For our next D1 runner feature we tapped New Orleans native Hunter Appleton, who was a prep standout and Gatorade Athlete of the Year his senior year at Brother Martin. In addition to running at the collegiate level, Hunter co-founded a sock company that we're very excited to have on our shelves!
Q. What time do you typically wake up?
Normally I wake up at about 7 or 8, but this depends a lot on what my class schedule for the day is like.
Q. What is the first thing you do in the morning?
Normally, a 30-35 minute shakeout run!
Q. What do you put in your body first, hydration or nutirion?
Normally I just grab a quick shot of espresso and a handful of cereal then I'm out the door. I try to stay hydrated overnight.
Q. What's for breakfast?
Pretty much everyday it's a bagel with creamcheese, 2 fried eggs + some fruit.
Q. How many times do you work out on a non-race day?
I generally run twice a day 4-5 times per week during full training.
Q. How often are you in the gym or doing PT?
Normally, twice per week.
Q. What's your favorite event?
I think my favorite event is the 3k, but honestly this sways a lot. I love racing 8k cross country, too!
Q. How many meals/what time do you eat? What's typical (be honest)?
I normally eat around my training schedule but I get in 3 meals pretty normally. I just try to mix in some fruits and veggies but I don't worry too much about following a strict diet other than that- I just try to make sure I'm eating enough to keep up with my training.
Q. Do you ever "carb load"? If so, why? For what type of race/meet situation?"
I haven't carbo-loaded intentionally yet because all of my races are <10k, but I normally eat a whole bunch of pasta the night before the race because I know it sits well for me and doesn't irritate my stomach or anything.
Q. What's your daily training shoe?
Nike Infiniti React
Q. What's your racing shoe for XC/Road/Track?
Nike Dragonfly for Track and XC, and the Vaporfly Next % on the roads.
Q. What's your MPW in-season versus out-of-season?
I run about 100mpw during the early season phases and hopefully into the middle of the season, but I try not to worry about it a whole lot once we're in racing phase. I think I was doing about 60-80 per week at the end of this year with conference, regionals, and Nationals.
Q. Do you take a recovery period after races? After championship races? Between seasons?
After a normal regular season race I just try to take it easy for a few days to get myself feeling good again. After the season, I try to just get my mind off running for a bit and take about 2 weeks to myself. I might do some 30 minute jogs the second week, but I sometimes like just 2 weeks of nothing to fully recover.
Q. Do you nap?
Whenever I can I love to, but I'm a very bad day-time sleeeper unfortunately.
Q. How many hours of sleep do you routinely get at night?
7-8 hours is pretty typical for me.
Q. Do you cross-train or participate in any other athletics? Did you as a kid?
I don't currently cross-train very much, but I played football and swam when I was younger in addition to running.
Q.Why do you run?
I really love the adrenaline-filled feeling after a hard race/workout of knowing you just did something truly all-out. I also really enjoy the act of just easy running itself with friends, so I think it makes everyday more enjoyable!
Q.What's your pre-race meal of choice for the night before and pre-race nutrition?
Night before: Pasta!
Day of: Normally just bagels and simple carbohydrates because I really struggle with side-stitches if I do anything else.
Q. What do you eat after a big race? After a hard workout?
Honestly, whatever sounds good at the time depending on where we are! I love Chipotle after a hard-workout, though.
Q. Do you have any pre-race rituals that you don't diverge from — i.e., socks, stretch, hair, favorite song, etc?
Espresso. I haven't raced without it since 2019.
Q. What's your major?
Evolutionary Biology
Q. What events should we be looking for you to race during indoor season this year?
Q. Do you plan to keep competing post-collegiately?
I do, I would really love to focus on road races and shorter distances I haven't really been able to focus on yet. I'd like to run the Crescent City Classic, but also the marathon is enticing so honestly I'm not sure which direction I will go yet.