Last week was spring break at Iowa State, but that does not mean the ISU men’s track and field team had a break from workouts in preparation for the upcoming outdoor track and field season.

Junior 400-meter hurdler Greg Kufahl said that while he has had a few minor nagging injuries with hamstrings tightening up, training has been going very well and he is really looking forward to outdoor season.

“It’s always nice to get on a full sized track outdoors and get in some warm weather,” Kufahl said.

Kufahl also said how the move to outdoors will be ideal for working on hurdles because it will provide the conditions of what actual competitive races will be like.

Sprints and hurdles coach Nate Wiens said that through the end of indoor season until now, Kufahl has been making great progress in his workouts.

“He’s just got to keep working on some of those little aspects,” Wiens said. “He’s got a lot of strength and a lot of will and determination. He’s just got to get a little bit more efficient at hurdling at that full speed over the 400-meter hurdles.”

Kufahl said that in addition to running the 400-meter hurdles, he will also hope to compete in the 4×400-meter relay, but said that he probably favors the 400-meter hurdles.

“It’s really more of the mental race that it comes down to,” Kufahl said of the 400-meter hurdles.

“You have something to think about, and it’s not just you racing that person next to you. You have to get your form right over every single hurdle and keep your speed going and it’s really that mental part of the 400-[meter] hurdles that I actually like.”

A native of Golden Valley, Minn., Kufahl competed in the 300-meter hurdles at Hopkins High School in Minnesota and is still working on the transition to the 400-meter race. Wiens said that he has seen a lot of growth since Kufahl has started.

“He was really struggling when he got here to get through the 400 race,” Wiens said. “He was a pretty good 300-meter hurdler but not it’s 36 inch hurdles all the way through 10 of them.”

Wiens also said that Kufahl has the potential to qualify for the Big 12 Conference meet in hurdles and has a lot of will and determination, but there will need to be some hard work put in, which he said he knows Kufahl is capable of.