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It was a great 2013-2014 in both cross country and track across the Bayou State. Many of our seniors will soon be on their way to start their college careers both athletically and academically so we wanted to salute them one more time in this special feature.</p>
Do you know a class of 2014 track and field or cross country athlete? We'd like to salute them! Have them answer the following questions plus send 2-3 photos (can not be from another website or publication) to pat@louisianarunning.com.
What was your most memorable race/moment?
My most memorable race would have to be the state meet this year in the 1600 when I decided to stick with the St Paul boys for most of the race. I consider this moment memorable because I feel that it was the first time I really decided to push myself in a race from the gun. Most of our 1600 races in NWLA don't go out faster than 65 or 66 for the first lap; however, I had a few great workouts leading up to the state meet, and I was hungry to run fast going into the race. Unfortunately, the wheels fell off on my last lap, but I was overwhelmed with satisfaction considering it was a PR and knowing I actually took a chance to run fast.
Who would you consider your biggest competition over your four years?
I would have to say my biggest competition was Jack Wilkes from Airline. I have seen this guy grow exponentially from his freshman to senior year, all thanks to the guidance of his coach, Mark Hamiter. I knew going into every race that I would have to make a drastic move early in order to not fall victim to his massive kick; however, his speed usually prevailed.
What was your greatest accomplishment?
My greatest accomplishment would have to be just making it this far in running. Four years ago, I would have never pictured myself running cross country and track or even making it to a state meet, but my hard work and persistence paid off in the end. Every day, I am constantly grateful at the gift I have been given, which allows me to (somewhat) enjoy what I do. I did enjoy winning regionals in the 3200 this year as well.
If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high school?
If I could do it all over again, I would have tried to be more serious my freshman year. At that time, I only ran because it was a way to make friends and I was better at running than at playing football; and also because the girls were pretty. I would also try to fix the whole coaching situation while I was at Byrd because we practically got a different coach every year. The consistency was never there, so my training was up and down until I finally decided to bypass this whole discombobulation and work with my own personal "mentor." I should have worked with him in the first place.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
My biggest problems were definitely sleep, motivation, and recovery. My senior year, I got the bright idea to take 6 AP classes out of my 8 required classes. Being the perfectionist that I am, I wouldn't go to sleep until all my homework was complete, then wake up around 4:30am just to run so that I would have time after school to do core/strength stuff and more homework. Because of this, I would often neglect proper recovery, so I would experience running pains; then I would get sick, which would kill my motivation. It was also hard to stay motivated due to "the loneliness of being a distance runner." Most training runs were solo because people were often unwilling to run with me, even on easy days. #TheStruggleIsReal. Luckily I was able to make A's in all those classes and finish off my season well.
What will you miss the most?
I will definitely miss the friendships that I have made from much of my competition. It was always fun to see everyone talk so much smack before a race, want to rip each others' heads off during a race, then be best friends again afterwards.
What advice you would give to younger athletes?
To all the younger athletes out there, I would say train hard, train smart, and stay hungry. The first two are self explanatory in the way that you want to do everything right so that you get faster while avoiding injuries. When I say stay hungry, I mean always try to crave more than you have already accomplished. Getting to the top should essentially be the easy part; staying there is the real endeavor because everybody is hungry and everyone wants to be at the top. Never settle for 1st place; rather, you should shoot for something bigger and better. In order to have what you've never had, you must do what you've never done!
What influence has your coach had with respect to your performance and overall life goals?
My coach has had such a great influence on my performance as he encourages me to work to my full potential in training and to dig deep into my soul to discover my full capabilities both in life and in running, whether it's from the "meet Jesus" workouts or the many "I told you so"'s after great workouts or races.
What are your college plans?
I plan to attend LSU in Baton Rouge and study something along the lines of petroleum engineering. I will also try my luck with their xc and track team because I feel like I never really reached my full potential in high school, and I know there is plenty of room to improve as well, especially under the guidance of Coach Robinson. Plus, I'm starting to get hungry again and want to try to work my way up to the top the right way this time.
Who would you like to say thank you to?
I would like to thank my parents for all the support they have given me throughout the years. I would also like to thank the various running buddies and competition that I have had for giving me something to strive for. A shout out goes to the many different running coaches at Byrd who have showed me what to and what not to do through both good and bad experiences. Most of all, I have to thank my running "mentor"/coach Chris Schrader for all the great advice and workouts to help me improve. I couldn't have done it without him. Last but not least, I want to thank the great Owen Self who set the 1600m school record for Byrd (4:10 or 4:11) back in the 1960's. It has been a rather large goal of mine throughout high school and a great motivator as well.
Is there anything else you'd like to add?
One last piece of advice for all those soon to be seniors is to beware of senior-it is. Believe me, it applies to both school and running; don't slack towards the end of the season like I did, lol. Well Louisiana running community, these four years have been wonderful, and I'm excited to see what the future holds in store for this great state. It's been real, it's been fun, it's been real fun!
More Coverage
Do you know a class of 2014 track and field or cross country athlete? We'd like to salute them! Have them answer the following questions plus send 2-3 photos (can not be from another website or publication) to pat@louisianarunning.com.