Eichner did more than run in the year off. He moved out of the world of college students and made several major changes in his life, including getting engaged, a decision that he feels has helped stabilize his life.

"I think taking time off from Harvard is good in the respect that you can see how the real world functions," Eichner says. "You get a chance to deal with a more human side of life instead of just working within the tight narrow framework formed by studies and sports."

Eichner returned from leave with his ambitions of running and studying still intact, but he has learned how to balance himself between the two.

An Economics major, Eichner hopes to attend med school and become an emergency room physician in a trauma center. He has considerable practical experience in that area--two summers working in hospital emergency rooms.

"One thing I've learned in my experiences so far is that if the medical community revised their requirements to forego certain obstacles, they would produce doctors with more human qualities," Eichner says. "There is just no comparison between the pre-med scene and the real world of practical medicine."

For right now the cross country star is taking everything one day at a time. For today he would like to complete his running comeback by contributing to a Harvard victory in this afternoon's Big Three Championship.