even with all those workouts, you get outstanding grades. How do you manage to balance all that?
"I just try to be really time efficient. I think this summer really helped me because I worked more, as a waitress and at weddings and things. If I wanted to get sleep, I had to go get it quick. I wasn't going to hang around and watch TV. Sometimes when I'm eating lunch, I'm studying, or eating breakfast, I'm studying, or when blow-drying my hair, I'm reading something. I don't like to waste a minute. I like to be efficient and make every minute count."
You already are one of the most accomplished athletes in school history. Do you still have higher goals?
"It was really hard to swallow after the 10K (at the NCAA Division III national outdoor championships) when I got food poisoning. I was really ready to get the school record and be an all-American. To not be able to finish was hard. I remember coach saying to me, 'you're going to learn something from this.' I was like 'Learn? I did everything right and this happened.' What I learned, though, is how to react to it. I could have been 'woe is me' but what I did do is decide to work on more power and be a lot superior to my prior self. Not just a little better, but a lot. I'd like to get back to nationals and get some vengeance on everyone who I didn't get to go after last year. We're going to have a really good team, and I take a lot of pride in how far we've come."
Interview by SID Paul Erickson