Pete Julian juggles the rigors of being an elite athlete and a college coach. The 34-year-old lives in Boulder and has run a blazing personal best time of 13:33 for the 5K. Julian is pictured above running the Papa John's 10 Miler in Kentucky.

1. What have been some of the highlights of your running career?
Probably the highlight of my running career so far is running in the 1999 World Track and Field Championship 10,000 meter final. It was an incredible experience to know, for at least one night, I was part of an elite group of the best distance runners in the world.

2. How is your training right now?
Training is going great at the moment. I'm going to concentrate on the shorter distance races this fall. Marathons are for crazy people and I ain't no crazy person.

3. What is a typical week like for you?
I'm usually up by 5:30 in the morning and try to be out the door running by 6:30. Once I'm home, I jump in the shower, shove some food down the pie hole and head to work. I love running and I love my job, so I'm excited to get up every morning. In fact, most mornings I wake up before my alarm goes off because I'm looking forward to the day. It's like Christmas everyday in the Julian house!

4. What kind of an impact did surviving cancer have on your life and your running?
The term "survivor" implies something I'm not really comfortable with. I was just lucky. Cancer took a peek at me a few times and it decided to move on. I just had my five year C-Scan last week and it showed that I'm as healthy as a jelly bean. That period of my life is behind me now. It was scary and emotionally very hard to deal with, but it made me a better man by changing the way I view my life and the life of others.

5. You're trying to bring the U.S. Cross Country Championships to Boulder for 2007. How is that effort going?
I think we've got a good shot. The bid has been submitted. San Diego and Portland, Oregon also submitted bids. If we get it, folks here in Colorado are going to want to buy their tickets early because I think this will be the first U.S. Cross Country Championships to ever sell out. How great would that be to see scalpers at a cross country meet?

6. You were recently hired to resurrect the track and cross country programs at Metro State. How's the new coaching job so far?
I love coaching. It's what I want to do for the rest of my life. Working with young student athletes is one of the most rewarding professions I can think of. We'll be pretty average our first year, but give us time.

7. It seems like you're so busy. What motivates you to juggle it all?
My wife, Colleen, motivates me. She's down in Bolivia right now studying low birth weights in native high altitude populations. How am I supposed to stay home and watch MTV's "Pimp My Ride" when she's on the other end of the planet doing cool stuff like that?

8. Any advice to pass on to other runners?
Don't take yourself so seriously. After all, if you're reading this interview, you've probably run through the middle of town wearing half-tights.

Pete Julian's Personal Best Times
5K: 13 minutes, 33 seconds
8K: 22 minutes, 59 seconds
10K: 28 minutes, 5 seconds
Marathon: 2 hours, 15 minutes