What was a high point of the season?

Emma Lehman: I went with [junior] Molly [Martorella] to the Hillsdale invitational in Michigan, and I’d been kind of waiting for it all season. It was a great race and I ran the time I wanted. But I also have a meet I’m looking forward to next Thursday, where hopefully I’ll qualify for Nationals.

What’s it like being one of very few people on the track team still competing?

EL: It’s okay. There are still people trying to qualify for the 4×4, so there’s probably 10 people still running. There are two other distance people, [junior] Lauren Taylor and Molly, so that’s nice.

How are you balancing preparing for Nationals with finals?

EL: I got really lucky and I have two not-that-hard finals, and one I’m taking on Saturday instead of Wednesday. I’m only taking three classes, so it’s not too bad. I think if I was taking four it’d be awful.

What contributed to making this a particularly successful season for you?

EL: I’m running the 5K instead of the 800, which I ran last year, and I was not so good at the 800. I just think I picked the right event that is actually within my skill set.

What about your short haircut, did that make you faster?

EL: Oh yeah, definitely. It was all my haircut.

Do you have any pre-race traditions?

EL: I pee like, 10 times, like literally 10 times.

Confess: What do you like more — track or cross country?

EL: I feel like I’m not allowed to say I like cross country more if it’s track season, but I like cross country more. The team goes to Nationals, you go on road trips, and it’s really fun. But during track, if I make it to Nationals I’ll be going with, like, five people instead of a whole team. Track is more stressful.

When did you start running?

EL: My sophomore year of high school, but I was really bad, like, really, really bad. I played varsity soccer when I was a freshman — wait, not varsity, just trying to make myself sound better — but I was really bad. So I started running, and I was really bad. But by senior year of high school I was a lot better.

What’s your favorite workout?

EL: My favorite is the “Michigan.” You do a mile really fast on the track and then you do a mile loop back around at tempo pace and then a 1200 really fast, and then the same tempo mile, and then an 800 also fast, and then the same tempo mile, and then a 400 as fast as you can go. And then you’re exhausted.

Least favorite?

EL: One time I had to do 16 400s. That was bad.

What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever seen on a run in the middle of Ohio?

EL: Oh! The other day I saw a turtle on the sidewalk! Once, also I saw a guinea pig getting carried off by a bird, or some rodent. It just swooped down and picked up the rodent. Nature in action.

What do you talk about on long runs?

EL: It usually changes. Yesterday we talked about how terrifying kidnappings are. Sometimes people play games.

Do you have an internal soundtrack while racing?

EL: Last weekend during a really slow 5K, all I could think of was the song “Bump n’ Grind” which is not appropriate for running because the beat’s kind of slow. It was the biggest bummer.

If you could be a star at any other sport, what would it be?

EL: I’d be a really awesome soccer player.