Colorado University Athletics
Getting To Know: Mariah Slack, T&F
You also played soccer and ran cross county in high school. How did you decide on track?
I originally thought I'd go to college on a soccer scholarship and I was recruited for soccer too but when it came down to it my junior year, I decided that I just really liked track and high jumping. I wanted to see where that could take me so I quit club soccer and focused on track my senior year.
When did the idea of competing in a heptathlon enter into your mind?
There was always some initial ideas of competing in the heptathlon even though I never did one in high school. I always love to try new events and people said that I'd probably be a good heptathlete. My coaches said that I should think about doing it in college but it wasn't really put into my head until I started getting recruited. Coaches were then interested in me in the heptathlon including Coach Malone and I just thought the idea sounded exciting. That way I didn't have to give up any events and I could learn more.
What was it like adjusting to training for a heptathlon?
It was a lot of learning for me because I had no idea how to throw and I was very new in the hurdles. It was a lot to learn so it was a little overwhelming but it was an exciting challenge at the same time.
What is the relationship like between the six heptathletes at CU?
We have six heptathletes this year. One of the reasons I chose CU is because it's one of the schools that really has a team of multis. It's a long event and can have a lot of ups and downs. But we get along well and cheer each other on. It's not us trying to outdo one another. We all kind of have different strengths so that makes it a really good training and competing environment. The interesting thing is that even among other teams during the course of the meet, you start to become friends with your competitors. Obviously you're still competing against them but since you're going through it together and spend two days together, it is one of the more friendly events.
You just competed in the Pac-12 Combined Events Championships. What was that experience like?
Pac-12s are always an exciting experience. It's a really tough competition but I think we had the biggest group there, we had four girls. Being able to compete with your teammates is really exciting. It's top level competition. This weekend was overall a pretty good weekend. It wasn't a PR for me and I know that everyone else had a PR but it's always exciting to represent Colorado at Pac-12s. It was a good meet overall and I think we're making progress towards next year.
How do you prepare for a big meet like the Pac-12 Championships both mentally and physically?
You're preparing for it all year long with training. The week before you can't do much physical training. You just need to stay where you are and fine tune your event. You just need to trust in your training and your coach and that you know what to do. You have to relax and have fun. There are little things that everyone does. We eat a big dinner the night before and go to sleep and rest up. Overall when it comes to race day, you just have to be ready to go and trust that you've done everything that you can do up to this point. You just need to give it your all.
What is the best advice that Coach Lindsey Malone has given you?
Participating in all of these events, I would always over think it or over analyze it. Coach Malone just tells me to relax and compete. She says, 'don't think, just do it.' That sounds like a weird piece of advice but it really does help you compete if you just go just to compete. Even though you're trying to fine tune things in between events, that's what she'd say. The other thing that Coach Malone says is that 'to be a heptathlete, you have to be comfortable being uncomfortable.' That's what it's all about. Whether you're racing a hard race and have to be comfortable racing through the pain or whether you're learning a new event. At first it's all going to feel a little awkward but you just have to stick with it and be patient. That will get you there.
What is your favorite thing about Boulder?
I don't think I ever went on a hike before I came to Boulder but now that's definitely one of my favorite things to do. If it's a nice weekend, I go and hike with friends. We don't always do the same trails but that's been the most amazing thing; coming from California and seeing these big mountains was totally different. But it's amazing. I look at the flatirons every day and can't believe that I'm here.