Sheila SobchikWhen Phillip Reid’s doctor told him he may never run competitively again, Reid took the diagnosis as a challenge.
He was faced with his second stress fracture in as many years. After being forced to redshirt his freshman year of track because of a stress fracture in his shin, the new injury appeared even worse.
But Reid never lost perspective.
“I’m from the Lance Armstrong generation,” he said. “I thought, ‘this isn’t even that bad.'”
After traveling the long road to recovery, Reid has experienced a rebirth as he has established himself as one of the greatest distance runners ever to race for Cal Poly.
Being away from the sport for so long gave him a newfound appreciation for running, which has translated into a breakout season.
Reid repeated as the Big West Conference champion in the 1,500-meter run while breaking three-time Olympian Steve Scott’s 1978 meet record in 3 minutes, 42.54 seconds. He then earned a trip to the NCAA Championships with a fourth-place finish in 3:46.27 at the NCAA West Regional Meet in Eugene, Ore., on May 26.
Success on the track, though, is nothing new for the kinesiology major, who is a senior academically but a junior athletically. Reid started running in first grade and hasn’t looked back.
“I’m one of those freaks that’s been running all my life,” he said. “Most kids did little league or soccer. I did running.”
Reid competed in his first distance race at age 10 when he ran a 6:01 mile, just getting beat by a girl.
“She was a lot taller,” Reid said.
By the time he got to Rio Mesa High in Oxnard, Reid no longer had to worry about losing to girls. He won his league’s cross country title as a freshman, then went on to win three more league championships.
He called his four consecutive wins “one of the crowning achievements” of his track career.
“In high school, people don’t train as hard,” Reid said. “It usually comes down to talent.”
Reid was definitely born with an abundance of ability, and has been able to utilize that talent, Cal Poly cross country head coach and track distance coach Mark Conover said.
“Adversity makes us stronger, and he’s a real warrior,” Conover said.
Conover and Reid first met at a running camp where the two developed instant chemistry. Reid was sold on Cal Poly after a recruiting trip and gave a verbal commitment that day.
“I fell in love with the school and the team,” Reid said. “This team isn’t about gear, equipment or going to exotic meets. They’re about training their asses off and running fast.”
In the fall, Reid finished 21st at the NCAA Championships, securing All-American status and a 13th-place finish nationally for Cal Poly as a team.
Reid captured the title of Cal Poly’s Male Athlete of the Year on May 15, an award he will cherish as a representation of his own personal fortitude.
“It’s not something I can train for or target as a goal,” he said. “But it was cool to win.”
His training regimen consisted of a base that included 12 consecutive weeks of running 70 to 75 miles per week over the summer.
Most runners will take a rest week for every three or four hard training weeks where mileage is greatly reduced to allow the body recovery time.
“I think rest is good, but as long as I’m feeling healthy, I don’t mind running hard (for) consecutive weeks,” Reid said.
The motivation to train with such dedication comes from within.
“Some motivation comes from a commitment to the team, but you also have to be self-motivating,” Reid said.
Reid looks at running as a metaphor for life. He relishes in the process of working toward a goal and achieving it. While he is honored to be acknowledged with awards, the only gratification he needs is intrinsic.
“An award is an award,” he said. “It’s not like you can take it off your wall and play with it. Being able to push yourself to see just how fast you can go is why I run.”
The highlight of his season to date came May 12 at the Big West Championships when he broke Scott’s record in the 1,500 by more than a second. Scott has run 136 sub-four-minute miles in his career, more than any other athlete in the world. The former UC Irvine runner also won the national championship in the 1,500 the year he set the conference record.
“My main goal for that race was just to win to score points,” Reid said. “I also wanted (Matt) Johnsrud to get a qualifying time for regionals.”
Johnsrud got his time, but Reid nearly lost the race.
“I could hear the crowd going nuts with 150 (meters) to go and thought it was because there was a battle for second,” Reid said. “Then a guy pulled up with 15 to go and I just had enough to beat him.”
Reid won by a mere three-hundredths of a second. He led the race from the gun and learned a valuable lesson about not letting up at the end of races.
“I’ll never make that mistake again,” Reid said.
Conover said coaching Reid the last four years has been a joy because of his work ethic and leadership abilities.
“He never wavered through the injuries and used that time to understand how much he loves running,” Conover said.
Up next for Reid will be the NCAA Championships from Wednesday through Saturday at Sacramento State, where he will chase another All-American award.
Reid has the potential to run after college professionally and has already earned an Olympic Trials “B” standard time in the 1,500.
“He’s really just starting out,” Conover said. “He’ll have a lot to look forward to.”