On Mondays, the Iowa men’s cross-country team does not practice. It’s an NCAA rule.

Freshman runner Jeffrey Thode doesn’t listen. He still comes to the practice facility, though, lifting weights in preparation for the Big Ten meet on Nov. 1.

The same singular determination that leads Thode into the weight room on his day off has allowed him to become Iowa’s top finisher in his first year of collegiate competition.

“I’m a little on the quiet side,” he said. “I’ve always felt you get done with the work you need to get done and move on to the next thing. You work to get each workout done as fast as possible and get the most out of practice.”

Iowa head coach Larry Wieczorek is not remotely surprised by Thode’s talent. The Schaumburg Ill., native set the Illinois state mile record with a time of 4:05 and won the state championship. Thode also set school records in the 800- and 1,600-meter races and as a member of the 3,200-meter relay.

But it is Thode’s fearlessness that Wieczorek cites as the reason for his early success.

“Some runners are afraid to take a risk,” the coach said. “They are afraid to get out of their comfort zone when they need to be getting into their learning zone. That leads to them falling into the panic zone, and they don’t run to their potential.”

Wieczorek said Thode uses a simple but effective game plan, one that seems easy enough, but is impossible for many runners who over-think their performances.

Thode simply runs to win.

“He’s not afraid to fail, to run out of gas,” Wieczorek said. “Too many runners start thinking ‘How do I feel’ when they should be trying to get in front of the leader. I hope some more of my athletes watch Thode and get it.

“It’s like the Bruce Springsteen song ‘Glory Days.’ You have to know that if you don’t take the risks now, you may regret it for the rest of your life.”

Unlike most freshman runners, Thode has not allowed his youth to hamper his success by setting the ceiling too low. He has been Iowa’s top finisher in every race this season, including a second-place finish at the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational and a 19th-place finish at the Pre-National Invitational at Indiana State.

That isn’t to say he doesn’t get nervous like his other young counterparts.

“I get nervous before races, but I just don’t show it very much,” he said. “I usually try to figure out what pack I’m going to start out in or who I’m going to run in front of. A lot of the planning I do as the race is going on, though.”

Contrary to popular belief, Wieczorek said, Thode’s youth actually helps him succeed.

“He is too young to know who he can and can’t beat,” Wieczorek said. “I don’t want him to ever learn that there are people out there he isn’t supposed to beat. He’s such a competitor. He takes all competitions in stride.”

Cocaptain Tommy Tate attributed Thode’s success to the freshman runner’s refusal to allow himself to give into physical and mental torture.

“Running can be extremely difficult mentally,” Tate said. “A lot of guys have a tendency to self-handicap themselves. Jeff just runs to the front of the pack and keeps the pace until he dies off. It’s that simple.”