A conversation with Kingsway cross-country's Joe Grandizio

Kingsway senior Joe Grandizio is one of South Jersey's top cross-country runners.
As a junior, he won the South Jersey Open and the Gloucester County championships and took second in the South Jersey Group 4 meet. He took third in the Varsity B race at the Shore Coaches Invitational on Oct. 7 at Holmdel Park.

He looms as a runner to watch in the South Jersey Group 4 sectionals and the state Group 4 championships and Meet of Champions.

Q: How did you getting involved in distance running?
A: My mom [Carol] and I ran every day the summer I was going into middle school (7th grade). She's a runner, and I went along with her, and I loved it right away.

Q: What is so special about distance running?
A: The thing about cross-country is that it will always clear your mind. You could be having the worst day, and if you go for a run it will go away. The other thing is that when you put in all the work you get the benefit because you see yourself improve. Your times go down. You run well in the races. It's very satisfying that way.

Q: What do you think about during all those miles while you are training?
A: I change it up. Sometimes, I'll have a song in my mind, Mostly, I just think about races to come, imagine how I'm going to do. That's a big part of running. You have to imagine yourself doing it and train your mind to do what needs to be done.

Q: Were you happy with a third-place finish in the Varsity B races at the Shore Coaches Invitational?
A: I was happy with the place but not so much the time [16 minutes, 33 seconds]. But I was OK with that. I'm training to peak later in the season, so I wasn't too concerned about my time.

Q: Where do you like to run?
A: I like Delsea's course, the sectional course. I'll go over to Delaware sometimes and run Brandywine or Carousel Park. That's a great place to run. At Kingsway, I just run around the school grounds.

Q: How do you view cross-country in terms of an individual sport or team sport?
A: There's an individual part, the internal part where you have to push yourself, get through the pain. But there's a big team part, too. The people you run with, they help you push through. I know I couldn't do it without others running by my side. I've always had somebody to run with. That's one of the best things about running. It becomes a brotherhood.

Q: What's your favorite subject in school?
A: I'm a math guy. I'm not much for English. I like math because there's always one answer. You just have to find it.

Q: What kind of music do you listen to?
A: In the car I always have on Power 99, a hip-hop station. But I like current pop hits, too.

Q: What's the last movie you saw?
A: I went to see 'It.' That was a fun one. Pretty scary.

Q: Are you one of those runners who will eat a lot of pasta the night before a race?
A: I am. I'm a big pasta guy. And I always take a bath and put my legs up for 20 minutes and try to go to bed early and get a good night's sleep.