Sophomore track and field distance runner Tyler Pence has started the indoor season off right. He placed second in the 3,000 meter race at the Gladstein Invitational with a time of 8:09.95.

Pence is ranked No. 6 in the 3,000 meter race and No. 4 for the 5,000 meter race in Division II.

Last season, Pence earned the Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District IV honor for cross country and track and field.

The Shield : Why did you come to USI?

Tyler Pence: When I was in high school, I got injured. My senior year, before my injury, I had a bunch of colleges looking at me. But once I got injured, I was told I was never going to run again. So kind of, all coaches would obviously stop talking to me because I wasn’t worth anything at that point, but I came here on a visit. I was just going to come here to come here, not to run. Then, I ended up talking to Hillyard. He kept in contact with me the whole time. Once, after my injury, I ended up running better than I ever had before. All the coaches came back, but I was like, “You know what, Hillyard’s the one guy who kind of stuck with me through that. So… yeah!”

The Shield: Have you always run long distance?

Pence: Yeah, I started in sixth grade.

The Shield: Why did you start running?

Pence: My mom made me. She wanted me to go out for track. She ran track in college. She said, “Just give it one shot.” So I did, and I hated it until I raced. Then, once I raced, it was fun so I just kind of stuck with it.

The Shield: Is the first time you’ve been outside for the season?

Pence: Yes.

The Shield : How was it being outside today?

Pence: Awesome! You know, you get so tired of being inside. Most of the guys on the team run more than 80 miles a week. I run 100, and you just get sick of it when you’re on a treadmill every mile. It’s exhausting! So to finally get out, and get some fresh air is nice.

The Shield: How does treadmill running compare to the outdoors? Is it a different running style?

Pence: It is different. The thing about treadmills is that it sets the pace obviously, and you just have to stay on it. Where outside, say if you’re doing a workout or something, it’s a lot easier to fall off your pace because you don’t have it. The ground iss not moving for you. Definitely, it’s a little different.

The Shield: And you’re a sophomore?

Pence: Sophomore for track, yes. Junior for cross country. I ended up red-shirting my freshman track season because I got injured.

The Shield: So compared to all the other athletes, you’re younger. How does it feel to compete with upperclassmen?

Pence: Our team is kind of young. We have Solomon Bennett. He’s a little older, but other than that, between me and Johnnie Guy – he’s our top guy in cross country and he’s a sophomore. Josh Guy’s brother is our number three guy. He’s a sophomore. So really, we’re really young for most teams, but when we go meets right at now at IU… I mean when I’m in a meet, usually it’s a lot of older people. But I really don’t think age is a big factor in running, personally. I think running experience is a big deal, but age is not so much.

The Shield: After college, what do you want to do?

Pence: It kind of depends where running takes me. Olympic trials, if that’s realistic, then I’ll do that and kind of go from there. I’m elementary ed in major, so if I get a job, it’s that. But if I have a chance to run, I think I’ll continue my running career for as long as I can because teaching will always be there. Running really won’t.

The Shield: Do you have any special songs you listen to before meets/while running?

Pence: I’m not a big music guy.

The Shield: Really, you don’t listen to music at all?

Pence: I mean, I listen to music. If I do… I’m weird… it just kind of depends on my mood. I mean, just depending on the day I like country, I like rap, I like everything except for that rock/punk kind of stuff. I don’t really like that. Other than that, no. I don’t listen to it before races. I try not to get really pumped up before races. So I feel like music kind of gets me pumped up. Where I just like to relax, and kind of have fun with it… not get too serious.

The Shield: Do you any running heroes? Like Steve Prefontaine or anybody?

Pence: Yes, that’s one for everybody. I would say Steve Prefontaine would be one but not (a specific one) really. Everybody’s different. Nowadays, with the whole drugs and stuff, I just really don’t who’s clean and who’s not… if you know what I mean. With Lance Armstrong coming out and being dirty, it’s kind of hard to look up to people when you don’t know exactly what they’re doing. I mean, it’s just the way it is now.