Naseem Haje; NCAA DII Cross Country All-American

Age: 23

Team: Pacers/New Balance

Sponsors: King Orchards, Pacers Running Stores, New Balance, Honey Stinger

Coach: Self-Coached

Location: Hagerstown, MD

Favorite race:  Youngstown Peace Race

About me: I started running my sophomore year of high school. I made the switch from playing soccer because I felt like I was better at running. I went on to run at the NCAA Division II powerhouse, Adams State University. While there, I was All Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Second Team in cross-country; NCAA DII All-South Central Region in cross-country; NCAA DII All-American in cross-country, finishing 30^th place in the nation as well as a NCAA DII team national champion in cross country. Since then, I’ve switched my focus to road racing. I’m chasing the 2016 Olympic Trails Qualifier in the marathon.

Recovery is just as important as working out. After reading about tart cherry juice I was interested in trying it. I take a glass of cherry juice 1 hour before any run and one glass within 30 minutes of working out. If I’m unable to get to my cherry juice after the run, I pack 1/3 of a cup of dried tart cherries to eat until I get the juice. On top of this, I have one glass of juice before bed, as it helps not only to fall asleep, but helps the body with recovery during the night (when most recovery takes place). Since starting the regimen of tart cherries/juice, I’ve noticed a significant difference. I am not sore at all starting up runs, which allows me to gain even more benefit of every training run.

Follow me on Instagram and twitter for season updates: @zoom4ever