One of the hallmarks of our bimonthly magazine is our profiles section. This profile of Rosa Moriello first appeared in the Sept/Oct 2015 issue of our magazine. Moriello is a past champion of the LVL10K. Needless to say, she’s fast. Check out how she got that way. And if you like this profile, subscribe to our magazine now because we have five more coming in our next issue.
Name: Rosa Moriello
Age: 23
Height: 5’3”
Residence: Boston, MA
Day Job: Tracksmith
High School: Naugatuck (CT) High School, 2010
College: Boston University, 2015
Club: None yet!
Average Miles per Week: 65-70
Notable PR’s:
XC: 20:18 for 6k and 16:52 for 5k
Track: 16:03 for 5k, 9:19 for 3k, and 4:25 for 1500
Favorites
Races: I can’t say I have any specific races that I love, but I definitely have favorite places to race. My favorite season is cross country, so my two favorite places to race are Franklin Park and the Lehigh cross country course. I also love racing at Boston University’s track more than any other track. And for the past few years I’ve been racing a 5 miler back home, the Torrington Road Race, and have grown to absolutely love it.
Workouts: My favorite workout I’ve ever done was a combination of a treadmill and track tempo. For the first three miles I was on the treadmill alternating between 1% and 3% incline. Immediately after that, no rest, I headed over to the track for the remaining two miles at a faster pace, if possible. Besides that I’m always down for some mile or 1k repeats.
Places to Run:
- The Bridle Trails back in my hometown, Naugautck
- The Minuteman Trails in Lexington, MA
- Fresh Pond in Cambridge, MA
Running Shoe: Lately I’ve been on a big Nike Pegasus kick. I really like that shoe and they seem to be working well so far, but I’m also a big fan of the Brooks Defyance.
Workout Songs: I never listen to music when I run, but I like to count numbers. For whatever reason, it calms me down and makes my workouts a bit easier.
Book: I love reading so it’s really hard to pick just one favorite, but I’ll have to go with The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. I first read it in the summer of 2006 and have read it every summer since. But I also love any and all books by Wally Lamb.
Hobbies: Most of my hobbies change depending on the season. When it’s nicer out I love going to parks and museums. When it’s cold out (or there’s 9 feet of snow on the ground) I love just staying home and doing a puzzle.
Moreillo was all smiles after her 2015 LVL10K victory.
Running Intangibles
Training Philosophy: My training philosophy is pretty simple: if you’re feeling bad then take it easy; if you’re feeling hurt, then take it off’ if you’re feeling great, then keep doing what you’re doing.
Prerace Ritual: I always like to pack everything up and lay everything out the night before my race, even if the race isn’t until 9pm the next night. I never like to warm up in my singlet and I wear the same socks in every race. And the two things I’ve done ever since I’ve started running in high school are stretching my arms right before going to the line and jumping up and down 3 times once I’m on the line.
Career High/Lowlights: My career low was during my junior year at Boston University. I started off the year with an Achilles injury that I couldn’t shake. After that it was a hurt hamstring, a sprained ankle, and then bursitis. I didn’t get to race much and when I did, it was nowhere near my PRs. Luckily, my career high came the next year. During the outdoor season of my senior year I had qualified for the NCAA Championships for the 5k and ran a PR. Then when I came back in the fall for my fifth year, I qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships which was my #1 goal since my sophomore year.
Goals: I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do with post-collegiate running so I don’t have too many goals set just yet. My biggest goal is always to stay injury free and become a stronger runner: physically and mentally. If I had to name a specific goal it would probably be to finally run sub 16:00 in the 5k. It’s been a goal of mine for the last 3 years and I’m hoping to finally achieve it in the upcoming track season.
Proudest Moment: My proudest moment was at the Patriot League Cross Country Championships in 2013. BU had just switched over to the Patriot League from the America East Conference. We had no idea what to expect from these runners since we’ve never really raced them leading up to the meet. Many of the schools competed in the Mid-Atlantic for regionals, so we weren’t sure what we were going up against. Somehow we pulled it all together and came home with a conference win. It was the first cross country conference win I had been a member of since being at BU. It was a pretty awesome moment.
Best Distance Runner of All Time: There are way too many amazing runners now, in the past, and in the future to ever just give one the label of being the best.
Local Running Role Model: Although she’s no longer a runner but a triathlete, my local running role model would have to be my former teammate Monica Adler. She came onto the team our sophomore year and I’ve looked up to her ever since meeting her. She was someone who always worked so hard no matter what. Whether she was hurt, sick, or life just got in the way, she was always gave running her all. It was amazing watching her run; it came so naturally to her. She made running a 4:34 mile look like a jog in the park, and the best part about her is her humility. She can make anyone feel like they are the best runner this world has ever seen. If there is anyone I would want to be like, as a person and a runner, it’s Monica.
Oddest Thing That’s Ever Happened to You on a Run: There was one run in the winter of 2012-13 where 3 former teammates and I saved a baby hawk. We were running on the Charles River doing the Museum of Science loop when I saw this baby hawk in the water near the CambridgeSide Galleria. I thought he was trying to swim so I pointed it out to the girls. After watching it for a bit we realized he was trying to get out of the water but was hurt. We ended up finding a stick and the hawk eventually realized we were trying to have him grab on to it so we could pull him out of the water. We were able to convince someone to buy a blanket for the hawk so we could wrap him up while we borrowed someone’s phone to call animal control. We called the shelter the next day and luckily he (we decided to call him Henry the Hawk) was okay.
Advice for The Legion: Some pieces of advice I like to give others and myself are: be patient, find the positives in everything, and make sure to reflect on your racing and training because I think that’s the best way to learn how to improve. Oh, and of course, always look your best for the camera. Ω
To read more from our Sept/Oct 2015 issue, click here.
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