Scott Bush (SB): A couple weeks ago you earned a huge win at the Great American XC Festival. What was that race like for you? What did you take away from it?

 Sean McGorty (SM): The race at Great American was really a special experience. I heard about the race last year and asked if our team could go. So when I heard that we were going to be able to race it this year I was thrilled. The race started out pretty fast, as I expected and then basically stayed that way. With such great competitors in the race there was no letup of tempo. I was really happy with my finish because finishing fast was something that I have been working on. This race gave me a huge boost of confidence for the remainder of the season and was proof that my training was working.

SB: You've had a great season thus far. How has your training progressed between what you were doing as a junior and now what you're doing as a senior?

SM: This summer I did more miles than I ever have before to get a stronger base for this season. I also ran my workouts and regular runs a little faster. Along with running faster, I really worked on dropping the time of each mile as the runs progressed and pushing it up hills.

SB: With so much success this season, what are your goals, team and individual, the rest of the season?

SM: Heading into post season our main team goal is to win a state title. We also would like to win districts and regionals on our way to the state meet. Individually, I would like to win districts, regionals, and win states. After that I will head down to Footlocker South to try and qualify for Footlocker Nationals in San Diego. My team will head to NXN Regionals to see if they can make it out to NXN in Oregon.

SB: Training is obviously such a big part of improvement and having success as a runnier, but the mental side of things often times get overlooked. How do you work to improve your mind as a runner?

SM: Mental strength has been something that I have been working on a lot this year. In order to find the mental strength in my races, I work on being strong throughout my workouts. I use visualization during hard workouts to think of races and try to always think positive when I am running and start to get tired. It’s hard to push yourself when you’re tired but I am really learning to stay positive.

SB: The college process is underway for most student athletes this time of year. How are you able to balance looking towards your future and where you'll be headed next fall and the races that lie immediately ahead of you?

SM: Trying to balance everything can get pretty hard at some points, but it is manageable. When it came to planning out my visits I looked at my schedule for the season to make sure that I wasn’t missing any races that I wanted to compete at. This way visiting colleges didn’t interfere with my high school season so much. The only hard part has probably been making up the schoolwork, that’s been kind of rough so I have had to stay up late a lot.

SB: Your Chantilly team is a favorite to win a state title and challenge for a spot at NXN. What's it like being part of such a strong team?

SM: Being on such a strong team this year has been such a wonderful experience. Training with the guys every day and seeing everyone work so hard, really makes the races special when we do well and see the results of our work. My brother Ryan is on the team and that has been special. Having such a close team also makes practice fun. Both the guys and the girls are just great to be with. It’s not just the top seven, but over thirty runners out there trying to get better. It’s strength in numbers!

Fast Four (four quick questions, four quick responses)

SB: Favorite band?

SM: Favorite Song – All the Above

SB: Car you drive?

SM: Jeep Liberty

SB: Shoes you race in?

SM: Nike Zoom Victories

SB: Favorite movie?

SM: The Dark Knight Rises