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Runners on the Way Up
Chris Bank: Passion, Desire, Focus
By George BankerSeptember/October 2003
For the Washington Running Report
"Over the last ten years my training and racing has continued to improve. When I ran in the 79th U.S. Marathon Championships in February (2:18:52, 8th place), I felt like I was in the best shape of my life. I credit the continuing improvement to staying healthy and being consistent with my training," said Chris Banks, Princeton graduate, athlete, and employee at Georgetown Running Company in Washington, D.C.
The making of an athlete does not occur overnight and each individual defines the level of performance. It takes passion and desire to maintain motivation. When workouts are intense, one's social life is reduced to near zero. The backdrop to training is academics and the athlete must maintain a balance. Chris Banks attended West Springfield High School in Virginia. His father, who has been running for more than 40 years, was a catalyst in getting his interest level up.
Running was a byproduct of playing soccer, which is very popular in the Northern Virginia area. At the age of 14, as a freshman, he set out on his journey, which continues today. The unanswered question, "How good can I be?"
In this sport, success is measured in distance, minutes and seconds. There have been countless hours and many miles run trying to change the outcome of each running event. While at West Springfield, during his junior and senor years, he was selected for the Washington Post All-Met cross county team. In 1995, he placed 20th (15:45.7) at the Footlocker XC Nationals. He was a top qualifier (3rd, 15:34.3), 1995 Kenny/Footlocker Southeast Region. His high school team won five Virginia state championships (three in cross-country and two in track).
The transition to Princeton University revealed higher stakes and stronger competition. In order to remain competitive, Banks' mental focus had to shift. The workouts were more intense and there was more travel and a greater demand on finding the balance between athletics and academics. On the track, his performance was improving, but no race was ever a runaway. The one consistent point is that he always learned something new, which was added to his "mental toolbox."
Banks, in school year 1997-98, ran a team-best of 14:37 in the outdoor 5000 at IC4As, and finished with a team best of 29:59.93 at 10,000 meters at the Penn Relays. He ran the fifth all-time best in the 3000 at the H-Y-P meet (8:21.12).
As a junior, Banks set the school record and course record for five miles in 24:29 at Princeton Battlefield in September 1998. In 1998-99, he qualified for NCAAs in 10,000 meters with a personal best 29:50 and third all-time best at Princeton. Other highlights:
2nd (14:45.97) Heptagonal Games 5000 meter Run, Univ. of Penn. (5/00).
3rd (9:25.30) 3000 meter Steeplechase Princeton, Penn State, Villanova, Univ. of Penn., NCAA Series (4/00).
(29:16) Stanford Invitational 10,000 meter (3/00).
9th (24:52.16) Auburn Bank Invitational 8000M (10/99).
(25:30.6) Heptagonal Championships (10/99).
163rd (32:51.60) 1998 NCAA XC Championships, Kansas (11/98).
29th 24:30.25 Paul Short Invitational XC Lehigh University (10/98).
16th (29:59.93) Penn Relays 10000m (4/98).
3rd (14:20.41) Terrier Classic (2/98).
Since leaving Princeton, his focus is running; a full-time career is on hold. The next runner will always cause him to dig a little deeper on the track or on the road. The pain threshold will be raised and the competition will force out the best.
The marathon is his focus now, and this will cause his mileage to range from 95 to 130 miles per week. He will usually train hard for 16 weeks leading up to the race and then take a couple of weeks to recover after the race. He always likes to have a good dose of high mileage.
Time management and trade-offs are important and are viewed as "sacrifices" as he states, "There are certainly sacrifices that have to be made in your personal life if you are serious about your training and racing. Personally, I've found that the three most important factors to staying healthy and training well are getting enough sleep, eating well, and staying hydrated. If you want to achieve your potential you've got to stay focused on your goals."
His work at Georgetown Running Company has been flexible enough to permit daily training runs, but some days it is difficult to get out of the door. But, he says, "That's life."
Will running get him to Easy Street? "At this point in my life, work is a means to an end - professional running is not exactly a lucrative sport, so work pays the bills. I've got the rest of my life to pursue a 'real career,' but for the time being I'm content to pursue my running goals and to just see just how far I can make it in the sport," said Banks.
His immediate goal is to place in the top ten at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials and to continue to improve. His general objective in approaching a race: "It really depends on the race. Some races you run to try to achieve a fast time, and other times you are simply racing to win. The key is to be realistic about what your goals are going into the race and to stay focused on executing your race plan while not getting caught up with what other people are doing."
A Banks observation for all runners, "To continue improvement in your running, it will take consistency and patience. It takes years for your body to adapt to running, but the benefits are countless."
What happens when you miss your mark? "It can be a little disappointing when you don't achieve your objectives, but the most important thing is to keep it all in perspective and realize there will always be another day to run. For me, the journey is just as important as the destination. Yeah, it's always nice to have a good day and race to your expectations, but if you judge yourself solely on your race results, then I think you are missing the bigger picture. It's really more about trying to achieve your potential as an athlete, as a person-overcoming obstacles and expanding what you thought were your personal limits, both physically and mentally."
The Banks philosophy translates into road performances like the following:
1st (31:18) St. Patrick's Day 10K (3/03).
1st (17:07) Run With Dad 5K.
1st (30:56) St. Patrick's Day 10K (3/02).
1st (31:18) George Washington Birthday Classic 10K (2/02).
1st (32:04) Rudolph's Red Nose 10K (12/01).
1st (25:42-CR) Kensington 8K (9/01).
1st (26:38) Fair Lakes 8K (9/01).
1st (15:05) Sunrise 5K (8/01).
1st (26:39) Fair Lakes 8K (9/01).
2nd (31:35) 24th Capitol Hill Classic 10K (5/03).
2nd (30:04) Pike's Peek 10K (4/03).
2nd (15:09) Plaza America Family 5K (4/03).
2nd (15:07) O'Doul's 5K (3/03).
2nd (24:40) DCRRC Alexandria Turkey Trot 5 Miler (11/02).
2nd (15:07) DC Race For The Cure 5K (6/02).
2nd (31:37) Lawyers Have Heart 10K (6/01).
2nd (25:02) Alexandria Turkey Trot 5 Miler (11/00).
3rd (30:51) Lawyers Have Heart 10K (6/02).
2nd (15:07) DC Race For The Cure 5K (6/02).
3rd (14:51) Plaza America Family 5K (4/02).
3rd (24:23) Rockville Rotary Runfest 8K (7/01).
Banks trains at Lake Accotink in Virginia, in Rock Creek Park in DC, and on trails near Georgetown University.
You have read about Chris Banks, but when you are next to him in a race, don't get caught up thinking about what is he going to do next. It's too late; he has done it already!
Best wishes; stay strong, and run well. Your PRs are still out there and you will discover how far you can go in this sport.