An interview with Liza Grudzinski

At the time of her graduation, Liza Grudzinski held every women’s long-distance running record on the books. She was a fierce competitor, her ability to fearlessly lead the pack and/or to gobble up the competition belying her diminutive stature. “Little Liza” has a big heart when it comes to racing at a high level. As she kind of danced around in the early questions here, Liza could be a little nutty at times. Marist was the perfect place for her. It’s amazing how our athletes just kind of find their way to Poughkeepsie, the fit being perfect. It’s also amazing how the answer to my first question in most of these Pandemic Papers interviews reveals an initial reluctance to even consider Marist! But Liza’s high-strung personality was tamed quite well by then women’s coach Phil Kelly. Like most great coaches, Phil mastered the art of being one part fatherly figure (and to several generations of our women, he was exactly that!), one part task-master (emotionlessly dispensing the grueling workouts needed to hone championship-caliber athletes and teams), one part master motivator (through calm, reassuring words but also at times through tough-love talks – pre-, post- and in-race) and all parts loving and caring coach (I do not recall a meet in which Phil was not dispensing post-race hugs to our athletes). Yeah, Marist women’s cross country and track needed a strong leader in Liza Grudzinski, but Liza also thrived under the team-first family atmosphere that we tried (and continue to try) to cultivate during her time here.

As we mentioned in the previous Pandemic Papers with her husband Kirk Dornton, our coach-athlete relationship with Liza has morphed into a mature friendship as she and Kirk set down roots in the area and started a family with their two high-energy boys. Like Kirk, Liza has had a great post-collegiate running career, with her Mount Washington race finish among the big highlights. She has remained true to her Marist roots, connecting with Michelle Gaye as Michelle pursued and eventually broke many of Liza’s records. Liza encouraged Michelle in her quest. Seeing the two women from two different generations of Marist running connect was really neat for me. The original intent was to have Kirk’s and Liza’s interviews back-to-back in the Pandemic Papers series. That didn’t happen, and that’s OK. Given their incredibly frenetic household, it’s a miracle they were able to forge a few minutes to even read my email, much less send back such wonderful and well-thought-out answers. Again, reading Liza’s answers and memories puts a smile on our faces, and hopefully for younger readers continues to enlighten you on the many facets of Marist Running through the years. Thank you, Liza, for participating in the Pandemic Papers series.

I know it’s a long time ago, but tell us how you became interested in Marist and how you wound up here. What was the recruiting process like back then?  

Actually, Marist was not on my radar. My dad insisted I go for a visit. It’s funny how things work out.  One day I was on a conference call with a coach from another college, the coach explained that all runners are weighed in at practice and if weight is too high, runners are told to lose a few pounds. This was back in the 1990s and this treatment towards athletes was pervasive in women's Division I athletics. After that call, I was rather annoyed and knew I was looking for something else for my future. A high-profile Division I team didn’t look so great anymore. I finally made a call to Phil Kelly, the Marist Women's Distance Coach. The phone conference with Phil went very well and my family and I were excited for the visit to Marist.  Phil was very upfront about scholarship money and he was dedicated to the Cross Country and Track programs.  He seemed so confident and lovable that I knew he could coach a stubborn runner such as myself.  He was someone you secretly admired but would never admit to it. I stayed with a group of girls on the team and they treated me like family.  And of course, I met coach Pete for a brief moment on my visit.  I knew right away that Pete was easily approachable and you could talk to him for hours if time permitted.  Making the decision to attend Marist was the absolute correct decision.  Heck, Marist is where I met my husband Kirk. It doesn't get better than that.

Talk about some of your biggest highlights and memories of your time at Marist.

There are so many amazing highlights and memories at Marist.  It’s hard for me to pinpoint one or two.  One of my favorite workouts was 5 x 2,000-meter repeats from McCann (the road behind the freshman dorms near the railroad tracks) to the boathouse and back up again.  I remember the day was cold and windy in March and Phil thought it would be a great idea to end on the hill behind the freshman dorms.  The workout was ridiculously tough.  I remember being so out of breath from the wind with Phil saying, "Now, Liza you need to try to get faster at each interval."  Inwardly, I was saying a few choice words about the craziness of it all.  Phil insisted it was Pete who recommended this great 10K workout for me. Nothing good comes easy.  The harder the workout, the more accomplished you feel.  Holy smokes!  I bet they both don't remember, but I certainly do. 

In terms of favorite race, one of the biggest highlights was at Penn Relays in 2003 when both Kirk and I broke the 10k school records on the same night. There is nothing better than running at night under the lights at Penn.  I remember that night like it was yesterday, with Pete belting out my precise splits every lap for the entire 25 laps and Phil and Chuck on the sidelines cheering me on.  I can still hear their voices now.

Of course, running at Van Cortlandt Park was another favorite.  I preferred the 5k and loved the back hills.  It was then I always went into attack mode because I knew I had to get the hell away from my competitors and not leave it to the flats on the Vanny parade ground. 

Then there was BU.  My 3k and 5k PRs happened there and for some reason those races never seemed hard.  It was like running on a cloud and not feeling tired at the end. It’s amazing when things fall into place how easy it feels.  Big huge hugs from Pete, Phil, and Chuck made the accomplishments even more special.

What are your fondest memories of the day-to-day life of being a student-athlete at Marist?

Most of my memories are not about the races or the PRs or the school records broken.  Most memories consist of the carefree times I had with my friends and teammates.

One of my favorite memories was attending the MAAC Cross Country Championships in Orlando, Florida.  Kristen Paquette and I were injured so we took full advantage of the sightseeing, taking in as much of the parks as we could.

Another memory that will live with me forever is the support I received from my teammates and coaches after my father passed away from leukemia suddenly my senior year. I was heartbroken.  I lost my biggest support, the person who was there for me no matter what.  After a loss like this, the very thought of going back to my routine at Marist and even attempting to break school records was inconceivable. When at my father’s wake a BUS showed up and one by one each Marist teammate stepped off to pay their respects ... all I can say is WOW.  It most certainly is true, little acts of kindness can do amazing things to a person's well-being. It changed my mindset during an extremely difficult time.  With the overwhelming support of my teammates and coaches, I was able to return back to Marist to finish my degree and take down school records.  Thank you, thank you to all of you who stood by me.  Words cannot express my gratitude. This is just the true testament of what Marist stands for.  

You continued running and racing after college. Talk about that, some of your best highlights and memories, and how you are currently staying active/continuing to run and train.

After college, I ran for the Westchester Track Team for years before switching to a team called Riadha. Riadha now consists of some of the best middle and long distance runners in the world.   The training was intense to say the least.  My focus at the time was mountain running. The Mount Washington Road Race is one of my all-time favorite races.  They say, “It’s only one hill,” right?  That’s right, one hill that covers 7.6 miles straight up a mountain.  No flat ground at all.  Given my small stature, my body is suited for running up mountains.  My first attempt at Mount Washington was my best; first American female and 3rd overall.  I have completed two marathons and my best marathon was after I had my first son. Pete gave me all the advice I needed to train.  Of course, with working full-time and being a mom, I had difficulty being consistent, but that’s how training goes.  Pete always told me, “There’s no such thing as perfect training,” especially when you have a lot going on all the time.   My last race was five years ago at the Steamtown Marathon.  I just run for pleasure now due to chronic Lyme disease issues and my two boys, Emmett and Elliott, who keep me running in other ways. I’d love to run Mount Washington again if given the opportunity.  

Talk about your career path – how did you get into teaching, how long have you been at your current position and how your teaching career has evolved through the years?

I’ve been a Biology teacher at Monroe-Woodbury High School for 17 years, starting in 2003.  I usually teach biology special education courses.  Students are expected to get a passing grade on the NY State Regents Exam at the end of the year. Through the years, I’ve found establishing a good rapport with my students comes first; learning follows as a natural course.

Now that all of our current student-athletes are “distance learning” … what is it like to be “distance teaching”?

Distant learning is unbelievably challenging. When I am in class teaching, I know right off the bat if someone doesn't get a concept through his or her body language, facial expression, and reaction time.  I usually have a strong understanding of the needs and learning styles of all my students. I always teach using a multidisciplinary approach, incorporating hands-on activities mixed with auditory and visual approaches.  This isn’t feasible with distance learning and I cannot replicate the in-person connection from an electronic device. Currently, I teach several special education classes as well as a general education biology class.  It is much more difficult to reach my special education students when their accommodations require many strategies that are implemented in-person, such as redirection, repeating of concepts, and so on.

The general education students are having an easier time as many are moving towards AP and honors classes in the future. They are independent learners and more often than not able to complete assignments on their own.

The emails are rather overwhelming when I have 90-plus students.  My life as a distance learning teacher is answering the following questions:

I cannot find that assignment?  How do I complete this?  I can't open the pdf file?  What do I do here? How do I write on a Google Doc?  How do I log onto castle learning?  Why was that question marked wrong?  Did you grade that assignment yet, I thought I did it?  Am I going to fail if I cannot access the document?  My computer will not download the virtual lab? The questions go on and on.  If you don't laugh, you will cry.  I just keep saying to parents and students that we are in this together.  Flexibility is key.

“Distance teaching” has an added component/challenge for you with two very active toddlers in the house. How are you managing that and what “schedule” are you on with the boys?

Kirk and I are homeschooling our high energy, head-strong boys. Emmett is in kindergarten and learning to read, write, tell time, add and subtract, perform science experiments, and learn geography. It’s all about small bursts and a ton of patience. Are we on a time schedule?  As much as I’d like to say yes, heck no! 

We tried that a little, but it fell apart rather quickly.  Even so, learning is going on in a roundabout Grudzinski-Dornton kind of way.  As a parent, you are your child’s first teacher.  The only glitch is most kids do not want to be taught by their parents.  Some days are a struggle but, like training and racing, if we have an off day we get up tomorrow and try again.  Like everyone else, we are doing the best we can and that’s all one can ask for.  I like a good challenge, so it's all good. Keep everything in perspective, that’s my motto right now.  We’re in the middle of a pandemic and everyone is trying to deal with this situation the best they can.  

What message would you give to our current seniors who lost their final outdoor track season and final few months of their senior year?  

When I heard that college athletic events were canceled for the season and colleges were going online, it made me think of what my own final months at Marist were like and how I would feel if I’d never had them.  I kept thinking about the relationships I forged in that time and before it and not being able to share the last few months with those I came to call my family is an idea that’s hard to swallow. I can’t imagine not being able to run my last season after all that hard work, or walk across the stage and receive a diploma. Reflecting on this, all I can say is resiliency is the key to a successful life.  Early on, I have learned that life is unpredictable and does not always go in the direction you envisioned. The only way to find success is to exercise a flexible mindset and accept the curveballs life throws at you.  You have to possess a sense of faith in yourself to overcome and move forward and be grateful for the amazing time you were given at Marist. You left your mark at Marist and a virus is not going to negate that. That said, keep your connections with your Marist family.  Your time at Marist will stay with you throughout your life.  The world is still out there, virus or no, waiting for the accomplishments you’ve yet to achieve. Dig deep, toughness lies deep inside of you.  You will rise above this to meet the greatness that awaits you. I believe in you!

What advice would you give to current team members and/or prospective student-athletes considering Marist?  

If you are returning back to Marist or if you plan on attending Marist, you are making a fabulous decision.  One that you will cherish for a lifetime.  Embrace every moment and enjoy the journey.