Isaac runs 80 miles a week. The distance from Athens to Columbus on U.S. Route 33 is is 74.2 miles.
When redshirt junior Ellen Isaac first arrived in Athens, she learned Division I programs operated differently than what she was used to in her hometown of Mansfield, Ohio.
"It was kind of a shock being shoved into a DI program from high school," Isaac said. "I was used to having this high school coach who was personal with everyone and everyone had different workout plans. When I came here, it was totally different."
Isaac transferred to Ohio Wesleyan, a Division III school, after one semester at Ohio, and spent two weeks with the cross country team. While she was at Ohio Wesleyan, she realized she made a mistake.
After one semester at Ohio Wesleyan, Isaac returned to Athens for Fall Semester 2014.
"I think I need to be the little fish in the big pond and not the big fish in the little pond," Isaac said. "I thrive off of trying to catch people and trying to work my way up. If I'm already at the top, then I still have goals, but it's not as easy to achieve them."
Due to an NCAA rule, she couldn't compete for Ohio her sophomore season, but she worked out with volunteer assistant coach Ian Klein and ran meets unattached — meaning she could run, but her times weren't official.
Assistant coach Tim Sykes said the eye-opening moment for Isaac came in the 5000 meter event at last spring's Jesse Owens Classic.
"She seemed like she was cruising to run 17:15 in the race," Sykes said.
{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="b35b3d12-8265-11e5-84f8-370d47d58803"}}
Isaac said she knew her coaches had high expectations of her at the meet, and the experience made her realize she wasn't just being told she'd be good, she'd actually be good.
This season, Isaac has been the top runner for Ohio, which the coaches attribute to her endurance during races and her ability to recover from the intense workouts she goes through.
Isaac said getting sufficient sleep and eating right, which are big parts of recovery, are hard to do mixed in with her school work, but she is committed to her goals.
Even though he hasn't coached her this year, men's assistant coach Mitch Bentley said Isaac's endurance has been impressive.
"3.6 or 3.7 miles is endurance for some people," Isaac said. "It's helpful to know that I have that edge on people because I've been doing longer workouts and I've been hitting higher mileage."
Isaac isn't kidding about the higher mileage. Before coach Sykes was coaching her, Isaac said she maxed out at 50 miles a week in her career. Now, she runs 80.
To put it in perspective, U.S. Route 33 from Athens to Columbus is 74.2 miles.
Isaac said she was hesitant when Sykes initially had her run 60 and again when he bumped her to 80, but she trusted he knew what he was doing. Also, she has not been injured this year, which was an issue for her in the past, according to Sykes.
Ellen Isaac has had an unusual path to success, but she has worked hard to get where she is, and has high goals. She said she wants to qualify for nationals this year, be an All-American, win at least one MAC Championship, and continue running competitively after college.
According to her coaches, nothing is out of reach. Isaac corrected her mistake.
@JAjimbojr
jw331813@ohio.edu
