tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29207713195739835882024-03-15T20:09:31.241-05:00North Dakota RunnerA blog to talk about anything related to running in North Dakota Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15222477277724716117noreply@blogger.comBlogger137125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920771319573983588.post-72100550557655789402022-12-15T12:00:00.001-06:002022-12-15T12:00:31.363-06:00ND Runner Interview #14- 2022 Class A Boys State XC Champion Brady Korsmo<p>On October 21st and 22nd, the North Dakota State Cross Country Meet
was held at Parkhurst Campground/Pipestem Reservoir just north of
Jamestown, ND. With beautiful weather in the 50s and 60s with light
wind, the times were fast, the course was good, and the atmosphere was
great. </p><p>In the Friday Class B races, the boys raced first and
Bowman County stole the show. Scoring a dominating 18 team points, they
placed 5 of the top 6 runners, broken up from a perfect score only by
Hillsboro/Central Valley's Christian Brist. It was their third
consecutive team title. Second place team was Kindred with 111 points,
just barely beating New Town with 112. Bowman Co also had top overall
performer in Austin Wanner, whose time of 16:05 was only five seconds
faster than his teammate Caleb Sarsland. The time was 18 seconds faster
than last year's winning time on the same course. </p><p>For the Class B
girls, we had repeat winners in the individual and team. 9th grader
Brynn Hanson from Des-Lacs Burlington/Lewis and Clark won her second
consecutive individual state title, running 18:57 and finishing 10
seconds ahead of second placer finisher Addie Miller of Killdeer (also
in 9th grade). Hanson's time was about 30 seconds faster than her state
title last year. In the team battle, Rugby won their fourth consecutive
team title, scoring 89 points to Bowman County's 118, taking away Bowman
Co's chance at sweeping the team titles. </p><p>Saturday was the Class A
races. For the boys, Williston continued the pattern of repeat team
champions, winning their second consecutive state title with 46 points,
followed closely by Bismarck High with 64 points. In a senior-heavy
field, Brady Korsmo pulled off the victory, running an impressive time
of 15:28, 8 seconds ahead of Fynn Krenz of Williston. </p><p>In the
Class A girls race, Williston's girls team won their third consecutive
state title, this time with 93 points, barely edging out Grand Forks Red
River with 104 points. The individual race was not as close, with
senior Jaelyn Ogle dominating the field, winning her first state cross
country title by 45 seconds in a time of 18:15.</p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhryVEVe0lLR-MCesAf_0d0KhBT58WK-z3vu1x7lue1hu3JK1fOav6Ua-uJWYXip3u3bNUGbIZo_GCcmuE_JQbBbm1AroLwJdHnnzPRvxmRWNTpb7m0HzNMEaOq2OWIy84Ez1xR_EyMEyKm58jp_s4WlVQz3108ukStvcOYLKYhxkDFueNmiR917sui/s5184/BradyKorsmo_Mug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhryVEVe0lLR-MCesAf_0d0KhBT58WK-z3vu1x7lue1hu3JK1fOav6Ua-uJWYXip3u3bNUGbIZo_GCcmuE_JQbBbm1AroLwJdHnnzPRvxmRWNTpb7m0HzNMEaOq2OWIy84Ez1xR_EyMEyKm58jp_s4WlVQz3108ukStvcOYLKYhxkDFueNmiR917sui/w640-h426/BradyKorsmo_Mug.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Tom Mix, NDHSAA Media Specialist<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p></p><p></p><p><br />At the North Dakota State Cross Country Meet in 2019, fans were treated to the second consecutive year of Brady Yoder and Sean Korsmo battling it out in the front, this time with Yoder taking the win in an impressive 15:20, to Korsmo's 15:32. There were seven 9th-graders that finished in the top 40, and fifth out of those, in 32nd place with a time of 16:57, was Brady Korsmo of Bismarck High. </p><p>When he was in 8th grade, Brady's brother Sean won the state title, and then again two years later, in 2020. In that sophomore year of Brady's, he was again just outside the top 30, placing 34th with a time of 17:06. The big breakthrough at state cross country, and his chance to be the leader up front, was just on the horizon. </p><p>In his junior year, Brady placed 5th at state with a time of 15:52, an impressive feat in one of the deepest fields in state history. However, only one of the runners ahead of him was a senior, which meant a state title wasn't going to come easy in his senior year. </p><p>This year at state, Brady won. He ran a blistering 15:28 on the Jamestown course, beating fellow WDA rival Fynn Krenz by eight seconds and breakout Grand Forks Central senior Quinn Roehl by ten seconds. As a team, Bismarck High took 2nd overall, only losing to Williston by 18 points, and that was with one of their top runners not racing! It was the highest team place since they won in 2015. </p><p>As part of the state cross country champion series, we get a chance to meet Brady and wonder what it's like to be a part of a program that is a top five team every single year, with unprecedented amounts of success in this state. </p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /></p><p> </p><p>Congrats on your victory! Now that you’ve had some time to decompress and take a step away<br />from state cross country, how do you feel? This was your first state cross country title, right?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">Yes, this was my first cross country title. It feels really good knowing my work has paid off.<br />Winning the state meet was a goal I’d had for quite some time, and it was something I had worked very<br />hard for. Crossing the line and knowing I just accomplished my goal is a feeling I can’t quite describe.</span><br /> </p><p>At some point, whether it was last year, this summer, or this fall, you probably realized that<br />winning state cross country was something you had the ability to do. When was that point? How<br />did it affect your outlook on this season?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">Coming off of track season, I knew I had a chance at winning if I worked hard. The moment I<br />realized it was actually attainable was at our opening meet the rusty bucket. I ran a PR by about<br />ten seconds, which is a great place to be at the beginning of the season. I knew I was only going<br />to get better from there.</span><br /> </p><p>Take us through your title-winning race. What was your strategy going in? Did you follow it? Any<br />surprises?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">My strategy going in was to stick with the front guys, stay relaxed through the first mile, and<br />then go from there. I mostly followed the strategy but did end up leading earlier than I<br />expected. I was a little surprised Fynn was not up there right away, but knew he would come on<br />later and figured he was running a bit more conservative.</span></p><p> </p><p>At the WDA Region Meet, you placed 6th, over 50 seconds behind the leader. Did that affect how<br />you mentally prepared for the state meet?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">I think it was probably a little bit good for me. The race before WDA was Rapid City, where I<br />finished just a second behind a very good runner. I came back a little bit cocky and complacent,<br />which didn’t last long as Fynn and the Williston boys beat me by quite a bit. I knew I still had it in<br />me but had to work for it.</span><br /> </p><p>What’s the biggest barrier you had to overcome this season?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">I will say after WDA I was not feeling it right away. It took me a few days to start believing in<br />myself again.</span><br /> </p><p>Your team, Bismarck High, took 2nd place, only 18 points behind Williston. Was a team title a goal<br />going into the state meet? How did you feel about the team’s performance?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">A Team title is something we always shoot for at BHS. I think it actually helps me run faster<br />knowing I have a team depending on me. That being said, we had a very young team this year, I<br />was the only senior, and our number 2 was out. Losing by 18 points to a team like Williston<br />while under those circumstances isn’t bad. Very proud of my team.</span><br /> </p><p>Help us get an idea of what it takes to be a high-placing team. What mindset do you and your<br />teammates have? What’s the atmosphere at practice?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">Obviously you have to have some fun at practice, but more importantly we do all of the little<br />things right. I think our team does a really great job of finding a balance between having fun<br />when we can, but also taking our training very seriously and getting it done. It honestly has<br />gotten to the point where most of us don’t need anybody else to hold us accountable because<br />we do it ourselves and understand the importance of training.</span><br /> </p><p>Your team headed down to Rapid City in September and you got to race some great<br />competition, losing by only 1 second to Simeon Birnbaum, a sub-4 miler from Rapid City<br />Stevens. What was that race like?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">Super fun race actually. I went into the race prepared to hang on as long as possible and it<br />turned out great. Its awesome running against somebody that good and finishing so close behind them.</span></p><p> </p><p>Recently, you placed 86th at the Nike Cross Regional Meet with a time of 15:52. What that meet<br />like for you? What was your goal, and did you meet it?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">For me that race was disappointing. It's a very fast course so most people from north dakota ran<br />a PB. My goal was to PR and to hopefully be closer to the front pack. I didn’t meet it, but it was<br />a good learning opportunity. Racing in a field that big threw me off a little bit and it is something<br />I have to work on. It gives you perspective on how much work you have left to do.</span></p><p> </p><p>In 2020, your brother Sean won the state cross country title. How does it feel to match that two years later?<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">I don’t know how to describe it. Sean has been a state champion since his sophomore year, and<br />when I was younger I didn’t think I would be able to live up to that. I slowly got better, and him<br />being as good as he was and as recognized as he was gave me a lot of motivation to reach my<br />goals.</span><br /> </p><p>What motivates you in practice to keep pushing in practice?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">I think a huge part of it is setting a goal for yourself. Setting a good goal that is challenging for<br />yourself and then committing to it will make you better. And for me, I know that the other top<br />kids in the state are working just as hard as I am, which gives me that extra boost and discipline<br />to do all the little things right.</span><br /> </p><p>Do you have any plans after graduation? Are you interested in running at the college level?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">I’m for sure running in college, I just don’t know where yet. I’ve been on a few visits so far<br />and am finding some options, but will still need a bit more time before I make a decision.</span><br /> </p><p>What is your background in sports? Did you start running at a young age, or is it relatively new?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">I have been running since elementary school. I did it because Sean did it. However, I haven’t<br />always liked it. I really got into it my freshman year, when I came up to BHS. It was a completely<br />different atmosphere and sport, which I quickly started to like more and more.</span><br /> </p><p>Talk a little bit about your training. What kind of routes and workouts does Bismarck do? Do you<br />have a favorite workout?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">We mostly run on sidewalks and bike trails. We have a few routes on gravel and dirt but we<br />don’t get out to those often. During cross country we do a lot of 1k’s, 800’s, and this year we<br />incorporated more 400’s and tempo runs. I don’t really prefer one over the other, I’m okay with<br />all of them.</span></p><p>Any plans for a winter sport, or is it time to focus on track?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">In the past I have played hockey, but this year I very recently decided not to play and to focus on<br />track.</span><br /> </p><p>Speaking of track, any early thoughts about what you might want to accomplish during track this<br />year?<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">I have quite a few track goals this year, but the biggest one is a team title. We have some<br />talented jumpers, sprinters, and a good distance core, so I think we have a good shot.</span><br /> </p><p>What is running to you? Why do you do it?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">It started off as something I had to do, now its something I love. It used to be that I had to get up<br />in the summers to run. I had to go to practice. Now, it's just kind of a part of me. I still have to go<br />on runs and get up early in the morning sometimes, but I’m no longer in the mindset that it's a<br />hassle. It is kind of hard to describe.</span><br /> </p><p>What’s your favorite place (so far) to run in North Dakota?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">For races I really do like the Jamestown course.</span><br /> </p><p>Do you have any North Dakota runners that you look up to? What about college or professional<br />athletes? Who has inspired you?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">Biggest person would have to be my brother. The amount that he has inspired me has made me<br />a better runner than I thought I could ever be. As a runner for BHS you kind of have to look up to<br />Jake Leingang as well. I don’t follow college or pro running as much, but there are a lot of<br />athletes at that level that are very inspiring.</span><br /> </p><p>Can you offer up any advice you’ve learned along the way to people who might be interested in<br />cross country?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">It's a pretty common saying that your body can do so much more than your mind thinks it can,<br />but I never really understood that until recently. Cross country has made me realize how true<br />this saying actually is. It’s eye opening to really understand the only thing holding you back is<br />your mindset.</span></p><p><span style="color: red;"> </span></p><p><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">Thank you Brady for taking the time answer questions for ND Runner, best of luck the rest of your senior year!</span> </span><br /></p>Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15222477277724716117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920771319573983588.post-12546313413288581402022-11-16T18:40:00.000-06:002022-11-16T18:40:46.411-06:00ND Runner Interview #13- 2022 Class B Boys State XC Champion Austin Wanner<p> On October 21st and 22nd, the North Dakota State Cross Country Meet was held at Parkhurst Campground/Pipestem Reservoir just north of Jamestown, ND. With beautiful weather in the 50s and 60s with light wind, the times were fast, the course was good, and the atmosphere was great. </p><p>In the Friday Class B races, the boys raced first and Bowman County stole the show. Scoring a dominating 18 team points, they placed 5 of the top 6 runners, broken up from a perfect score only by Hillsboro/Central Valley's Christian Brist. It was their third consecutive team title. Second place team was Kindred with 111 points, just barely beating New Town with 112. Bowman Co also had top overall performer in Austin Wanner, whose time of 16:05 was only five seconds faster than his teammate Caleb Sarsland. The time was 18 seconds faster than last year's winning time on the same course. </p><p>For the Class B girls, we had repeat winners in the individual and team. 9th grader Brynn Hanson from Des-Lacs Burlington/Lewis and Clark won her second consecutive individual state title, running 18:57 and finishing 10 seconds ahead of second placer finisher Addie Miller of Killdeer (also in 9th grade). Hanson's time was about 30 seconds faster than her state title last year. In the team battle, Rugby won their fourth consecutive team title, scoring 89 points to Bowman County's 118, taking away Bowman Co's chance at sweeping the team titles. </p><p>Saturday was the Class A races. For the boys, Williston continued the pattern of repeat team champions, winning their second consecutive state title with 46 points, followed closely by Bismarck High with 64 points. In a senior-heavy field, Brady Korsmo pulled off the victory, running an impressive time of 15:28, 8 seconds ahead of Fynn Krenz of Williston. </p><p>In the Class A girls race, Williston's girls team won their third consecutive state title, this time with 93 points, barely edging out Grand Forks Red River with 104 points. The individual race was not as close, with senior Jaelyn Ogle dominating the field, winning her first state cross country title by 45 seconds in a time of 18:15. </p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigln6j7dFI3n_QbnejNvgOlkeMJIV4TTfwdW7vOvF-t6Bq_bfBHDqipawDy022UHjb_j1Idejn3iN28PtBUtI1AhulscP8umh_j8Tt1CWecj4ELp7vhrBXjwOhlP8vaHOg2lNKltzPVpj4zUxP6jnO5L6ouw7J8FHABerCnxBrmEZUSalS_GbM9Eul/s5184/AustinWannerMug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigln6j7dFI3n_QbnejNvgOlkeMJIV4TTfwdW7vOvF-t6Bq_bfBHDqipawDy022UHjb_j1Idejn3iN28PtBUtI1AhulscP8umh_j8Tt1CWecj4ELp7vhrBXjwOhlP8vaHOg2lNKltzPVpj4zUxP6jnO5L6ouw7J8FHABerCnxBrmEZUSalS_GbM9Eul/w640-h426/AustinWannerMug.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Tom Mix, NDHSAA Media Specialist<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Way back in 2017, before anybody had ever heard of COVID, the state course was not yet at Jamestown every year, and New Town was still dynastic, a 7th-grader from Bowman County placed 81st place at state cross country, running 19:23 and scoring as the fifth runner for fifth place Bowman County. Five years later, and that same runner- senior Austin Wanner- finished first place individually at the state cross country meet, helping his team to their third consecutive state title. His team scored 18 points, a level of dominance not often seen at the state level. For Austin, it was the culmination of years of hard work. </p><p>In 2018, he placed 36th with a time of 18:16. </p><p>In 2019, he was 16th with a time of 17:28.</p><p>In 2020, he was 12th with a time of 17:18. </p><p>In 2021, he was 4th with a time of 16:39. </p><p>This year, he won with a time of 16:04. </p><p>The progression here shows commitment to the process and a refusal to give up. He owns track pr's of 2:00 in the 800, 4:30 in the 1600, and 9:49 in the 3200. He loves running, he's worked hard, and now he finally gets to celebrate that individual championship in state cross country. Here is a question-and-answer interview with Austin Wanner of Bowman County. </p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> Congrats on your victory! Now that you’ve had some time to decompress and take a step away<br />from state cross country, how do you feel? This was your first state title, right?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">Thank you! I feel great. Knowing that all the work you put in finally paid off is all you can ask for.<br />Our whole team had a perfect day, so I am still over the moon for them. Yes, this is my first<br />individual title, but I also have the three cross country team titles and a 4x800 title last track<br />season.</span></p><p>At some point, whether it was last year, this summer, or this fall, you probably realized that<br />winning state cross country was something you had the ability to do. When was that point? How<br />did it affect your outlook on this season?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">Winning a state title was my dream since 7th Grade, but it was just that, a dream. I wasn’t doing<br />anything at that time to prepare, it was just something I knew would be cool to achieve. Then I<br />saw Brian Miller win a title, I knew it would be feasible. It wasn’t until I started summer training<br />that the dream turned into a goal. After that point, I wrote it in my running journal every day.</span><br /> </p><p>Take us through your title-winning race. What was your strategy going in? Did you follow it? Any<br />surprises?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">The Jamestown course is very memorable, so when I knew I wanted to win, I would visualize all<br />the time. I knew exactly where I would want to make my move when the day finally came, so I<br />was confident in my race plan. When we were discussing our plans with the coach, the team’s<br />consensus was for everyone to get out hard. We had a great last few weeks of training, so we<br />were confident in our abilities. I knew we were going to get out fast, but I still wanted to stay<br />with the race plan I was visualizing for so long. When the gun went off, Caleb Sarsland had<br />different plans. The race strung out instantly. We went out way faster than I ever thought we<br />could, so my race plan was thrown out of the window. I was just trying to hold on the last mile,<br />and if you know Jamestown course, you would know that it’s not a great position to be in at that<br />point in the course. It wasn’t pretty, but I finished.</span><br /> </p><p>What’s the biggest barrier you had to overcome this season?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">I’d be lying if I gave this inspirational story about overcoming some major adversity. I had a few<br />niggles throughout the season, and at the time they were scary, but, in hindsight, they were all<br />negligible. The whole training block went as good as I could have hoped.<br /><br />One thing I did struggle with was nerves. I was putting a lot of pressure on myself all season.<br />What helped me though was a message I received from Bowerman athlete Josh Thompson <span style="color: black;">[editor's note: Bowerman TC is a professional distance running team in Oregon]</span>. I got<br />to talk with him on a Bowerman group run over the summer, and when my nerves were at their<br />worst, I asked him what he does to help with his nerves. One thing he said to me was “What<br />always helps me stay calm and focused is my training. The phrase I love that I remind myself<br />constantly before every race is ‘if you are prepared, you shouldn’t fear.’” I used this mantra not<br />just before races, but anytime my nerves got bad.</span><br /> </p><p>Your team, Bowman County, won their third consecutive state championship- this one in<br />DOMINATING fashion, scoring only 18 points. What does it mean to you to win a team title this<br />season as a senior?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">Yeah! We knew we were going to be solid this season, but I had no idea how good we’d be. I<br />believe that cross country is a team sport, so winning this title my senior year means more than<br />any other accolade could ever mean to me.</span><br /> </p><p>Help us get an idea of what it takes to win state as a team. What mindset do you and your<br />teammates have? What’s the atmosphere at practice? Where does success like this come from?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">From the first day of practice, the goal was the state title, so the mindset was always reaching<br />for that goal. We know what we have isn’t guaranteed, so we always keep each other<br />accountable and push each other to do one more rep during workouts. We joke around and<br />have fun, or “loosey goosey” as our coach calls it, but when it’s time to work, we put our game<br />faces on.</span><br /> </p><p>From what I can tell, it doesn’t seem that you lost to a North Dakota Class B Runner this season,<br />but many times you found yourself in the mix with Class A boys or South Dakota runners. How<br />important was it for you to get to race faster and deeper competition? What does it feel like to<br />be ranked #1, but then show up at a meet with the Williston boys?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">I try not to worry about who’s class A or class B. A race is a race. But I think being able to mix it<br />up with other runners we usually wouldn’t in the post season gives us great competition we<br />normally wouldn’t be able to see. I wish I would’ve been able to mix it up with the front guys a<br />little more, but that wasn’t how we set up our season. As far as the team results go, it’s good to<br />keep us reaching for something. It can get to someone’s head if you go to smaller meets and<br />easily win every week. It shows us that there’s always a bigger fish.</span><br /> </p><p>This year your team made the trip up to Grand Forks for the inaugural border battle. What did<br />you think of the meet?<br /><br /><span style="color: red;">Hands down, it was the best meet I’ve ever ran at. We rarely, if ever, have an easier week to<br />prepare for regular season meets, but for this meet, we were able to simulate what we would<br />do for state, so it was a perfect dress rehearsal. Everything about the meet seemed to run<br />perfectly. The course was great, the weather was great, and the drumlines were great. I also<br />loved that the lead ‘cart’ was a bike. If the state learns at least one thing from the meet it’s the<br />bikes.</span><br /> </p><p>What motivates you in practice to keep pushing, even when you are ranked #1?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">For most of the season, I wasn’t, and I preferred it that way. If it was up to me, I wouldn’t have<br />ever been ranked #1. The goal for the season was the state title, not to be ranked #1, so it didn’t<br />affect my motivation.</span><br /> </p><p>Do you have any plans after graduation? Are you interested in running at the college level?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">100%.<br />I don’t know where yet, but I know I want to continue competing. I have a lot more to give to<br />the sport. I’m talking with a few coaches and have some visits on the calendar, but nothing is set<br />in stone yet.</span><br />[editor's note: On November 9th, NDSU Track and Field announced via social media that Austin signed with them. You can see their announcement on twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/NDSUTrackField/status/1590450560465276928?s=20&t=BrKQXpj1MuIW8yc4RP5dcw" target="_blank">here</a>.]<br /></p><p>What is your background in sports? Did you start running at a young age, or is it relatively new?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">My family was always involved in running. My parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins all ran in high<br />school, so I knew I was going to be a runner too. I was doing elementary mile races since 4th<br />grade, but I didn’t start training until 7th grade.</span> </p><p> </p><p>Talk a little bit about your training. What kind of routes and workouts does Bowman County do?<br />Do you have a favorite workout?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">Our team runs relatively low mileage. I peaked at 40 miles a week in season, but the team<br />peaked at 35, and this was a jump from what we normally do. Some of our key workouts are<br />800-meter, 1000-meter, and 1-mile repeats. We usually rotate between those three, so we<br />don’t have some secret workout, our success comes from the work we put in.<br />We run most of mileage and even some workouts on a long stretch of dirt road we call cemetery<br />road, not because it’s deadly, but because it’s by the cemetery. It’s our version of the famous<br />Hawley Road.</span><br /> </p><p>Any plans to race at a regional meet in cross country, or is your season over?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">I’m planning to run NXR, but we usually don’t take the race too seriously, and training hasn’t<br />been ideal either, so I’ll show up to NXR to have a good time.</span><br /> </p><p>Any plans for a winter sport, or is it time to focus on track?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">Probably not. After NXR, I’ll take some time off and gear up for track season</span><br /> </p><p>Speaking of track, any early thoughts about what you might want to accomplish during track this<br />year?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">There are a few records I’m eyeing…</span><br /> </p><p>What is running to you? Why do you do it?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">It started as something that I just knew I was going to do. Since my parents and other family<br />members ran, I knew I was going to run too. As I stuck with it though, it has become a passion. I<br />couldn’t imagine my life without running.</span><br /> </p><p>What’s your favorite place (so far) to run in North Dakota?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">I need to go and run different places around the state eventually, my scope is pretty limited. So far, I<br />would have to say cemetery road in Bowman. It has the most elevation gain in the area and the<br />scenery is beautiful. I’m glad I like running there, since we spend most of our time on that road.</span><br /> </p><p>Do you have any North Dakota runners that you look up to? What about college or professional<br />athletes? Who has inspired you?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">I look up to so many people. As far as local athletes, I really look up to Brian Miller and Alex<br />Bartholomay. Since they were both Bowman athletes, I would look up to their achievements and<br />think to myself, “hey, I can do that too.”<br />I also follow professional running very closely, so there are a ton of people who I look up to. One of<br />the biggest inspirations to me is Eliud Kipchoge. His no human is limited slogan has always been a<br />huge motivator for me. People like Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Cooper Teare, Cole Hocker, and Grant<br />Fisher are also heroes to me. Josh Thompson is another person I really admire. Like I said, him taking<br />time out of his day and giving me advice when I needed it and checking up on my season was so cool<br />to see.</span><br /> </p><p>Can you offer up any advice you’ve learned along the way to people who might be interested in<br />cross country?</p><p><br /><span style="color: red;">You have to be obsessed. Whatever your goal is, always have it in your mind. You have to live and<br />breathe the goal. Obsession will beat talent 100 percent of the time.</span></p><p><span style="color: red;"> </span></p><p><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">Thank you Austin for taking the time to answer some questions and share with us what it means to be a state champion! Best of luck moving forward!</span> </span><br /></p>Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15222477277724716117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920771319573983588.post-79047003329637619522022-01-20T19:46:00.000-06:002022-01-20T19:46:20.952-06:00ND Runner Interview #12- 2021 Class B Girls State XC Champion Brynn Hanson<p>On October 21st and 22nd, 2021, the North Dakota State Cross Country Meet was held at Parkhurst Recreation Area just outside of Jamestown, ND. The Class B races were held on Friday, and the Class A races were held on Saturday. </p><p>In the Class B races, held in nice conditions of a light breeze and temperatures in the 40s, the Bowman County men prevailed for the second year in a row, while Ian Busche of Beulah-Hazen took the individual title. On the girl's side of things, Rugby won their third consecutive team title as 8th grader Brynn Hanson of Des-Lacs/Burlington took first place. </p><p>The next day, in similar conditions for the Class A races, Williston showed team greatness by winning both the boy's and girl's team titles. They also won the individual title in the girl's race, with Eleni Lovgren winning by 17 seconds, while Aiden Johnson of West Fargo Sheyenne ran away with the boy's race. </p><p>The following is part of a series where I do a Q&A interview and each of the individual state champions. Last year's interviews, along with many other interviews and North Dakota running research can be found <a href="http://northdakotarunner.blogspot.com/p/north-dakota-running-research.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8L-B2evF-12mjW65CD2v-t8-faiSpmO7yyhcxYgIPX6hlPn4X81jrgwWye-YMAwDuUoCgot3_OVNSsivz--IuaBfZF0JEdGLHgLHhi7usJVZL1BgTN-AXhNh1nb8e7WgArQaenkStl4vdFXimZ3VyT3EaAdI16pbhISUTasQktNc4OoO84oVKW9XH=s4096" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2731" data-original-width="4096" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8L-B2evF-12mjW65CD2v-t8-faiSpmO7yyhcxYgIPX6hlPn4X81jrgwWye-YMAwDuUoCgot3_OVNSsivz--IuaBfZF0JEdGLHgLHhi7usJVZL1BgTN-AXhNh1nb8e7WgArQaenkStl4vdFXimZ3VyT3EaAdI16pbhISUTasQktNc4OoO84oVKW9XH=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Tom Mix / NDHSAA Media Specialist<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">In the fall of 2020, the top-placing 7th grader at state cross country was Brynn Hanson of Des Lacs-Burlington High School, just west of Minot, ND. She placed 10th with a 5k time of 20:15. Later that school year, at state track, she completed the distance quadruple, running all four distance events at the state meet- placing 4th in the 1600, 6th in the 800, 13th as a member of the 4x800, and won the 3200 in a time of 11:31.35, her first state title. With how young the whole state was for Class B girls, it was really a toss-up as to what would happen in the next cross country season. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Relying heavily on previous year's results, Hanson was ranked 8th in the first coaches poll and 6th in the second. Due to not seeing many girls in the top 10 throughout the regular season, she was overlooked in the polls, and she didn't even crack the top 5 until the 5th week. On the course, she was dominating, winning most of her meets during the regular season, with an exception- a loss to Hannah Westin of Shiloh at the Skyhawk Invitational on September 18th. Avenging that 24-second loss, Hanson came back and won the West Region Meet, besting Hestin by four seconds with a PR of 19:19. </div></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Two weeks later at the state meet, she roared to a first place finish with a time of 19:25- 15 seconds better than anyone else in the field and 21 seconds better than Westin. She still has five years of track and four years of cross country left!<div><br /></div><div>Now that we are soon approaching the start of track season, we have a chance to meet the final of our 4 state champions. Thanks to Brynn for taking the time to answer these questions!<div>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">1.)</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Congrats on your victory! Now
that you’ve had some time to decompress and take a step away from cross
country, how do you feel?</span><span style="color: red; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></div><div><span style="color: red; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: red; text-indent: -0.25in;">I feel good about the
season! Every time I think about cross country or now track coming up, I get
very nervous and excited.</span></div><div><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">2.)</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">At some point, whether it was
last year, this summer, or this fall, you probably realized that winning state
cross country was something you had the ability to do. When was that point? How
did it affect your outlook on this season?</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;"><span style="color: red;">I think I realized I could do a
lot better than the year before when I was able to get a qualifying mile time
last spring. I didn’t realize what I could do, and I was still learning that up
until the state meet this year. I think it really hit me when I was able to
come away with first place finishes at Rugby and Regionals.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">3.)</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Take us through your
title-winning race. What was your strategy going in? Did you follow it? Any
surprises?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-left: .5in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red;">I was more focused on racing instead
of time, which I think is most people's strategy at state. I was just making
sure to be in the right positions and use the tips my coaches gave me. If
anything, I was surprised how strong I felt throughout the whole race.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">4.)</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Incredibly, you only lost one
race all season- to Hannah Westin from Shiloh at the Skyhawk Invitational. Even
though you beat her at the Region and State Meets, she beat you by 24 seconds
that day. What was different that day? How did it affect your mindset the rest
of the season?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red;">I actually placed third at a
Velva meet during the beginning of the season. I had never beat Hannah in any
cross country meets before the Rugby meet, so I didn’t really expect to win the
Skyhawk Invitational. I know Hannah is a strong competitor and my goal was just
to stick with her as long as I could. After that race, I hoped to be able to
close the gap between us.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">(editor's note- sorry Brynn that I didn't know about the Velva meet! It's not on athletic.net and that's what I used...)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">5.)</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Last school year you won the
3200m title at state track as a 7</span><sup style="text-indent: -0.25in;">th</sup><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> grader. What is your background
in sports and competition that allowed you to already be at that level in 7</span><sup style="text-indent: -0.25in;">th</sup><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
grade?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-left: .5in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red;">Winning that race was very
surprising for me. I didn’t expect that at all. I really only had experience
from cross country that year, but I’ve done little recreational runs in
elementary school which introduced me to the sports. Before that, my only sport
was hockey. Hockey is really different from running because you use different
muscle groups and it’s a whole different game. So, I really have no idea!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">6.)</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">As a result of last spring,
did you feel pressure or a target on your back this season?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red;">A little, but my parents kept
reassuring me that the only pressure I felt was being put on me by myself. I
tried to stay calm before each race, and reassure myself that whatever
happened, my family would be proud.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">7.)</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Talk a little bit about your
training. What’s your favorite kinds of workouts? What do your easy/mileage
days normally consist of?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-left: .5in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red;">I just follow the coaches plans, and
try to do them to the best of my ability. I really like speed days and lifting
because I know it plays a big role behind the scenes. The farthest run we did
this season was seven and a half miles. We’ve only had our program for two
years, and our training plans have really grown from last year.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">8.)</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The next girl on your team to
finish was almost a minute a half behind you, and the top boy on your team was
about 20 seconds in front of you. I’m assuming that there are times in workouts
where you’re by yourself pushing in the front. How do you get through that?
What motivates you? </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-left: .5in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red;">I know that if I don’t push myself
and try my hardest with each workout, it isn’t going to benefit me. Usually I
will run with someone that is also wanting to push themselves that day.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">9.)</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Do you participate in any
winter sports, or do you get ready for track? </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red;">I play hockey and between practice
and games it’s a busy schedule. I know I need to run on those few days we don’t
have practice, but I don’t always get to it. I really enjoy both sports, but I
try to focus and dedicate my time to the sport I’m currently competing in.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">10.)</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Speaking of track, any early thoughts about what you might
want to accomplish during track this year?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-left: .5in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;"><span style="color: red;">Right now I’m just trying to
focus on my hockey season, and trying to get a few runs in. I don’t like
thinking about it because it makes me super nervous, but I want to try and
uphold everything from last track season and also do better. I might not be
doing as much for track as most kids, but I hope I can use the things I learned
last year to have a great season.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">11.)</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">What is running to you? Why do you do it?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-left: .5in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red;">Running helps me to get in shape for
hockey and some time to focus on myself. I’m left with my thoughts and feelings
when I run, and I like having this time to think. My mom was a runner and she helps
me stay motivated through everything I choose to do.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">12.)</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">What’s your favorite place (so far) to run in North Dakota?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red;">So far it’s the courses that I
ran my state meets on. During the first race, the trees were covered in snow
and it was really calm when you weren’t around anyone cheering. During the most
recent race, there was a very pretty view over the water, and the weather was
great too.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">13.)</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Do you have any North Dakota runners that you look up to?
What about college or professional athletes?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red;">I had the opportunity to go to a running camp and interact with
people like Maddie Van Beek and Annika Rotvold. They both are amazing athletes
and I hope to be able to accomplish a fraction of what they have. Andrew
Carlson is also an amazing person and runner, and he is able to make running
enjoyable and put it on a deeper level.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">14.)</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Can you offer up any advice you’ve learned along the way to
people who might be interested in cross country?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-left: .5in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;"><span style="color: red;">I’ve learned that people really
like to exaggerate on how running is hard and there’s no point, but I think
that people's opinions shouldn’t always influence yours. I think the whole
point is that there are lots of things that are hard, and you have to be able
to get over that mental block and take on challenges. Also, it really is fun
and you meet so many amazing people.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><br /></p></div></div>Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15222477277724716117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920771319573983588.post-90536726421520211602021-12-28T07:49:00.001-06:002022-01-20T19:43:24.064-06:00ND Runner Interview #11- 2021 Class A Girls State XC Champion Eleni Lovgren<p> On October 21st and 22nd, 2021, the North Dakota State Cross Country Meet was held at Parkhurst Recreation Area just outside of Jamestown, ND. The Class B races were held on Friday, and the Class A races were held on Saturday. </p><p>In the Class B races, held in nice conditions of a light breeze and temperatures in the 40s, the Bowman County men prevailed for the second year in a row, while Ian Busche of Beulah-Hazen took the individual title. On the girl's side of things, Rugby won their third consecutive team title as 8th grader Brynn Hanson of Des-Lacs/Burlington took first place. </p><p>The next day, in similar conditions for the Class A races, Williston showed team greatness by winning both the boy's and girl's team titles. They also won the individual title in the girl's race, with Eleni Lovgren winning by 17 seconds, while Aiden Johnson of West Fargo Sheyenne ran away with the boy's race. </p><p>The following is part of a series where I do a Q&A interview and each of the individual state champions. Last year's interviews, along with many other interviews and North Dakota running research can be found <a href="http://northdakotarunner.blogspot.com/p/north-dakota-running-research.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </p><p>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTag5OrheameA17-Q9JXf1HV74wkGozNeIpWHqTYc0LxsYiUDJaMk2rynj4_XKx-85pl7Zqju3Fe6X7PvWXZkH75dQrm-VhkQAXo3BTKXOLnZu9AJv6MeTNl1t-vG-7DLoi8jCqYUsfxWuFt_JtIxInEeTwOZSpX703mWmpH9aevgj0_cLNO9gtVrD=s4096" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2731" data-original-width="4096" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTag5OrheameA17-Q9JXf1HV74wkGozNeIpWHqTYc0LxsYiUDJaMk2rynj4_XKx-85pl7Zqju3Fe6X7PvWXZkH75dQrm-VhkQAXo3BTKXOLnZu9AJv6MeTNl1t-vG-7DLoi8jCqYUsfxWuFt_JtIxInEeTwOZSpX703mWmpH9aevgj0_cLNO9gtVrD=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Tom Mix / NDHSAA Media Specialist<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Eleni Lovgren first ran at state cross country in 7th grade, placing 41st with a time of 20:33. By the time she finished middle school, she had already jumped up to 10th place. Freshman year brought her first first-team all-state placement in 8th place, and she continued climbing upwards, finishing 5th as a sophomore and 4th as a junior. However, between cross country and track, placing higher than 4th remained elusive. Last year, when she was a junior, her team benefitted from two new fast 7th graders and won the team title. But individually, it had been hard to be so close to the top year after year without quite reaching it. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Going into this season, Lovgren was not the top returner, because at the previous state meet Jaelyn Ogle from Watford City had finished 20 seconds ahead of her. This however did not deter coaches from voting Lovgren the preseason favorite in the first coaches poll. I also picked her as my pre-season favorite, and my logic was based only on the fact that she had run a really strong, course-breaking 5k race at the Maah Daah Hey the summer before the season started (evidence <a href="http://northdakotarunner.blogspot.com/2021/08/2021-north-dakota-high-school-cross.html" target="_blank">here</a>). Williston as a team was ranked #2 behind Bismarck High. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As the season went on, Eleni showed that she was truly the person to beat in the state of North Dakota, and Williston as a team showed that they could tangle with anybody in the state, and in fact commandingly won the Region Meet. Eleni had a lone blemish at that same meet, placing second by 12 seconds to Bayla Weigel of Bismarck High. However, she turned loss into gain and turned around to win the State Meet by 17 seconds, her first individual title, and helped her team to their 2nd team title in a row (winning by 47 points). She stayed focused year after year, and it finally paid off!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Below is Eleni's answers to my questions. It's always fun to get to know these great athletes a little better. Thank you Eleni!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: small;"><p dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">1.) Congrats on your victory! Now that you’ve had some time to decompress and take a step away from cross country, how do you feel? This was your first state title, right?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;">Thank you so much! Yes it was my first state title. Winning state cross country has been my goal for a long time now, and it’s just now setting in that I actually accomplished it. I’ve watched other people win it for the other five years I’ve been in cross country, and I’m blessed that it’s my turn to be one of those people now.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">2.) At some point, whether it was last year, this summer, or this fall, you probably realized that winning state cross country was something you had the ability to do. When was that point? How did it affect your outlook on this season?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;">I’ve known since 7th grade that I could win state cross country someday, and it’s always been my goal. More recently though, I ran a hill workout this summer and felt super fit, and after that I thought of the title as mine to lose, even though nobody else probably saw it like that. </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">3.) Take us through your title-winning race. What was your strategy going in? Did you follow it? Any surprises?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;">I had a clear strategy going into the race, and I stuck to it. My plan was to start out conservatively and work my way up to the front, using the turns and the hills to my benefit. I planned to take the lead with 800 left if I didn’t have it already. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;">As far as the actual race goes, it went almost exactly to plan. I was in 7th for the first 400 meters, and I worked my way up to 2nd by the first mile. I felt strong and relaxed so I made another move. I took the lead at the mile and a quarter and never looked back. The only surprise was how early I was able to take the lead.</span></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">4.) After a season where you were winning every meet in the state of North Dakota, you took second at the WDA Region Meet. What changed in that race? How did it change your mindset going into the state meet?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;">I’ve thought about that race a little, but I’m still not sure exactly what happened. I ran to the best of my ability for that day but came up short. It definitely changed my mindset, but in a good way. I went into state with a chip on my shoulder and focused hard on my recovery for the next two weeks. I liked the underdog position I was put in. My one and only individual goal this season was the state title, and I trusted God with that. All I can say is that I didn’t win WDA for a reason, and God’s plan is better than mine.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">5.) For the last couple of years, many athletes felt like they were racing for second because Meghan Ford was running some crazy fast times. Did you feel like the competition opened up a little more this year?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;">Only somewhat. Athletes like Meghan don’t come around very often, and they’re tough to beat, but the competition was still strong this year.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">6.) Did you feel pressure to win state this year? Like a target on your back?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;">The only pressure I felt was from myself. I reminded myself constantly that it was my last chance to get my goal, and that I was going to do everything in my power to get it. It was a good kind of pressure though, the kind that motivates me every day and drives me towards my goal, and tells me to do one more mile or run one more rep.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;">I never really felt like I had a target on my back, or like I was the clear favorite. It seemed to me like the other contenders for the title looked at winning as their goal, not beating me.</span></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">7.) Your team and the boy’s team both won the state titles as a team. What was it like to train on a team that has had such a successful season? Was that the goal for the teams all along- to win state? Do you have teammates that can push you in practice?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;">It’s a whole different experience training with a team that is training for a title. I’ve been on both ends (only four years ago our team took 16th at state) and the energy at practice is completely different. It felt like that last year especially; all we talked about during workouts and recovery runs was winning the title. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;">Winning state was the goal for both of our teams all along, and that’s all we had in mind. Most of our girls team are middle schoolers, so I trained with the boys team in the summer so that I could get some higher mileage weeks in. They pushed me a lot, both in recovery runs and workouts, and that’s where I gained a lot of confidence about the upcoming season.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">8.) What did it mean as a senior to come out here and get the win when it mattered most?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;">It meant the world to me. All the years I’ve worked for it paid off, and coming down the home stretch I felt incredibly blessed that it was actually happening. It’s crazy thinking that October 23rd was the climax of all my training since seventh grade, and everything fell into place perfectly when it mattered most. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;">All of my family was there too, and I was happy to make them proud because that’s what I work for too. Whenever I’m struggling in a workout I think of them, and I keep going because I want to make them proud. I know that they’d be proud of me anyways, but I was glad to be able to win it for them. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;">It just felt good to end my high school cross country career on a good note, and leave North Dakota with the best race of my life and with my name in the history books.</span></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">9.) Do you have any plans after graduation? Are you interested in running at the college level?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;">Yes! I’m definitely planning on running in college, and I’ve visited a few schools but I’m still uncommitted. I would’ve liked to be signed a bit sooner, but I’m taking my time and making sure I consider all of my options. Besides that, I don’t have any summer plans yet except for trail and road racing.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">10.) What is your background in sports? Did you start running at a young age, or is it relatively new?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;">I’ve been running most of my life, probably since second grade. My dad ran cross country and track in high school, and he got me into it. I ran through the rec programs, but I never wanted to go to practice. Once I got to practice I remembered how much I loved running fast. By the time I was eight or nine I was running almost every day in the summer, and “training” for the one-mile kids road races.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">11.) Talk a little bit about your training. What’s your favorite kinds of workouts? What do your easy/mileage days normally consist of?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;">My favorite cross country workout is either start pace 800’s on the bike path or 300’s at mixed race paces. My go-to for track is eight 400’s at 1600 pace, but I’m planning on switching it up more this year. My regular runs are typically 7 miles when I’m healthy, but 5 miles or aqua jogging when I’m not.</span></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">12.) You raced at the Nike Regional Meet. How did you prepare after the North Dakota season ended? How did the race play out for you? Did you meet your goal?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;">I took two days off after the state meet, then got back into training. I mostly just ran mileage and regular runs, and I didn’t prepare well. My goal was top 10, but I DEFINITELY did not reach it (I got 62nd). I ran 18:43, which was a huge course PR for me, and one of my faster times this season. I gave what I had for the day so I can’t be disappointed with the results. Overall it was one of the most fun races I’ve ever ran and a great way to close out my high school cross country career.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">13.) Any plans for a winter sport, or is it time to focus on track?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;">Time to focus on track! I started training November 29th, and I have big goals that I’m working towards.</span></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">14.) Speaking of track, any early thoughts about what you might want to accomplish during track this year?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;">Yes, I have one big goal that I’m focusing on, and I’m keeping it private and working towards it every day.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">15.) What is running to you? Why do you do it?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;">I run because I love it, but also because I love winning and competing. It also gives me a purpose and goals to chase, and I’m a very goal-oriented person so that’s important to me.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">16.) What’s your favorite place (so far) to run in North Dakota?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;">The Maah Daah Hey trail. I go to the Long X trailhead with my dad to run and bike pretty often, and we race at the Maah Daah Hey trail race every year. It’s the highlight of my summer.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">17.) Have you experienced adversity with running? If so, how did you overcome it?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;">Yes, there've been many seasons where I've trained harder than ever before and got little to no return for it. I started putting in a lot more miles my sophomore year of off-track, and started plateauing at that same time. Between my sophomore and junior year of cross country, I only cut one place at state and seven seconds off my PR. Between my freshman and junior year of track I only cut one second off my 3200 and got the same place at state both years. I fell at the finish of the 1600 at state and got outkicked for third. I only cut two seconds off my 800 and I had one of my worst 800 races of the season at state. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;">Even though it was tough, I overcame it by continuing to put in the miles and working harder each season. I never lost sight of my goal and eventually it paid off. It just showed me that hard work doesn’t always pay off right away, but if you keep showing up it always pays off eventually.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">18.) Do you have any North Dakota runners that you look up to? What about college or professional athletes?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;">I look up to Sean Korsmo a lot. He's a great role model as both a runner and a person, and he talks a lot about running for God and that’s influenced me quite a bit. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">As far as college and pro athletes go, my favorite has to be Deena Kastor. I read her book </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic;">Let Your Mind Run</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">, and it completely changed my mindset and the way I thought about running.</span></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">19.) Can you offer up any advice you’ve learned along the way to people who might be interested in cross country?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: red;">Set high goals and work for them. It’s a challenging sport with not a lot of glamour, but it’s extremely rewarding.</span></span></p></span><p><br /></p>Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15222477277724716117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920771319573983588.post-29062146500843754922021-11-11T11:42:00.001-06:002021-11-11T11:42:47.372-06:00ND Runner Interview #10- 2021 Class B Boys State XC Champion Ian Busche<p>On October 21st and 22nd, 2021, the North Dakota State Cross Country Meet was held at Parkhurst Recreation Area just outside of Jamestown, ND. The Class B races were held on Friday, and the Class A races were held on Saturday. </p><p>In the Class B races, held in nice conditions of a light breeze and temperatures in the 40s, the Bowman County men prevailed for the second year in a row, while Ian Busche of Beulah-Hazen took the individual title. On the girl's side of things, Rugby won their third consecutive team title as 8th grader Brynn Hanson of Des-Lacs/Burlington took first place. </p><p>The next day, in similar conditions for the Class A races, Williston showed team greatness by winning both the boy's and girl's team titles. They also won the individual title in the girl's race, with Eleni Lovgren winning by 17 seconds, while Aiden Johnson of West Fargo Sheyenne ran away with the boy's race. </p><p>The following is part of a series where I do a Q&A interview and each of the individual state champions. Last year's interviews, along with many other interviews and North Dakota running research can be found <a href="http://northdakotarunner.blogspot.com/p/north-dakota-running-research.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2uC9p0FAhuHDBnxLYIwrWLt6M8HYtNc_u3AkuwJCvHYQHrBznfiDohUU3Ltdec7Gt9ZNDZodYRPXtehaaFYAYj6RCVhy5ZAmAZWLDQhqRo7dvKPEvjHjIawAHLZOzIsHxG5UDjAn_qY/s2048/Ian+Busche.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2uC9p0FAhuHDBnxLYIwrWLt6M8HYtNc_u3AkuwJCvHYQHrBznfiDohUU3Ltdec7Gt9ZNDZodYRPXtehaaFYAYj6RCVhy5ZAmAZWLDQhqRo7dvKPEvjHjIawAHLZOzIsHxG5UDjAn_qY/w640-h426/Ian+Busche.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Tom Mix / NDHSAA Media Specialist <br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">At last year's state cross country meet, there were four boys that broke 16:40 in the Class B race. Three of them of were seniors, and the junior was Ian Busche. As the top returner, expectations were that Busche would win the title this year, as evidenced by his #1 ranking in the first coaches poll. Not only did he win the big meet, but he also didn't lose to Class B competition all season. He was dominant, and finished off a great senior season with a ten second victory at the state meet, his first individual state title. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />The journey to the top has been a long one for Ian, starting during the years when New Town was obliterating in-state competition and hogging places in the top-20 at the state meet. Ian started in 40th place at state as an 8th grader, moved up to 16th as a freshman, and cracked the top ten by placing fifth as a sophomore. Already close, he inched closer as a junior and finished third. This year he was able to finish the upward progression to first place, a great example of seeing success from continued hard work and focus over time. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />Below are Ian's answers to my questions. It's always fun to get to know these great athletes a little better. Thank you Ian!</span></p><p style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">1.) Congrats on your victory! Now
that you’ve had some time to decompress and take a step away from state cross
country, how do you feel? This was your first state title, right?</span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-left: .5in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;">It was a great season. This is my first state title, but
hopefully not my last. I just like racing, so I went out on the day and ran the
race. Sometimes you win, other days it's not even close, but on the day I had
what it took to win and that's what happened.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">2.) At some point, whether it was
last year, this summer, or this fall, you probably realized that winning state
cross country was something you had the ability to do. When was that point? How
did it affect your outlook on this season?</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;">Last year cross country season was when it became
obvious that I had a shot at a state title. I placed 5th my sophomore year with
only one runner that placed above me returning. Last year was a great season up
until state. I was undefeated and I had won every race against the two guys
that would eventually beat me at state. I ended up really tightening up in the
cold weather last year and overall it was not a great race. I ended up with
3rd. Last year taught me that your training and amazing races mean nothing if
you can’t get it done on the right day. This year I was a lot less concerned
about other meets and just really focused on the state meet itself.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">3.) Take us through your
title-winning race. What was your strategy going in? Did you follow it? Any
surprises?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-left: .5in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="color: red;">My strategy was
pretty basic, but I was certain no matter how the race went out, I would be
able to hang tight and make a big kick that nobody in the field could match. I
always do my best to take races out hard, but many times I fall off the pace
and my kick is what saves me in the end. I knew I had to use that to my
advantage, so I planned to stay in a pack with the front runners until the
hilly section of the course at 2 miles. I was in the lead but only by a step
until 2 miles, and once I made my move on the hills, it was apparent to me that
the other guys in the front pack were broken and it was just a matter of
keeping up the pace and finishing.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">4.) You didn’t lose to a Class B
runner all season. Your closest races were West Region and State. Did you feel pressure
throughout the season to not lose? Were you ever worried that someone was going
to beat you?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: medium;">At West Region and State it felt much different than every other
race. Other races to me were just about working on my fitness and getting after
it right from the gun, whereas West Region and State were all about the win, so they
were closer looking at the time, but putting on a 10 second gap in 800m is
pretty significant. I was not too worried about the meets during the season, or
even West Region, because in the end the only race that really matters to most people
is state. I won regionals last year, but ended up 3rd as I said at the state
meet against the same guys I raced against at regionals. That just proved to me
even more the importance of championship racing over fast times.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-left: .5in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">5.) One of the top Class B
distance runners in track, Caleb Hansen, runs for a Class A school during cross
country. Do you think that would’ve changed your mindset or </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">game plan</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> if he was in the Class B race?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-left: .5in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;">Caleb Hansen is a phenomenal runner, and I raced him once
this season, and I believe I beat him by about 30 seconds. In track he is a
great 3200m and 1600m runner with impressive times in both events. Caleb likes
to run from the front and take races out hard. On the other hand I like staying
in 2nd or 3rd place and betting on my kick at the end. I think my strategy
would have stayed the same, because whether he took it out slow or took it out
fast I would likely hang on and put in a big kick at the end, and he would try
to break me before then.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">6.) The next guy on your team
finished almost two minutes behind you. Assuming that means most </span>of your workouts you have to
run by yourself, how do you keep pushing? What motivates you?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;">My freshman year of XC was the only time I had somebody
to train with. He was a senior, Isak Olson, and we both had a shot at top 20
that year, because we were both 17 mid guys. Since he graduated I have always
done workouts on my own, and I motivate myself by just wanting to give my best
everytime I get out and do a hard workout. The satisfaction you feel after a
super difficult workout when you know that is the best you have ever ran is an
amazing feeling.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-left: .5in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">7.) What did it mean as a senior
to come out here and get the win when it mattered most?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-left: .5in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;">It was my last year to show that I had what it takes to win
the big meets. I really wanted to show people that with hard work, and a little
help from the man upstairs you achieve the things you've the things you're
working towards.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">8.) Do you have any plans after
graduation? Are you interested in running at the college level?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;">I have applied to the United States Air Force Academy as
well as the United States Military Academy. These are both colleges that have
amazing running programs and I most likely would not be recruited to run at
either, but if I was able to walk onto the track and field team or XC team I
would jump at the opportunity. If I am not able to run at either of these
programs, I would still love to attend them for academic reasons at the least
as well as serving this great nation.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-left: .5in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">9.) What is your background in
sports? Did you start running at a young age, or is it relatively new?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-left: .5in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;">I started Track in 7th grade and I only ran the 800m, and I
ran 2:16 and I was convinced to run XC in the fall, but I ended up dual
sporting football and XC that year. In track my 8th grade year I ran 2:08 for
800m and 4:49 for 1600m, so I decided to go all in on running.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">10.) Talk a little bit about your training. What’s your favorite
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">kinds</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> of workouts? What do your easy/mileage
days normally consist of?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;">My training does not consist of that much mileage a
week, which is why I think I could have huge improvements if I continue to keep
running. Every week I run between 20-25 miles a week. My long runs are either 5
or 6 miles, while my easy runs are normally 3-4 miles. A couple of workouts
that I have done is 5x1000 meters at 2:57, 8x600m at 1:48, and 12x400m at 68
high. We do all of these workouts either on grass, gravel, or concrete. Another
workout I remember doing is an all out 2km on the road with 5-10 mph wind at my
back which I ran in 5:45. I then had a full rest which was about 10-15 minutes
and then ran an all out 1km at 2:49.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-left: .5in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">11.) Any plans to race at a regional meet in cross country, or
is your season over?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-left: .5in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;">I am still training and I will be racing at the NXR
Heartland Regionals. It is one more shot to try and break 16 minutes for 5km.
My best 5km was 16:08 at regionals, but there were many sharp turns and it was
extremely muddy on the turns. I think these few weeks since I started I haven't
lost any fitness. I might have even gained a tiny bit of fitness.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">12.) Any plans for a winter sport, or is it time to focus on
track?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;">I don't do any winter sports, so I have a lot more free
time in the winter. I'm a big outdoorsman, so I spend most of that time
hunting, fishing, or doing anything outside. I normally don't start training
for track until January, so I have quite a bit of time until I'll start running
again. I'll sometimes do an easy 3 mile run or something in December just fun,
but I don't start running seriously until January.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">13.)<span style="color: red;"> </span>Speaking of track, any early thoughts about what you might
want to accomplish during track this year?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;">I’m hoping to run some really fast times. I think that
will come along with getting out there and racing. I’m hoping to win the 800m
and the 1600m. I only raced the 3200m twice in my life. One time I ran 10:15 to
qualify, and then at state I ran 9:53 for 4th. If i could also win the 3200m
that would be the cherry on top.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">14.) What is running to you? Why do you do it?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-left: .5in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;">This is always a question I struggle with, because I don't
really have an answer. I really just enjoy getting outside and running fast,
and I don't really know why. There is something about running that always keeps
me coming back and I can't pinpoint exactly what it is.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">15.) What’s your favorite place (so far) to run in North Dakota?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;">I don't really have a favorite place to run. Most times
I run the same road north of my hometown hazen, because even though I live in
town it only takes me a quarter mile to hit gravel. I enjoy running the Bowman
County invitational, because it always happens early in the season so there is
no pressure and the course is gradual uphills so you can really push up them
and the downhills are just enough to let you recover.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-left: .5in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">16.) Have you experienced adversity with running? If so, how did
you overcome it?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-left: .5in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;">The biggest struggle I had was my freshman year of track. I was coming off a great XC season with a time of 17:16 on a tough course. My
prs were 2:08 and 4:49 and I was really hoping to make a big drop in time that
year. I started feeling lots of pain in my right leg, and I just kept getting
told it was just shin splints, so I kept running even though it kept getting
more painful. I was on and off with running because it was so painful, and I
finally went to the doctor and I found out that it was a pretty severe stress
fracture. This was two weeks before state, so I biked everyday and at state I
just barely prd with a 2:04 and a 4:47. This was really disappointing to me,
because I wanted so much more out of the season but it didn't happen. I knew
the only thing I could do is look towards next season. I had an amazing
sophomore XC season dropping my time to 16:34 and I thought that this track
season would be a big breakout season for me. Then Covid happened and my whole
season was cancelled. It was another big disappointment, but all you can really
do is keep putting in the work. Running is not an easy sport in any way, and
that's why it's worth it. A great man of
North Dakota, Theodore Roosevelt, once said, “Nothing in the world is worth
having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty. I have never in
my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many
people who led difficult lives and led them well.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">17.) Do you have any North Dakota runners that you look up to?
What about college or professional athletes?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;">I love cheering for North Dakota runner, but I often can't find anywhere to watch these races. I watch professional races all the time. I love watching guys like Joshua Cheptegei or Jakob Ingebrigtsen, and this list goes on, but my all-time favorite runner is Stewart McSweyn. McSweyn has some extreme range running a 3:29 1500m, 3:48 mile, 7:29 3000m, and a 1:02.52 half marathon all within a year of each other. The most impressive part about McSweyn's running is his strength. He almost always runs from the front and that is not an easy task. Not often have I seen him not lead a race, but even when he doesn't, he always makes a move over a lap to go rather than closer to the finish like most runners. I hate running from the front and that's a big reason I envy him. I know how tough leading is, and he does it so well. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">18.) Can you offer up any advice you’ve learned along the way to
people who might be interested in cross country?</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; margin-left: .5in; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;">Running is either something you love or you don't. It's as simple as that. If you enjoy running, then keep running, if not then don't. I
wouldn't take much more running advice from me though. I’m not that smart, I
just run fast and make left turns.</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15222477277724716117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920771319573983588.post-41440890130719621432021-11-07T17:33:00.001-06:002021-11-11T10:57:12.093-06:00ND Runner Interview #9- 2021 Class A Boys State XC Champion Aiden Johnson<p>On October 21st and 22nd, 2021, the North Dakota State Cross Country Meet was held at Parkhurst Recreation Area just outside of Jamestown, ND. The Class B races were held on Friday, and the Class A races were held on Saturday. </p><p>In the Class B races, held in nice conditions of a light breeze and temperatures in the 40s, the Bowman County men prevailed for the second year in a row, while Ian Busche of Beulah-Hazen took the individual title. On the girl's side of things, Rugby won their third consecutive team title as 8th grader Brynn Hanson of Des-Lacs/Burlington took first place. </p><p>The next day, in similar conditions for the Class A races, Williston showed team greatness by winning both the boy's and girl's team titles. They also won the individual title in the girl's race, with Eleni Lovgren winning by 17 seconds, while Aiden Johnson of West Fargo Sheyenne ran away with the boy's race. </p><p>The following is part of a series where I do a Q&A interview and each of the individual state champions. Last year's interviews, along with many other interviews and North Dakota running research can be found <a href="http://northdakotarunner.blogspot.com/p/north-dakota-running-research.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </p><p>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETmxZ4jyRlhagrhwSZipbsy08SJzE2y5An60Bf20noAgBF7pIwB-HFy_MeQSTAUMc5mWHOWVWAdNAUWQWLthFhE3kwl0Z9eRHAfcTz5Qi4201Rr6jK0jnjVLMVLStMeohkU2qSrMMvuw/s2048/Aiden+Johnson.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="State Champion Aiden Johnson" border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETmxZ4jyRlhagrhwSZipbsy08SJzE2y5An60Bf20noAgBF7pIwB-HFy_MeQSTAUMc5mWHOWVWAdNAUWQWLthFhE3kwl0Z9eRHAfcTz5Qi4201Rr6jK0jnjVLMVLStMeohkU2qSrMMvuw/w640-h426/Aiden+Johnson.jpg" title="State Champion Aiden Johnson. Photo Credit: Tom Mix / NDHSAA Media Specialist" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: Tom Mix / NDHSAA Media Specialist </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>After last year's incredible and senior-heavy state track meet, the question was- who would rise up to fill the gap? All season, that answer revolved around the same three names- Aiden Johnson (WF Sheyenne), Ivan Askim (Williston), and Hunter McHenry (GFRR). Unsurprisingly, those names ended up being the top three at state, and in that exact order. Sophomore Aiden Johnson proved to be the class of the field, running away from his competitors in the final mile to win by ten seconds in a very good time of 15:34.</p><p> Aiden has been in the running scene for awhile, and I can recall seeing his name in local road races years ago, when he was quite young, running times that seemed absurd for people of that age. This victory was the culmination of a slow build through the state ranks- he was 16th at state cross country last year as a freshman and 38th as a 7th grader. He also came within ten seconds of the state 3200 record last year as a freshman, running a ridiculous 9:13 and somehow only placing 5th overall. He is a high-level talent with two more years to go. </p><p>Below are Aiden's answers to my questions. It's always fun to get to know these great athletes a little better. Thank you Aiden!</p><p>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>1.) Congrats on your victory! Now that you’ve had some time to decompress and take a step away from state cross country, how do you feel? This was your first state title, right?</p><p><span style="color: red;">This is my first state title. I feel mostly relieved because this was my main goal for the past few years, but I also feel excited to see what I can add to this.</span></p><p><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></p><p>2) At some point, whether it was last year, this summer, or this fall, you probably realized that winning state cross country was something you had the ability to do. When was that point? How did it affect your outlook on this season?</p><p><span style="color: red;">After placing very high at state track in the two mile, I knew if I put in a great summer of training and then performed in the fall, I could accomplish my goal of winning a state title.</span></p><p><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></p><p>3) Take us through your title-winning race. What was your strategy going in? Did you follow it? Any surprises?</p><p><span style="color: red;">My initial strategy was to stay with the lead pack through halfway and throw in a surge. I followed through with this, but I was surprised to see that Ivan was still there. I then shifted my focus on the big hill. I surged down it, and created separation. I kept the pace going and the gap only grew.</span></p><p><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></p><p>4) Throughout the season, you were winning all of your races against in-state competition, but then at the EDC Region Meet, you took second to Hunter McHenry. How did that change your mindset going into state? Do you two have a good rivalry?</p><p><span style="color: red;">It was definitely a surprise to lose the region meet, especially after my success in the regular season. After the loss, I made sure not to lose confidence, so I stayed focused and worked hard. I still knew I could win at state. We do have a slight rivalry, but nothing too major because this was only my first year I was good enough to even get close to him.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>5) Over the last few years, the level of Class A running on the boy’s side has elevated quite a bit. What does it feel like to be a part of the crazy fast times people have been throwing down?</p><p><span style="color: red;">It feels great that I can continue the success in class A. The crazy fast times being run only adds to the competition so I’m all for it.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>6) Going into this season, did you feel pressure to win? Did you feel like you had a target on your back?</p><p><span style="color: red;">Going into the season I definitely knew I had a good chance to win, but I never felt like I had a target on my back. I always try to run my own race and not pay too much attention to the competition.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>7) What is your background in sports? Did you start running at a young age, or is it relatively new?</p><p><span style="color: red;">I started playing hockey at the age of 6 and played it all the way through the age of 14. I started running track meets at the age of 9 and noticed I was actually really good at it.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>8) Talk a little bit about your training. What’s your favorite kinds of workouts? What do your easy/ mileage days normally consist of?</p><p><span style="color: red;">My favorite workouts consist of varying speeds. For example, maybe running some 1200’s and finishing off with some fast 200/400s. My easy days consist of a 6-9 mile run around 7 min. pace. My long runs consist of 11-14 miles and I usually throw something fast in the middle.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>9) Any plans to race at a regional meet in cross country, or is your season over?</p><p><span style="color: red;">My plans are to race both the Nike regions and the Eastbay regions. I plan on traveling to Alabama at the start of December to run in the Running Lane championships with some of the best runners from all over the country.</span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;">[editor's note: there are two major national meets for high school cross country: Nike (NXN) in Oregon, and Eastbay (formerly Footlocker, and before that Kinney) in California. Both meets need to be qualified for at a regional meet. The Eastbay Midwest Region is in Wisconsin, and the Nike Heartland Region is in Sioux Falls.]</span></p><p>10) Any plans for a winter sport, or is it time to focus on track? </p><p><span style="color: red;">I’ll probably take 1-2 weeks off and start training and lifting for track.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>11) Speaking of track, any early thoughts about what you might want to accomplish during track this year?</p><p><span style="color: red;">I want to hopefully win the mile and two mile at state. I also want to drop my 4:21 mile to a 4:10 and my 9:13 two mile to somewhere around 8:55.</span></p><p><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></p><p>12) What is running to you? Why do you do it?</p><p><span style="color: red;">Running to me is my getaway. If I don’t have a great day, I can go for a run and relax and get my mind off things. I run to see how much I can push myself to get better. That feeling after a great race is indescribable.</span></p><p><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></p><p>13) What’s your favorite place (so far) to run in North Dakota?</p><p><span style="color: red;">My favorite place to run in North Dakota is my lake, which is somewhere around Mayville, ND. I like running the long, hilly, country roads.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>14) Have you experienced adversity with running? If so, how did you overcome it?</p><p><span style="color: red;">I have had troubles with nutrition (iron) and growth plate issues in my foot (and covid of course). I overcame it by making sure I do the small things such as eating and sleeping. For my foot, I just had to wait it out. During covid, I made it my mission to get in as best shape as I could, but this was hard to do all alone.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>15) Do you have any North Dakota runners that you look up to? What about college or professional athletes?</p><p><span style="color: red;">I looked up to my previous teammate, Jacob, because he is very smart and educated about running. Seeing his work ethic allowed me to understand how hard it was to be an elite runner. He always pushed me when workouts were getting hard and always helped me stay motivated. The professional runner I look up to is Mo Farah because no matter how much the odds were against him, he always seemed to be able to pull out a win.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>16) Can you offer up any advice you’ve learned along the way to people who might be interested in cross country?</p><p><span style="color: red;">Cross country is very physically and mentally demanding so always be prepared to leave your comfort zone.</span></p><p><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></p><p>So there you have it! Congrats Aiden on your state championship! Stay tuned for the interviews with the other state champions!</p>Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15222477277724716117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920771319573983588.post-51128875942777619912021-08-17T13:38:00.002-05:002021-08-18T09:04:46.779-05:002021 North Dakota High School Cross Country Preview<p>With 2020 in the rear-view mirror, and with fall sports starting to ramp up, it's time to talk about what we expect to see this fall in North Dakota cross country. Last year presented significant challenges with some teams periodically being shut down to the covid, and low participation numbers for the same reason. Class A and B were dominated by seniors on the boy's side, opening up the field for a new batch of talent. Conversely, the girl's races did not have many seniors, and as a result we might see many familiar faces up front this year. Additionally, last year teams ran 7 runners at the state meet, whereas in the past they've been allowed 10. Will that be the case this year? I guess we'll find out. </p><p><br /></p><p>Please note that all predictions below are assuming that everybody from last year runs, and no new people pop up out of nowhere with breakout performances. Obviously there will be good new runners, but the previous year's results have proven over the last 10 years to be surprisingly accurate at predicting the next year's state meet. </p><p><br /></p><p><u style="font-weight: bold;">Class B Girls</u>: </p><p>The Class B Girls cross country state meet was dominated by Rugby last year, as the only team with less than 100 points (80), and having all five scorers finish before any other team (except Sargent) had three in. There was only four seniors in the top 30, and the winner was an unheralded freshman from Kindred- Peyton Gette. </p><p><u>Individual- What can we expect</u>? </p><p>Basically nothing. This division is the biggest toss-up. Consider these facts: </p><p>1.) Last year's state xc winner, Peyton Gette, didn't win her regional meet, and took 12th in the 3200m at the state track meet this past spring. </p><p>2.) Last year's 2nd place finisher, Norah Entzi from Edgeley/Kulm, took 10th in the 1600m and didn't run the 3200m at the state track meet. </p><p>3.) Last year's 3rd place finisher, Brooklyn Bartsch took 2nd in the 1600m and 8th in the 3200m at the state track meet. </p><p>4.) The girl that won the 3200m at the state track meet, Brynn Hanson from Des-Lacs Burlington, was only 10th at state cross country last year. </p><p>There's no pattern to predict from here. These girls are young and have no established leader that routinely wins on the big stage. I'm going to go with Hanson just because she won the 3200m at state track in the spring (most recent distance result), and as an 8th grader this year, probably has room for big improvements. </p><p><u>Team- What can we expect</u>?</p><p>It's probably going to be season three of the Rugby-show. Using last year's results, I removed all seniors and re-scored the meet, but only scored using 4 runners because any team with 2 or 3 seniors would be punished in the rescore. Here's what it looks like: </p><p>1- Rugby (46)</p><p>2- Bowman County (92)</p><p>3- Hillsboro/Central Valley (107)</p><p>4- Kindred (113)</p><p>5- May-Port CG (159)</p><p>As you can see, Rugby has half the score of the next closest team. They also have continued depth after their 4th runner. In the rescore, their 7th runner comes in at 41st place, which is better than every other team's #4 runner except Bowman County. Also, from the numbers you can see it's going to be a scrap for 2nd place on the podium. I predict Rugby will run away with it, and Bowman County in second. </p><p><br /></p><p><u style="font-weight: bold;">Class A Girls</u>: </p><p>The biggest move in the Class A this year is the departure of Meghan Ford from Jamestown. For the last couple of years it hasn't been hard to predict who would win state cross country or distance events at state track. Ford raced her way into the top ten in state history, often winning cross country meets by at least a minute. With her gone, there is now a void at the top. Who will fill it? </p><p><u>Individual- What can we expect</u>? </p><p>Amazingly enough, four of the top five returners this year are from either Watford City or Williston, which makes up a tiny, not-very-populated part of the state. But here we are. </p><p>Last year's 2nd place finisher, Jaelyn Ogle from Watford City, is the highest-placing returner. She placed 7th in the 1600m and 4th in the 3200m (behind three seniors) at state track in the spring. </p><p>Eleni Lovgren of Williston is the next highest returner. She placed 4th (behind three seniors and ahead of Jaelyn) in the 1600m and 5th (right behind Ogle) in the 3200m at state track. She also broke her own Maah Daah Hey Trail 5k record this summer- 19:04. What's significant is that she ran 1:30 faster than last summer, which means she's in better shape than last year. </p><p>The next highest returner is Acey Elkins of Mandan. She placed 6th at state xc, a mere four seconds behind Lovgren, and then placed 6th in the 1600 (ahead of Ogle, but behind Lovgren) and 6th in the 800 (ahead of Lovgren, and Ogle didn't run it) at the state track met. </p><p>The next high returner after that was 7th grader Dru Zander of Williston, but it doesn't appear that she ran at the state track meet last year. </p><p>I think it's likely a WDA athlete wins the title, and I'm going to go with Lovgren over Ogle for first and second. Lovgren's fitness is very impressive right now, but will it still be there at state in October? </p><p><u>Team- What can we expect</u>? </p><p>It's looking likely that Williston wins a 2nd title in a row this year. Last year they squeaked in front of Bismarck High for the title by a score of 75 to 78, and this year they bring back their top four and five of their top six. They have a chance to score fairly low as a result. Here's what the rescore of the top 4 returning runners looks like: </p><p>1- Williston (31)</p><p>2- Bismarck High (43)</p><p>3- Fargo North (85)</p><p>4- West Fargo (114)</p><p>5- Minot (119)</p><p>It's worth noting that even though Williston and BHS appear close, Williston's 5th runner comes in at 26th place in the rescore, while BHS's 5th runner comes in at 46, a big difference. </p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>Class B Boys</u></b>: </p><p>Last year's major event in Class B was that New Town's string of EIGHT consecutive state titles was ended by Bowman County, who won both the team and individual titles, and here's the kicker- they might be able to do it again. </p><p><u>Individual- What can we expect</u>? </p><p>There were five seniors in the top nine last year, but that means four of the top nine are coming back. </p><p>The fastest returner is Ian Busche of Beulah-Hazen, who placed 3rd and was more than 20 seconds faster than any other returner in the field. There was only one non-senior ahead of him at state track in the 1600m and 3200m last year, but it's likely that athlete won't be in this race. </p><p>That would be Caleb Hansen of Dickinson Trinity. In the creation of this post, I learned that Dickinson Trinity must not have their own cross country program, and instead co-op with Dickinson High. Hansen is one of the best class B distance runners, but he ran Class A for cross country in 2020. </p><p>If Hansen runs class A this season, I can easily see Busche running away with the title. If DT has their own program this season, that would make things interesting. I'm going with Ian Busche for the title. </p><p><u>Team- What can we expect</u>? </p><p>By all accounts, this year looks like a repeat for the Bowman County Bulldogs. Here's the rescore of the top four returners: </p><p>1- Bowman County (32)</p><p>2- Hillsboro/Central Valley (75)</p><p>3- Griggs-Midkota (99)</p><p>4- Killdeer (115)</p><p>5- Kindred (116)</p><p>Even if we add the fifth runner for some teams, Bowman County's score is still lower than Hillsboro's score with four runners. BC has shown aptitude for showing up at big meets over the last few years, and so don't discount their top returners, who are 4th, 6th, and 7th in the rescore- they could win an individual title as well. </p><p><br /></p><p><b><u>Class A Boys</u></b>: </p><p>At the end of last cross country season, we knew that Class A distance was highly competitive as compared to previous year. However, I don't think any outside observers could have predicted the madness that befell the state track meet in the spring, when the kids threw down the deepest 3200m final in state history, and it wasn't even close to any other race. Multiple kids breaking the state record, freshman running under 9:20- it's hard to describe in words what the race was. Below is a thread I created of the race if you'd like to see when I tried. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">2021 ND State Class A Boys 3200 Meter Run- A THREAD<br /><br />This race had: <br />-3 athletes break the state meet record of 9:03.56<br />-Records set for every individual place 1-8<br />-2 athletes break 9 minutes for the first time in the history of the state meet<br />And More! Let's dig in. <a href="https://t.co/DI4ijDetJD">pic.twitter.com/DI4ijDetJD</a></p>— Nate Peterson (@UND_runner) <a href="https://twitter.com/UND_runner/status/1399067326851518466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>While it may be true that we lost the most talented senior class possibly in state history (the entire top seven at state xc was seniors), there are some incredible runners coming up through the pipeline, and predicting which one will win state this year is a fool's game. I, fortunately, am a fool. <p></p><p>The top returner this year (from state xc) is Hunter McHenry of Grand Forks Red River, who will surely factor in their quest for a team title this fall. He ran 4:27 (1600m) and 9:38 (3200m) at state track in the spring, but that was only good enough for 5th-best returner in both races. At state xc, he finished with the same time as the next highest junior in the field. </p><p>That would be Caleb Hansen of Dickinson (remember him?) Hansen was the top non-senior in the Class B 1600m and 3200m last spring, but those times would have been behind McHenry in the Class A race. </p><p>The third-highest returner would be Quinn Roehl of Grand Forks Central. He was two seconds behind McHenry in the 1600m and did not run well in the 800m at state track in the spring. He was 11th overall at state cross country last fall. </p><p>There are four other names that I have to mention as serious contenders, and they are all young: </p><p>-Junior Fynn Krenz of Williston. Despite only being the 9th returner from state xc, he had a HUGE track season, and ran 9:21 in the 3200m, being the third returner in that fast race. </p><p>-Junior Ethan Moe of Williston. Despite only being the 8th returner from state xc, he also had a HUGE track season, culminating with a 4th place finish in the 1600m (4:17) and a title in the 800m, running 1:54. Watch out for the Williston boys. </p><p>-Sophomore Aiden Johnson of West Fargo Sheyenne. He is the 5th-fastest returner, but ran a great state meet, running 4:21 in the 1600m and an astounding 9:13 in the 3200m. Anyone who can come within 10 seconds of the previous state 3200m record as a freshman is a contender for a title. </p><p>-Sophomore Owen Sondag of Fargo North. Despite being 39th place at state xc last fall, he also had a great state meet, running 9:17 in the 3200m as a freshman. </p><p>I'm going with either McHenry of Krenz. McHenry is the fastest returner, and despite not lighting the track on fire last spring, Red River tends to do well at big cross country meets, and the fact that he'll be fighting for spots for a team title makes it even bigger. Krenz ran a huge 3200m in the spring, but then this summer he ran 1:25:32 for the Maah Daah Hey Half Marathon, which is an average of 6:20 pace for 13.1 miles through the Badlands, and he won by 10 minutes. He's clearly in great shape right now, and will also be fighting for a team title. I'm going to go with Krenz because I'm again leaning towards fast times on trail translating to cross country fitness even more than spring track results. I'm ready to be completely wrong, though. </p><p><u>Team- What can we expect</u>? </p><p>This one is easier- 2021 could be the first year since 2003 that a team from the EDC wins the state boy's title. Grand Forks Red River has a very strong returning squad. Below is the top-4 rescore. Please note that last year's winner- Bismarck Century- had five seniors, and thus only has two returners in the official results. I'm not too worried about the prospect of a three-peat, because graduating five of your top seven is almost impossible to replace in one year, and it appears that they didn't have any non-seniors in the 3200m at state track in the spring. </p><p>1- Grand Forks Red River (29)</p><p>2- Williston (75)</p><p>3- Grand Forks Central (88)</p><p>4- Dickinson (89)</p><p>5- Bismarck High (100)</p><p>Even adding fifth runners for team that do, GFRR is only at 64 points, which is tough to beat any year. I predict they'll win for the EDC this year. </p><p><br /></p><p>So there you have it! See you in October!</p>Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15222477277724716117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920771319573983588.post-7073228683453991992021-04-05T20:06:00.000-05:002021-04-05T20:06:56.895-05:00Depth- State Track Series Part 3<p>This post is the third in a series looking at the numbers of the North Dakota State Track Meet. The first two posts covered the top athletes- runners that won three or more state titles in one year- and a post looking at how the winning times in the distance events have changed over time. This post attempts to provide a little more depth to the topic by looking at the next runners behind the winners. As previously, I am indebted to the incredible work of Brad Leingang, who has compiled state track meet results dating back to 1903 and made them easily and publicly available. The page can be viewed here: <a href="https://sites.google.com/bismarckschools.org/bpstrackfieldxc/home/all-time-lists" target="_blank">https://sites.google.com/bismarckschools.org/bpstrackfieldxc/home/all-time-lists</a>. </p><p>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>A while back, I charted the winning times in the distance events at state track, and looked at how they changed over time. You can read that post <a href="https://northdakotarunner.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-winning-times-state-track-series.html" target="_blank">here</a>. The main conclusion in that post was that no matter what class or gender you look at, the best of the best in the state haven't really improved much over the last 20 years. Sure, certain individuals have broken state records, but there was no pattern over time. </p><p>The most reasonable question following that was- what about the mortals? Looking through historical results, and realizing that it's hard to get times for more than the top 3, 4, or even 5 runners at an event at state track until the 80s, I decided to look at the average of the times for finishers 3-5 in the 1600 meters for each division to get a sense of depth. Here's my reasoning:</p><p>1.) Trying to average the top 8 runners means I wouldn't start getting data until the mid-1990s.</p><p>2.) Not including 1st or 2nd place almost entirely removes the possibility of outliers, because usually we won't see more than one or two freak athletes per event per year. </p><p>3.) The 1600 meters is the distance that catches all the distance runners, including 800m and 3200m runners. </p><p>4.) The 1600 meters was competed earlier than the 3200 meters. </p><p>As a result, the following graphs provide a look at if it has become more or less difficult over time to score points in the 1600 meters at the state meet. By removing the outliers of places 1 and 2, these charts should give us a little more insight into whether the state has gotten "stronger" at the top over the decades. Sure, participation numbers are going up (ESPECIALLY in Class B), but does more mean faster? Let's take a look. </p><p><br /></p><p><u style="font-weight: bold;">First Look</u>: </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8AX1oOBraVNBtlWuMHduHSJeRqxY7ArTxfCkmv17-OVrlxVB7nJ-EcB6p2EZ3YtJUuhXri2uZIq_Fy8Alw99HMuhplRUpQTMUZwxWA3bmg6aPph9SooUn6EkA7gSViG0_b7jvK-VurY/s2048/DepthALL.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1165" data-original-width="2048" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8AX1oOBraVNBtlWuMHduHSJeRqxY7ArTxfCkmv17-OVrlxVB7nJ-EcB6p2EZ3YtJUuhXri2uZIq_Fy8Alw99HMuhplRUpQTMUZwxWA3bmg6aPph9SooUn6EkA7gSViG0_b7jvK-VurY/w640-h364/DepthALL.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>This chart will be broken down into its four different parts below. However, here we can get a glimpse of what the data will tell us. The horizontal axis provides the years beginning with 1972, and finishing with 2019 (the most recent state meet). The vertical axis provides the time that represents the average of places 3-5 in the given 1600 meter race. Each of the following graphs will use the same format. </p><p>From the graphs, here's what immediately jumps out: </p><p>1.) For the women, both classes showed improvement in times until the 1990s, which is reasonable because track had only recently been introduced as a sport for women. Times stagnated after that. </p><p>2.) For the men, there has been no discernable difference in time since the early 1970s, which is fairly similar to what the charts for only the first-place runners showed as well. </p><p>3.) On the men's side, there have been a couple of years where Class B averaged better than Class A, but it seems clear that those years were slow years for Class A- not necessarily fast years for Class B. </p><p>4.) On the women's side, there have also been a couple of years where Class B averaged better than Class A, and it appears to have been a combination of fast Class B years, and slow Class A years. </p><p>5.) 2006 and 2007 appear to be slow years for everyone, and I'll address that point later in this post. </p><p><br /></p><p>Let's look at each class individually: </p><p><br /></p><p><u style="font-weight: bold;">Class B Girls</u>: </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmso4WI7XpOMW-MvjgVv6fKDqyAcneLUYEuBQdot6l-jh7xxLLviq1-qYg0mGnIsC5iHMz6TdQplZzR-_Vpc9t5XXj_Rgi0TuXN21KoPG8_scJ_ryBIhO8qmzmkRY2gnxJU-Jme-g29tY/s2048/DepthBGirls.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1170" data-original-width="2048" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmso4WI7XpOMW-MvjgVv6fKDqyAcneLUYEuBQdot6l-jh7xxLLviq1-qYg0mGnIsC5iHMz6TdQplZzR-_Vpc9t5XXj_Rgi0TuXN21KoPG8_scJ_ryBIhO8qmzmkRY2gnxJU-Jme-g29tY/w640-h366/DepthBGirls.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>As mentioned above, there is a steep drop off early on, but that can be mostly attributed to the newness of women's track. By the mid 1990s, times leveled off, and started a variable swinging pattern that hasn't stopped. </p><p><br /></p><p>The fastest year for the 3-5 athletes so far has been 2016. In that year, 8th place was 5:18, which you'll note on this chart is faster than the 3-5 average most of the years so far (and would have won state in some years). Here are the top 5 from that year: </p><p>1- Peyton Frolek (Milnor/Wyndmere/Lidgerwood) - 4:59.05<br />2- Kate Fox (Southern Mclean) - 5:02.73<br />3- Ashley Perez (Oak Grove) - 5:06.92<br />4- Asha Smith (Watford City) - 5:07.56<br />5- Kayla Ogle (Watford City) - 5:08.02</p><p><br /></p><p>Note that when Krista and Lindsay Anderson, two of the all-time fastest Class B distance runners, were racing (2000-2008), some of those years don't correspond with the fastest times for the 3-5 runners, and some do. This is because they were outliers, won everything, and therefore don't get included in this data. Just because the top 2 are crazy fast, doesn't necessarily mean everyone else is, too. </p><p><br /></p><p><u style="font-weight: bold;">Class A Girls</u>: </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcJ_t2ahKlS7RybP7Dh2NX3ckqCUGHXoEAiP1TKh3ff02byCM22PWaVbkwX_8GrTb4VFtr2UHSOmKJD1LubPsh9pjsFTmNhOwoc-xytfyzpZCM9egyFE_qiupOV8AAcynit-CE-0pzKIM/s2048/DepthAGirls.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1181" data-original-width="2048" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcJ_t2ahKlS7RybP7Dh2NX3ckqCUGHXoEAiP1TKh3ff02byCM22PWaVbkwX_8GrTb4VFtr2UHSOmKJD1LubPsh9pjsFTmNhOwoc-xytfyzpZCM9egyFE_qiupOV8AAcynit-CE-0pzKIM/w640-h370/DepthAGirls.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Notice how for the Class A Girls, the graph looks almost exactly the same as the one above, especially with the peaking around 2007. This leads me to wonder if the weather was brutal for those state meets, and I'll be looking for that in the next two charts. Similar to the Class B girls, the times fall quickly until the mid 1990s, and then bounce until present-day. Because of recent fast years, the trendline for this graph would be generally downward throughout the whole set of data. We need a few more years after 2019 to really get a good idea if there is still a downward trend or not. </p><p><br /></p><p>The fastest year for Class A was also 2016, when 8th place was 5:07.49, which would be faster than the 3-5 average most of these years, and win state other years. That year Karly Ackley and Mattie Shirley-Fairbairn dueled in the 3200 and both ran 10:32; It was a pretty stacked year. Here are the top 5 in the 1600: </p><p>1- Karly Ackley (Grand Forks Central) - 4:53.76<br />2- Mattie Shirley-Fairbairn (Bismarck High) - 4:58.70<br />3- Kelby Anderson (Bismarck Century) - 5:01.03<br />4- Alexis Roehl (Grand Forks Central) - 5:02.82<br />5- Jennifer Dufner (West Fargo) - 5:03.69</p><p>At least four of these girls ran or are currently running division 1. </p><p><br /></p><p>Note also that the state record by Becki Wells from the early 1990s does not affect the data here, even though her time would be well off this chart. </p><p><br /></p><p><u style="font-weight: bold;">Class B Boys</u>: </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc0Lz9MhVcH7xa9rqJ54y5LKKJlcvMC4Yn4jxmNwoOW76ihTNOaSWWOOR3MO5jOpySHP6BEC85uuVnlqIdnsIQBN8sMSnId13r6ObO6ZtYJ9ptejOINsUUHgUBsVoYLa73FBSPZ9L185Q/s2048/DepthBBoys.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1234" data-original-width="2048" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc0Lz9MhVcH7xa9rqJ54y5LKKJlcvMC4Yn4jxmNwoOW76ihTNOaSWWOOR3MO5jOpySHP6BEC85uuVnlqIdnsIQBN8sMSnId13r6ObO6ZtYJ9ptejOINsUUHgUBsVoYLa73FBSPZ9L185Q/w640-h386/DepthBBoys.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Due to men's sports being around longer than women's, the men's race were already established by the 1970s. As a result, the steep drop off we saw with the women isn't here. In fact, there is no downward trend here at all. Furthermore, we can actually see a fairly pronounced UPWARD pattern here from 1988 to 2008, a period of 20 years. </p><p>The downward trend most recently on the graph (2012-2017) can be partially attributed to New Town's dominance and depth, but now that they have lost most of their best runners, it'll be interesting to see where the data heads in the next few years. </p><p>The fastest year on the books is, incredibly, 1981. Here's the top 5 from that year: </p><p>1- Rick Dressler (Flasher) 4:23.2<br />2- Glenn Mastel (Ellendale) 4:23.46<br />3- Paul Gordon (New England) 4:26.87<br />4- Tim Myron (Thompson) 4:26.87<br />5- Jeff Manley (Carrington) 4:27.36</p><p>Also with this chart, the slow times around 2006-2007 continue, and I'm really starting to wonder what the weather was like that year. Let's see if the Class A Boys have the same trend. </p><p><br /></p><p><u style="font-weight: bold;">Class A Boys</u>: </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifRqYTcuAdkY4efs4BgMyrMc2au_a0hS8D4E5YlGsSAyRJVObG8hNLsGgwR4wzRq_nuC8ipL93Pv8GFx6i1pZDPIQzfLRnnwlSHatOoQDJ6LkFEjlrwD3M-8orDRZYO2U-h8E3uEcOJUg/s2048/DepthABoys.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="2048" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifRqYTcuAdkY4efs4BgMyrMc2au_a0hS8D4E5YlGsSAyRJVObG8hNLsGgwR4wzRq_nuC8ipL93Pv8GFx6i1pZDPIQzfLRnnwlSHatOoQDJ6LkFEjlrwD3M-8orDRZYO2U-h8E3uEcOJUg/w640-h376/DepthABoys.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Another mirror image. Similar to the Class B Boy's chart, the Class A has no downward trend in times, and also has an upward trend through the early 2000s, culminating in another set of slow times in 2006-2007. Additionally, there is a slow year in 1992, which every other class shared as well. Must have been another bad weather year. </p><p>The fastest year for Class A was also from the 1980s, this time 1980 itself. This was another example of all athletes in the top 6 running fast enough to win state some years. Here are the top 5 from that year: </p><p>1- Greg Rohde (Bismarck Century) - 4:12.85<br />2- Jim Herberg (Grand Forks Central) - 4:15.2<br />3- Tom Dabill (Jamestown) - 4:18<br />4- John Alin (West Fargo) - 4:18.3<br />5- Tom Kringstad (Bismarck Century) - 4:21.17</p><p><br /></p><p>As for the slow times in the early 2000s and 1992, I reached out to the National Weather Services in Bismarck and Grand Forks and asked about the weather for the days of state track in 1992 (Grand Forks), and 2006 and 2007 (Bismarck). Here's what they had to say: </p><p>1992- "On the 22nd it was cloudy all day with a high of 47 with morning rain showers and north to northwest winds 15 to 20mph. On the 23rd it was 51 for a high with due north winds 10-15mph". </p><p>That second day was when Corey Ihmels ran the 9:03 3200m state record!</p><p>2006 and 2007- "For May 26th and 27th 2006, it was warm with the high both days 92. Both days were windy with southeast wind gusts to near 40 mph. We had 0.06 inches of [precipitation] on the 26th, and 0.49 on the 27th (thunderstorms). In 2007, the high was 56 on the 25th (with 0.75 inches of precip) and 58 on the 26th (0.25 inches of precip). Both of those days were also windy, with an east or northeast wind gusting again to around 40 mph."</p><p><br /></p><p>So there you have it- the weather was not great for the slowest years, especially 2006 and 2007. However, even if those years were 'normal' for times, we still wouldn't have a general downward trend in times. </p><p><br /></p><p>It's hard to draw too many conclusions from the given data, but I think the one clear fact is this: the times needed to score points in the 1600m at the state track meet has not generally changed in quite a while. </p><p>The following times are good goals for high school athletes to shoot for, as evidenced by the data. In general, hitting these times would, in most years, accomplish the desired goal for the athlete. In some years, the goal time would place them higher, and in some years lower, but in general the goals are still good:</p><p><b><u>B Girls</u></b>: Top 8: under 5:25. </p><p>Top 5: under 5:20</p><p>Top 1-2: under 5:05</p><p><u style="font-weight: bold;">A Girls</u>: Top 8: under 5:20</p><p>Top 5: under 5:10-5:15</p><p>Top 1-2: under 5:00</p><p><u style="font-weight: bold;">B Boys</u>: Top 8: under 4:35</p><p>Top 5: under 4:30</p><p>Top 1-2: under 4:25</p><p><u style="font-weight: bold;">A Boys</u>: Top 8: 4:30-4:35</p><p>Top 5: under 4:25</p><p>Top 1-2: under 4:20</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15222477277724716117noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920771319573983588.post-80796384023694327592021-02-13T17:50:00.003-06:002021-02-13T20:33:46.277-06:00Morning Run- A Memory<p> The grass beneath my feet was cool and damp. A soft orange glow hovered in the sky, accentuated by rays of light from the still-hidden sun. After a full night of breathing a sigh of relief, the dense air sat calmly, preparing to be attacked by sunlight once again. Nearby, birds welcomed the coming of the day with chirps that filled the silent countryside. I was in a sleepy fog, having recently rose from my slumber after another exhausting day of student teaching. My mileage was high, my sleep was low, but nevertheless I needed to continue. Wearing only a shirt, a wedding ring, and a pair of running shorts, I endured the creaks and cracks of tired legs and started putting one foot in front of the other. </p><p>The first few steps of a tired morning run are miserable. You're cold, you're still waking up, your legs don't work, and you're already thinking about the day ahead. My bare feet, still wishing for the tenderness of the bed, became acutely aware of the hard ground, and gravel road I had to cross soon after starting. The pace is slow, and breathing is more difficult than it should be. But then you remember that you love it, and you forced yourself out of bed for a reason. You remember what your goals are, and you know that doing this is how you accomplish your goals. </p><p>I ran through dew, with damp grass hugging my bare feet, as I continued past the evergreen row, attracting the attention of two deer. They paused their dinner to stare at me, and I slowly bounced past them on the other side of the road. I again crossed the gravel road and climbed up a short hill towards the woods. I looked behind me at the hilly upper Missouri countryside- Lake Sakakawea sitting still, a shimmer of steam silently rising up; a small herd of cattle on the hills, munching up the cool prairie grass; the glowing horizon, announcing the coming of the morn. I again faced forward and ran onto the cut prairie trail in between the woods. </p><p>As I run barefoot through grass on a calm morning in rural North Dakota, I hear nothing but the air flowing past my head. I hold my breathing, and I cannot hear my feet hitting the ground. There are no cars, planes, trains, boats, or people. It is at this point that I choose to do my favorite thing on a run in North Dakota: I stop. There is nothing. The English word 'tinnitus' is used to describe a ringing that people will hear in their ears, possibly during times of silence. This scientific-sounding word doesn't even begin to appropriately communicate this noise that I seek. One of my favorite things about North Dakota is the silence. There are many times that I have stopped a run because I can no longer ignore the heavy silence around me, and I love it. Every place I visited was judged by its ability to produce that ringing in my ears that only appears in the absence of any noise at all. Here at Camp, that sound was my daily morning mediation before school. </p><p>Land holds memories. As I continue running down the path, I see deer in the place where I see deer everyday. As the path branches off into the trees, I remember seeing my first porcupine. I look left and see where I had once made snow angels while searching for tinnitus on a cold winter's day. I come over the hill and see myself carrying the wooden cross while wearing the Jesus costume every Wednesday during summer camp. I come over the next hill and see myself sitting in the grass, watching thunderstorms roll across Lake Sakakawea while listening to whether or not God's plan had me staying at Camp my first summer. </p><p>By this point of the run, my legs are waking up, and each step takes less effort than the previous one- I'm floating. My feet are relishing the dew-covered grass, and my eyes are enjoying the colors bouncing in the sky. Above me and to the west, the sky is still dark and the last starry holdouts shine weakly in the approaching light. A circle of deeper orange is standing up in the eastern horizon, and the Lake, already reflecting the numerous colors in the sky, has started rippling to the push of a gentle morning breeze. I run the loop that represents my crucifixion in the summer, bound back through the prairie trails, and turn around at the gate to do it all again. </p><p>No matter what the day brings- teaching, planning, coaching, cooking, cleaning, talking, learning, sleeping- this is perfect. Though my watch continues to show the slow march of minutes, time stops. The beauty around me is undeniable, the silence unimaginable. There are no spectators, bosses, peers, students, campers, on-lookers, hunters, boaters, or fishermen. In this moment I have no other purpose but to keep running and feeling alive. </p><p> As I approach the hillside overlook on my way back to the Camp Wellness Center, I stop. Sweat beads roll down the side of my head, and I can feel my heart beating blood through my body, pulsating through my feet. I stare as the first sunlight cracks the prairie horizon. It's beautiful. For a few moments I take it all in, while my ears fill with tinnitus and the occasional moo-ing in the distance. I'm lost in it all. Eventually I'm snapped back to reality by the sound of a car traversing a gravel road miles away, and with the moment gone, I run back to the front door. As I begin the mental transition to stretching, eating, and getting ready for school, I take one last look behind me at the new morning, and I smile. <br /></p>Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15222477277724716117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920771319573983588.post-39066980902772644212021-01-02T16:34:00.001-06:002021-01-02T16:34:12.166-06:00New Year's Eve Run - Then and Now<p> Two years ago, on December 31st, 2018, at 11:00pm, Ingrid and I went out for a run. We were watching New Year's Eve stuff, and we decided to get out and run to ring in the new year, returning in time to see the celebration in Chicago, the largest city in our time zone (only being a 12 hour drive away). We were living in White Shield, a small blip on the radar on the Fort Berthold Reservation in northwestern North Dakota. Outside, the temperature stood at a balmy -20F with no wind and a host of starry sky. We threw on layers of pants, shirts, hats, gloves, and even a reflective vest for the brutal darkness of the prairie. We jogged down the quiet, empty streets, pausing at times to listen to the sounds of silence. After bracing the cold, we came back to the house and watched the New Year's celebration by ourselves, with a kiss, a drink, and a bedtime. </p><p><br /></p><p>Two years later, I find myself in a house bordering the Chesapeake Bay with Ingrid, my brother and his wife, my other brother, and my parents all tucked warmly into a rental house. As the clock ticked past 10:30pm on New Year's Eve, I told my partially-sleeping wife that I was headed out the door for a run. This time, I swapped the winter clothes for shorts and a long sleeve, with temperatures in the 40s, a breeze off the water and light drizzle in the air. As I stepped outside, the sounds of occasional traffic passing by, I started down the sidewalk that runs parallel to the beaches. As the minutes clicked by, I gave myself a chance to reflect on how radically different my life was compared to two years ago. </p><p><br /></p><p>When I finished college, I really only had two overarching goals- to teach in a small school, and to continue to train and race in college meets. I accomplished both. After student teaching in the small community of Garrison, ND, I got my first teaching job in the smaller community of White Shield, with its 150 students total K-12. My commute every day took me down a gravel road for five and a half miles, before turning onto a sleepy state highway for a 20 minute stroll through the prairie transition zone between the Midwest and the West. I taught Native students, met with Native educators, and learned more about reservation life and the MHA Nation than all the previous years of my life combined. I fell in love with high school sports, middle school students, and really found something worth fighting for. </p><p><br /></p><p>I continued to train. Every morning I'd head out and grind an hour on the gravel roads, filling my schedule with fartleks, tempos, long runs, and the occasional interval workout. When we moved into teacher housing in White Shield, my runs were done on the highway. I'd put on a headlamp and reflective gear and go off into the country. When I'd see a car 4 or 5 miles down the road, in front or behind me, I'd run to the other shoulder to make sure I'd be safe. In the rare event of a vehicle coming from each direction at the same time, I'd quick hop into the ditch. My minimalist shoes got holes in them, which caused my feet to start bleeding where bare skin met asphalt. With the closest running store more than four hours away, I had to order shoes online by myself for the first time. </p><p><br /></p><p>I experienced mild success. After college running, I struggled to get miles in while student teaching, but when I started training again, I surprised myself. I ran a 24:40 8k in cross country in the fall (narrowly missing my PR) at the UND home meet, and came back to finish the winter with a 15:04 indoor 5k (also a UND home meet, not close to my PR) while wearing a "Warriors" jersey from the school I was teaching at, as a way of supporting the community that was teaching me so much. I held on to dreams of being one of the fastest North Dakotans, continuing to go to college meets and impress, and keeping up with the blog. I wanted to race at UND meets and hold my status, I wanted to go to meets at the University of Mary and break stadium records, and I would go online and make sure my school records were still there. It was a continuation of college- always playing the comparison game and wanting to impress. Running was to run fast and win. </p><p><br /></p><p>Then, two things happened that affected a seismic shift in the way I view running. </p><p><br /></p><p>The first was attempting the Maah Daah Hey trail marathon on little training. I had been coaching high school track, and found myself only with enough time to squeak out a few 30 minute runs every week. I came in with unreasonable cockiness, assuming I could just sign up, run, and finish. After all, even when I wasn't in great shape I could still hop into local 5ks and 10ks and win or take second. That race defeated me and caused me to dig deep within myself in a way I didn't know existed- just to finish. I lost to first place by more than 20 minutes, and was more than a half hour off the course record, which I thought was going to be easy. My hamstring continually seized up during the last few miles, and for the next year, every time I tried to run fast or far, my hamstring would start to get sore or tight, reducing my ability to train. I tried foam rolling and massage therapy, but it took years to go away. </p><p><br /></p><p>Then we moved to Virginia. Moving to Virginia was something I never expected to do. In fact, my steadfast determination to never leave North Dakota and be the voice for ND Runners was partially responsible for a breakup before Ingrid and I started dating. I had built up this reputation as THE North Dakota Runner, who relished running in blizzards and dreaming away miles on drowsy gravel roads in the sweeping countryside. Virginia took all of that away- no more gravel roads, no more quiet places to run, and very few places to run safely at all. The joy of running started to fade, gently. I listened to music on my iPod to drown out the sounds of cars, I tired of running the same sidewalks in town every day, and even the local road races I went to felt hollow and unfulfilling. With nothing exciting to train for, I feel back into a pattern of just running for 30 minutes a few times per week. Injuries started to pile up, and the times I was trying to hit in workouts faded. My low point was running a turkey trot 5k in November 2019, where I ran my slowest time since my junior year of high school, and lost to a 15 year old. Something needed to change. </p><p><br /></p><p>I signed up for the Maah Daah Hey Trail marathon again and gave myself something to train for. I got new shoes. I increased my mileage. I started doing workouts again. I dragged my sorry butt out of bed at 5:30 am to get in a hilly 40 minute run before school each day. I ran intervals in the police parking lot. I did long trail runs at the local park and went with a friend to a couple of long runs on the Appalachian trail. My times were dropping, my fitness was coming back, and before my race I even did a couple trail runs in the mountains and on the Maah Daah Hey trail itself. This time, I was ready. </p><p><br /></p><p>I didn't finish. I dropped out at mile 20, defeated but not embarrassed; I physically couldn't do it. I returned back to Virginia, fired up and ready to crush more training and do it again next year. I almost immediately got injured. </p><p><br /></p><p>I decided to heavy cross train through the injury to not lose fitness, but that only worsened the injury. It took me almost three months to return to a place where I could run for 30 minutes pain free, and even then I needed a day off the next day. It was frustrating and humiliating. All these runners I knew were training and getting better, and everything I did made myself worse. I stepped out of my comfort zone and went to the local running club's Monday group run, and I couldn't even run with them because I felt intense pain after only 10 minutes of running. Ingrid had to talk me out of quitting running with stern, but fair, language. </p><p><br /></p><p>I'm running again now, and I've realized some important lessons. I'm not a college runner anymore. In fact, most of the athletes currently running track at my college don't know who I am. Many of the best runners I raced in college, who then went pro, have already retired when success didn't pay the bills. Many current athletes don't know their names. Times are just a number that we use to compare ourselves to others, and for most adults, road races are for the social aspect just as much as the race itself. </p><p><br /></p><p>I have come love training. I love going for a run, and I love doing different workouts. I love going to trails and running. I love waking up and running in the morning, but I've also developed a deep appreciation for late-night runs before bed. I love getting out of the house during Coronavirus times, and I love biking alongside Ingrid when she's running. Every piece I get to add to training right now- a couple more strides, 5 more minutes, a faster finish- brings me joy and memories. I don't feel pressure right now to beat anyone, or to eclipse any of my previous times. In fact, I've toyed with the idea of developing "post-college pr's", because that's when my life really started to change. </p><p><br /></p><p>I'm still that guy from two years ago, who loved running gravel roads and badlands trails. I'm still that guy from two years ago that loved researching about North Dakota running. I'm still that guy that laid down on the middle of a highway, in the middle of the night, and observed the Milky Way in below-zero temperatures. But on this New Year's Eve, I was also the guy that loved running along the closed public beaches of Norfolk, Virginia, reading sign posts about local history while cars zoomed past on the damp roads. For the last minute of my run, I ran hard, which I haven't been able to do in months. I finished, bent over for a moment, and looked up at the sky. It was overcast, with the heavy lights of the metro bouncing yellow and orange off the clouds. The nearby interstate gushed the sound of traffic through the air. A raw, wet breeze flowed off the Chesapeake Bay.</p><p><br /></p><p>And yet, I smiled. </p>Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15222477277724716117noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920771319573983588.post-89894454537895122372020-11-25T09:18:00.004-06:002020-12-06T17:38:39.784-06:00There's A Track and Field Podcast for North Dakota!<p> A couple NDSU grads and track studs have created the Prairie Track Podcast, which is trying to do EVERYTHING related to North Dakota and running. Episode 2 features your truly, but check all of the episodes out!</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.podbean.com/eu/pb-vzq7r-f2af84" target="_blank">https://www.podbean.com/eu/pb-vzq7r-f2af84</a><br /></p>Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15222477277724716117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920771319573983588.post-41065994430956713772020-11-21T08:26:00.000-06:002020-11-21T08:26:31.655-06:00ND Runner Interview #8- Class A Boy's State XC Champion Sean Korsmo<p>On Saturday, October 24th, in temperatures hovering in the mid-20s with snow on the ground, the Class A State Cross Country Meet was held at Parkhurst Recreation Area just outside of Jamestown, ND, and the Class B State Cross Country Meet was held further north at the Cooperstown Country Club. The Class A races stayed close to the predictions, whereas the Class B meet had some upsets. This interview is the final of four interviews with the individuals who won state titles this year.</p><p>Interview with Class A Girl's Champion Meghan Ford is <a href="http://northdakotarunner.blogspot.com/2020/10/nd-runner-interview-5-2020-class-girls.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>Interview with Class B Boy's Champion Brian Miller is <a href="http://northdakotarunner.blogspot.com/2020/11/nd-runner-interview-6-class-b-boys.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>Interview with Class B Girl's Champion Peyton Gette is <a href="http://northdakotarunner.blogspot.com/2020/11/nd-runner-interview-7-class-b-girls.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyCI6iDwvLHScbIcizIGGZQmvommOOkIGUrbB1Njwy54NlZz-cNZDeNd3ES3hJd3v4db6_YRnkP3JUsy2GGZNj5dPBqV-rJsVSYe_3JE9bMGLQ-P5xexsxox2y0BuNhEJhrsbrLXxDrY/s1200/Sean+Korsmo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyCI6iDwvLHScbIcizIGGZQmvommOOkIGUrbB1Njwy54NlZz-cNZDeNd3ES3hJd3v4db6_YRnkP3JUsy2GGZNj5dPBqV-rJsVSYe_3JE9bMGLQ-P5xexsxox2y0BuNhEJhrsbrLXxDrY/w400-h266/Sean+Korsmo.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smile, you're a state champion! Photo Credit: NDHSAA</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Going into 2020, Bismarck High School had provided 10 of the last 13 individual winners of the Class A Boy's State Cross Country meet. One of those years, 2018, was Sean Korsmo. </p><p>Korsmo has been one of the top runners in the state for a few years now. As a freshman, he placed 17th at state cross country, and doubled back by placing 5th in 1600 (4:29), 5th in the 3200 (9:46), and 4th as a member of the 4x800 (8:12) at state track. </p><p>As a sophomore, he had a breakout year. He won state cross country with a time of 15:46, and then cleaned up at state track, winning titles in the 1600 (4:25), 3200 (9:32), and as a member of the 4x800 (8:01). 4 state titles in 10th grade isn't too shabby. </p><p>As a junior, he placed 2nd at a FAST state cross country meet, finishing in 15:33 to fellow junior Brady Yoder's (Dickinson) 15:21. Of course, track season did not have a state meet because of COVID. </p><p>Entering senior year, Korsmo was a favorite in cross country. In the first coaches poll, he was ranked 2nd to Yoder, but after that, he was ranked 1st for the next 6 weeks. Going into state, he won the West Region meet (defeating Yoder), and was only ranked behind Jacob Knodle (WF Sheyenne) from the East Region. At the West Region Meet, Korsmo won by almost 10 seconds in a time 15:26. The table was set. </p><p>At this year's state meet, Sean Korsmo of Bismarck High School placed 1st with a time of 15:28, 5 seconds ahead of Jacob Knodle, with Brady Yoder in 4th at 15:38. Each of the top five runners were under 16:00. He won his 2nd state title in cross country!</p><p>Outside of that, he has been tackling some trail running as well, including racing the National High School Trail Championships in Salida, Colorado this previous summer, finishing an impressive 2nd place! Here's a description of the race, followed by an interview of him with the American Trail Running Association: </p><p><span style="background-color: #faf6ee; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><i>"The 5.4-mile trail championship course started on a dirt road along the Arkansas River near downtown Salida — elevation 7,057 feet –and reached a high point of 7,558 feet. After less than a mile, the course continued on the Salida Mountain Trail System, with terrain comprised primarily of mountain-biking friendly single-track switchbacks. The race finished at Riverside Park in downtown Salida."</i></span></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://trailrunner.com/trail-news/trail-talk-with-north-dakota-high-schooler-sean-korsmo/" target="_blank">Interview with American Trail Running Association</a><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Below are the questions I posed to Korsmo, and his answers. </p><p>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>First of all, congrats on the victory at state!
There was a lot of talent in that race, evidenced by the top 4 runners all
under 15:40. You were one of the discussed front-runners going into the race.
How did you mentally prepare? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><span style="color: red;">My mindset for the state meet was
obviously that I wanted to win. For me, it’s as simple as that. I have the same
mindset for every race I compete in, and it’s always that I want to win. It
doesn’t matter who is in the race, how fast they are, or how much better they
are than me. I’m not always going to win, I understand that, but I’m going to
do my best to win. To mentally prepare myself for all of my races I pray a lot.
I always feel at peace after, but I am ready.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>With fresh snow on the ground and sub-freezing
temperatures, did your approach for warming up or preparing for the race
change? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><span style="color: red;">It was pretty cold the day of the
state meet. That is usually expected because we live in North Dakota, but I am
comfortable running in sub-freezing temperatures. I absolutely hate running on
treadmills, so during the winter I only train outside in temperatures much
colder than we had at the state meet. The cold air is a little tougher to
breathe in, so I did wear a facemask to try to make it a little easier to
breathe. I wore the facemask through warmups and took it off at the start line.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Talk a little about the race. How did it play
out? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><span style="color: red;">I figured the race was going to be
pretty fast right off the bat, so I decided to just follow the leaders. At the
half mile mark, Jacob Knodle put in a pretty good surge, and I followed with a
good sized pack behind me. We came through the mile just under five minutes,
which wasn’t too bad for me. I had gone out harder than that at WDA, so I was
feeling pretty good. I ran in the back of the front pack which put me in fifth
place behind Jacob Knodle, Brady Yoder, Ben Anteau, and Mason Kindle. We ran in
that same pack until just before the two mile mark. Ben put in a good surge,
and I followed closely behind. I could feel both Knodel and Yoder a few meters
behind me, but the pack had broken away from Kindle. We maintained our same
places until the four hundred meter mark. I remember telling myself “Sean you
gotta go,” and I prayed “Lord help me with this,” and I took off. I passed Ben,
and took the lead for the first time in the race. I remember everything went
kind of blurry as I sprinted towards the finish and eventually crossed the
finish line.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>You’ve had state titles previously in track and
cross country. What makes this title different? How does it feel? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><span style="color: red;">This state title was very
different for a lot of reasons. It’s my senior year, my last chance to win a
state title in cross country, and the fact that we didn’t know if we were going
to have a season was also a huge factor. Yes, it was different, but overall, it
was the same as any other season. The goal is always to win, I might not always
achieve that, but it is always my goal.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Brady Yoder (Dickinson) was 4<sup>th</sup>
today, but he beat you to take the State XC title last year, and has taken a
close second to you in many other state championship races in both track and
XC. What is like to race each other? Is there any kind of rivalry or understood
competition between the two of you? Do you feel like you bring out the best of
each other? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><span style="color: red;">I love racing Brady. We are pretty
good friends. We don’t have any bad blood between us or anything. Sure, we both
want to beat each other every race, but that is just our competitive nature. He
is a super awesome guy, and an amazing competitor. I love racing him, I know he
makes me so much better, and I hope I do the same for him. I don’t think I
would be nearly as fast as I am right now without him.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Obviously this year is different. We all know
that every walk of life has been changed by the pandemic. Your track season was
cut in the spring, and you didn’t know how cross country would play out. How
did you cope with not having track last season?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><span style="color: red;">To cope with not having a track
season, I ran a lot. I fell in love with running more than I ever had in my
life. It’s pretty boring not having much to do, so I would go out and run a
couple times a day, and I loved it. I would have rather raced, but I knew it
wasn’t possible. I couldn’t control it, but I knew I needed to enjoy the time
God gave me to just run.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>What has it been like to train through the
pandemic and keep your sights on the goals you have? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><span style="color: red;">I love running, so it was never
tough for me to go out and run. In the spring I knew I was training for this
cross country season, and I was going to be ready for whatever race I might’ve
been able to run this fall. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Bismarck High has had now had 11 of the past 14
individual men’s State Class A Cross Country champions. What does it mean to
you to be part of that line of success and tradition? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><span style="color: red;">I think more than anything, having
that many champions reflects the amazing coaches at Bismarck High. It’s really
how Anderson and Zittleman have developed runners over the last 15 years. They
don’t just get lucky with the best kids in the state always ending up at
Bismarck High. There’s no way it’s luck. They take good runners, and they make
them better. It really means a lot to me to be a part of the tradition and
success at Bismarck High. It’s awesome, and like I said, it really reflects how
great the coaches are at Bismarck High.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>What does
the rest of cross country season look like for you? Are there any races to go
to?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How about for track- what are your
goals there? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><span style="color: red;">Although Nike and Footlocker are
canceled this year, there is a race in Indiana on November 15 that I competed
in. I ran at a national meet with guys from 35 different states, so I knew
there was going to be good competition. Even knowing how fast some of the guys
could run, I still wanted to win. The conditions were not ideal with winds up
to forty miles per hour. I was trailing the lead pack for the majority of the
race. My goal was to run down the pack in the last mile, and pass as many guys
as I could. I ended up giving the lead pack a little too big of a lead. I still
ran down quite a few guys in the last mile, but it wasn’t quite where I wanted
to be. I took 16th overall, and earned All American honors. I am happy with how
I did, but I always want to do better. Right now, I will continue running
normal mileage, but for track the goal is to be better than I currently am. I’m
not a big time guy, but I’m going to try and get very fast. For me, it’s as
simple as that.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Do
you have plans to run in college? Have you committed anywhere? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><span style="color: red;">I plan on running in college, and
I am very excited to compete at the collegiate level next year. I have talked
to a few colleges, but as of right now I am not sure where I will be running.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst"><o:p><span style="color: red;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->To
what or to whom can you attribute the success that you’ve experienced? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><span style="color: red;">First, all the success I’ve had
has been given to me by God. I thank him everyday for all that he has blessed
me with, and allowing me success in running. I couldn’t have done anything
without God’s help. That’s where I credit all of my success. Obviously, Darrell
Anderson has done so much for me through my five years competing for Bismarck
High, and he is a huge part of who I am, and what I’ve done. He is one of the
greatest coaches out there, and the runners coming out of Bismarck High are
proof of that.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What
does running mean to you? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><span style="color: red;">The root of running for me is
using my talents to glorify God. I’ve been given a gift, and I love to use it.
I couldn’t imagine my life without running, or who I would be without running.
It has changed my life in so many ways, and it’s taught me so much about life.
Running has been a part of who I am, and even when I can’t run anymore, what
I’ve experienced will still have a huge impact on me.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">13.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What’s
your favorite place to run in North Dakota? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><span style="color: red;">My favorite place is a ten mile
route that Anderson has shown me that he calls Dead Rabbit. It is in the north
western part of Bismarck. It mostly consists of hilly, dirt roads that really
show off the beauty of North Dakota. It almost doesn’t feel like North Dakota,
it is much hillier than most people would expect from North Dakota, and doesn’t
feel like just flat plains. It’s super beautiful and a super fun run.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">14.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What
adversity have you experienced with running, and what did you do to overcome
it?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><span style="color: red;">I had severe back problems my
freshman year that prevented me from competing at WDA, and left me injured for
state. I injured it a few days before WDA in the middle of the run. I couldn’t
make it back to Bismarck High, so I had to walk the rest of the run which ended
up being around three miles. That was super tough for me. I still wanted to
race with one of my teammates, Morgan Fairbairn. We had raced all season
together, and usually placed within ten seconds of each other. The week of
state, I couldn't practice for the first few days of the week. I finally came
back on Thursday, two days before the state meet. During the meet, I tried to
run with Morgan for as long as I could, but after the first mile of pain, I
started to fall back. I remember just trying to hold on as long as I could to
the top twenty and found myself in twenty-first with only a few hundred meters
left. I put my pain aside and ran as hard as I could. I ended up finishing
seventeenth, which was super frustrating for me. I was happy that I was All
State, but I had wanted to do much better. I rested, healed, and did physical
therapy in the off season, and I thank the Lord for healing me. I remember
praying during that time, and I mainly said, “Lord, I don’t know why this is
happening, but I know it’s for the best,” and it was. I have gotten much
stronger since then, and I think the experience made me better. Another huge
difficulty I faced was breaking my toe sophomore year. I broke it in September,
and I knew I needed to get back to running. It was tough, I had trained a lot
for the season, but I never got down about breaking my toe. I remember I prayed
that I could continue to run, and that this was part of some awesome plan, and
then I went to work. I broke it on a Wednesday, I biked on Thursday and I tried
to run on Friday. I made it two blocks. I went back to biking, and over the
weekend I swam. On Monday I ran on an antigravity treadmill, and on Tuesday I
was back. I went for my first real run on Tuesday, and although it hurt, I made
it through. I spent the rest of the season in a boot, only taking it off when I
ran. I also couldn’t get my foot into my spike, so I had to wear a racing flat
with more support instead of a spike. I was determined not to let my toe slow
me down, even at state. God helped me get through the season, and I ended up winning
state. Other than that, I have never been ranked first going into a state meet,
but that has never mattered to me. I will always try as hard as I can to win.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">15.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What
words of advice can you give to those who are interested in running?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><span style="color: red;">A lot of people ask me how I enjoy
running. They always say they want to get into it, but they don’t enjoy it. I
can’t make people love running, but I can help people get better. I think the
main key to getting better at running is consistency. Cross country is not a
sport that you can fake. If you want to be good, you have to train. There is no
way around it. There is no secret to getting better, it’s just running everyday
and working hard. This applies to everyone, but especially for people who want
to start running.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">16.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Do
you have any runners from North Dakota that you’ve drawn inspiration from or
look up to? What about professional runners? <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><span style="color: red;">I really look up to the guys that
graduated before me, Jake Leingang and Sam Clausnitzer especially. There are a
lot more guys that Anderson has told me stories about, and I really look up to
those guys as well. I look up to everything they did while running at Bismarck
High. Everytime I walk by the trophy case, and the majority of it is filled
with cross country trophies, it amazes me. Hearing their stories makes me want
to be a better runner. I want to be more like those guys, but those guys also
set high goals. I am very competitive, and a little part of me compares myself
to them. Of course, I want to be better than they were, but I know that might
not be the case, and that’s okay. More than anything, those guys just help me
become better. I know I may never be as good as they were, but I really want to
try. Those are the main guys I strive to run like. Sure there are cool
professional runners, but it means a lot more to me, and I feel much more
connected with the guys who graduated before me. That being said, I was
introduced to Tayte Pollmann who is a Nike Trail Runner. Through friends I was
given the opportunity to stay with him this summer, and we became friends. As
professional runners go, he is by far my favorite, and he is an incredible
person.</span><o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15222477277724716117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920771319573983588.post-73598999064948377712020-11-10T17:55:00.005-06:002020-11-11T09:15:12.713-06:00ND Runner Interview #7- Class B Girl's State XC Champ Peyton Gette<p> On Saturday, October 24th, in temperatures hovering in the mid-20s with snow on the ground, the Class A State Cross Country Meet was held at Parkhurst Recreation Area just outside of Jamestown, ND, and the Class B State Cross Country Meet was held further north at the Cooperstown Country Club. The Class A races stayed close to the predictions, whereas the Class B meet had some upsets. This interview is the third of four interviews with the individuals who won state titles this year.</p><p>Interview with Class A Girl's Champion Meghan Ford can be found <a href="http://northdakotarunner.blogspot.com/2020/10/nd-runner-interview-5-2020-class-girls.html" target="_blank">here.</a></p><p>Interview with Class B Boy's Champion Brian Miller can be found <a href="http://northdakotarunner.blogspot.com/2020/11/nd-runner-interview-6-class-b-boys.html" target="_blank">here.</a></p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqZJVf7dHb9pLcLup4Q9wOYWTHfKIMf030CqvPPnVyRVMewAzC9GpemzZJ3u0cHxonSnhOM30nTd7t2hslpRP4YFsqfvmpVUbQ1nmlcx5ZkhhWNP_VJxreuNzL4waI9c6ajpSqxGpoQc/s1199/peyton+gette.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1199" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqZJVf7dHb9pLcLup4Q9wOYWTHfKIMf030CqvPPnVyRVMewAzC9GpemzZJ3u0cHxonSnhOM30nTd7t2hslpRP4YFsqfvmpVUbQ1nmlcx5ZkhhWNP_VJxreuNzL4waI9c6ajpSqxGpoQc/w400-h225/peyton+gette.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smile! You're a State Champion! <br />Photo Credit: Hillsboro Banner<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Much like the Class B Boy's race, the Class B Girl's race did not have a clear favorite going into the state race. Many of the girls in the top 10 in the polls came from the East Region, and many of those girls had won at least one race at some point during the season, and even head-to-head comparisons would fail to produce any consistency. </p><p><br /></p><p>Ranked 7th going into the state meet was a 9th grader from Kindred. She had only won one regular season race, and that was in a meet with only three teams competing. She had not been ranked higher than 3rd all season in the polls, and was ranked 6th in the final coaches poll leading up to the state meet. Her only placement at state track was a 6th place in the 3200 meter run back as a 7th grader in 2019. In her first cross country race of the season, she lost by over a minute to girl who would be at the state meet. </p><p><br /></p><p>But there were signs pointing in the opposite direction. In her last race of the regular season, she took 2nd place by 8 seconds. At the region meet, she placed 2nd, 5 seconds behind the #1 ranked runner in the polls, and beating many of the rest of the top 10 in the process. The table was set. </p><p><br /></p><p>At state, Peyton Gette of Kindred High School placed 1st with a time of 19:08.7, two seconds ahead of Norah Entzi (Edgeley-Kulm), and 20 seconds clear of everyone else. It was the first state title for the 9th grader from the small Red River Valley town southwest of Fargo. Gette burst onto the scene as a 7th grader, placing 11th overall and being the 1st 7th grader to cross the line. In 8th grade, she placed 17th, a few places back from the year before. This year, she had the breakthrough and won it all. She was the only non-senior to win an individual title this year, and she helped her team to a 4th place overall finish at state. </p><p><br /></p><p>Below are the questions I posed to State Champ Peyton Gette of Kindred High School. I have to admit a little bias, because I grew up in Horace, ND, just up the road from Kindred. I learned that Peyton is a team player and already understands how important relationships are in running. .</p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->First of all, congrats on your victory! You came
from a tough region, as evidenced by 8 of the top 10 all coming from the East
Region. You took second at the east region meet last week. How did you mentally
and physically prepare for this race? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><span style="color: red;">Physically,
I made sure that I was eating good all week and that my sleep schedule stayed
the same. Mentally, I told myself to enjoy the moment and to not stress. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->With fresh snow on the ground and sub-freezing
temperatures, did your approach for warming up or preparing for the race
change? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><span style="color: red;">Last year
at state it was really cold as well, I was nervous and didn’t feel as prepared.
This year, I tried to not over think the weather and just felt more
confident. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Talk a little bit about the race. How did it
play out? What was your race strategy? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: 1.8pt;"><span style="color: red;">I was really determined to get out fast and around the first
few turns. After that, I settled in with the front pack until a little after 2
miles. At that time, I was able to move out front and stay there. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->This is your first individual state title. What
does it mean to you, and how does it feel?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"> <span style="color: red;">I
never expected to have a state title as a freshman. It’s such an honor and it
means so much to me. It feels so amazing!</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->You placed 11<sup>th</sup> at the state cross
country meet and 6<sup>th</sup> in the 3200 meters at state track as a 7<sup>th</sup>
grader, and now you have a state title as a freshman. What do you think allowed
you to have that amount of success early in your varsity career? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 17.4pt;"><span style="color: red;">My
teammates are a big part of my success, I don’t know what I would do if they
weren’t there with me. My coaches have also lead me here, pushing me in
practice everyday.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Obviously this year is different. We all know
that every walk of life has been changed by the pandemic. Your track season was
cut in the spring, and you didn’t know how cross country would play out. How
did you cope with not having track last season?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><span style="color: red;">I didn’t
know if we would get to finish the cross country season after being quarantined
for 3 weeks. That was very stressful. I trained every day of the track season,
doing all the workouts I normally would at home by myself. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What has it been like to train through the
pandemic and keep your sights on goals that you have? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 17.4pt;"><span style="color: red;">It’s been
hard not getting to train close to all my teammates. We did our workouts and
runs in small pods this season. Our team didn’t get to be as close as we would
have liked, but overall we made it work and are thankful we made it to the state
meet. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What does the rest of cross country season look
like for you? Are there any races to go to? How about for track- what are
your goals there?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 17.4pt;"><span style="color: red;">I was
planning on running at Nike regionals this year but it was cancelled due to the
pandemic. I’m really excited to see how the track season plays out, considering
I haven’t raced on a track since 7th grade. My biggest goal is definitely to do
well in the state for the 2 mile run. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->To what or to whom can you attribute this
success you’ve experienced? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><span style="color: red;">My
teammates make cross country so much more enjoyable. I looked up to the older
kids so much during my 7th grade season. My coaches are also a big part of my
success. To think we didn’t even have a cross country team 4 years ago. I would
never be here if it wasn’t for them. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What
does running mean to you?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="color: red;">Hard work and dedication and also setting and reaching
goals. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What’s
your favorite place to run North Dakota? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><span style="color: red;">My
favorite place to run in North Dakota would have to be Cooperstown. I didn’t
like it in past years, but after racing here several times this year, I learned
to love it!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What
words of advice can you give to those who are interested in running?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="color: red;">It might take awhile to get to where you want to be. Trust the
process and really try to enjoy it.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">13.)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What
adversity have you experienced with running, and what did you do to overcome
it?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 17.4pt;"><span style="color: red;">Last year
I had to overcome 2 stress fractures in my foot. I had to miss a couple meets
and my first race back was regionals and then state. I had to cross train and
it really made me overthink a lot of things.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">14.)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Do
you have any runners from North Dakota that you’ve drawn inspiration from or
look up to? What about professional runners?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><span style="color: red;">I enjoy
following Meghan Ford of Jamestown and also Onnica Stansbury of West Fargo
Sheyenne. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><br /><p></p>Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15222477277724716117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920771319573983588.post-16314003495589302402020-11-02T21:09:00.002-06:002020-11-02T21:11:44.331-06:00ND Runner Interview #6- Class B Boy's State XC Champ Brian Miller<p> Last Saturday, in temperatures hovering in the mid-20s with snow on the ground, the Class A State Cross Country Meet was held at Parkhurst Recreation Area just outside of Jamestown, ND, and the Class B State Cross Country Meet was held further north at the Cooperstown Country Club. The Class A races stayed close to the predictions, whereas the Class B meet had some upsets. This interview is the second of four interviews with the individuals who won state titles this year.</p><p>Interview with Class A Girl's Champion Meghan Ford can be found <a href="http://northdakotarunner.blogspot.com/2020/10/nd-runner-interview-5-2020-class-girls.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5YgsIvU4CVqtpoyFscRD61msLz8X6kaE3vVjCdp4u3MTZyZYeC3qlUK22unyhR_V8ktCsfncrH97mKALgkl2dtufCWPcflwfyN25yPfgthX-XMoJXN4KmQ1FinX5JHlFU4dIsd407Oc/s1200/Brian+Miller.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5YgsIvU4CVqtpoyFscRD61msLz8X6kaE3vVjCdp4u3MTZyZYeC3qlUK22unyhR_V8ktCsfncrH97mKALgkl2dtufCWPcflwfyN25yPfgthX-XMoJXN4KmQ1FinX5JHlFU4dIsd407Oc/w400-h225/Brian+Miller.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smile, You're a State Champ! Courtesy NDHSAA</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>We all love an underdog story, right? In his senior year of cross country, before the state meet, Brian Miller did not win a varsity cross country meet in North Dakota (he did win two in South Dakota). He was never ranked higher than 4th place in the coaches poll, and in the final poll before the state meet he was ranked 9th. At the West Region meet, he finished 7th. He has never scored an individual point at the state track meet. </p><p><br /></p><p>This is not to say he hadn't come close. Going into his senior year of high school, he had been top-20 at Class B State Cross Country an impressive 4 different times, dating all the way back to 8th grade. Going all the way back to his 7th grade year, his team had never finished worse than 5th at state, and had placed as high as second. However, titles remained elusive. Judging by the polls, most did not expect him to win the big race. </p><p><br /></p><p>At this year's state meet, the previous results and polls were shown wrong. Miller crossed the finish line in first place with a time of 16:14, less than two seconds ahead of Class B Boy's State Senior Athlete of the Year and region rival Noah Rolfe (Stanley). Not only did Miller get to celebrate an individual accomplishment, but his team won the team title in commanding fashion, scoring 56 points to second-place Hillsboro/Central Valley's 101 points. Perhaps even more impressive was the fact that their victory end a streak of 8 consecutive titles by the dynastic New Town Eagles. </p><p><br /></p><p>As I've written about extensively on here, Class B cross country many times ends up being a battle between small programs in the middle of nowhere with limited facilities and resources. Bowman County is one of the more remote school districts in North Dakota, and yet they manage to put together quality programs year after year. In recognition of this fact, Bowman County took home another piece of hardware with their head coach, Jonathan Jahner receiving the Class B Boy's State Coach of the Year award. </p><p><br /></p><p>Below are the questions I put to Brian. I learned in these questions that the reason he didn't run in the first few races of the season was because he was at basic training. Crazy! Perhaps my favorite quote from all of it is: "I got better from losing and wanting to win."</p><p>I asked him about his team, his victory, the pandemic, and more!</p><p>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>1.) First of all, congrats on your victory! You came out of a tough region, with all of the top 5 runners at state coming from the West, and all of whom had just beaten you at the Region meet. What was your mindset coming into the race? How did you mentally prepare?</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: red;">Thank You! We west region boys run on some hills so of course we are tough, just kidding anyways, My mindset was probably not what most people would expect. They would probably expect me to have some doubt about my capabilities and like you said losing to those very same runners during regionals. But it was not. I have been in this sport for 6 years and I’ve had bad races. Regionals was a bad race for me. I have had good races one of those being a Lemmon (SD) meet in which I ran a 16:32 and personal record (PR). So, what I am trying to say is I was confident in my abilities and more importantly my team. The only doubt I had was that I was at Basic training this summer and it cut into the season, so I was late for the season and it took me about 3 weeks to fully develop again. There was not much mental preparation on my end, our coaches told us exactly how the course was going to be and walked us through different situations. I trusted my team and I knew that I had to stay right with Noah Rolfe, Patrick Wrigley (Shiloh Christian), and Ian Busch (Beulah-Hazen) and when or if I made a move it had to fast and strong. I know everyone’s race strategy from running with the same boys for so long. It was over-do to do something special from a team aspect last year me and the team wanted to give fellow teammate who was a senior a championship and we fell short. This year it was all blood in the water and we were the sharks we were mad and ready to kill.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>2.) With fresh snow on the ground and sub-freezing temperatures, did your approach for warming up or preparing for the race change?</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: red;">No nothing changed in warm up, in this sport it is vital that you are consistent and do the same thing before every meet. We were ready for the absolute worst at state, we were ready for 9 inches of snow and 25 mph wind, all week leading up to state we wore under cloths and lots of layers to prepare our bodies for this slight change. But it honestly wasn’t that bad or cold. And we had the same race plan.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>3.) Talk a little about your race. How did it play out? What was your race strategy?</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: red;">I cannot take any credit for this race strategy that belongs to the masterminds named Mr. Jahner and Mr. Bowman. Most of the time if a course is flat you just must get out fast and finish fast, on more hilly courses is where you can bring people back and strategy is crucial. Our coaches, did their homework on the course, they previously had a meet at Cooperstown and learned that there was a sharp turn left in the beginning that would quite literally bring runners to a halt and with 90 more kids going to be at the state meet it was drilled in our head to get out fast. If you did not get out fast you could screw the teammate behind, you in the small start boxes at state where you can only put 2-3 runners in front. So, I got out incredibly fast, me and teammate Caleb Sarsland were leading the race. About a hundred meters or so in there is a sharp left turn then 25 meters right turn and then 20 meters another right turn. As we were approaching the first turn out of the corner of my eye, I saw just a storm of people to the left of us. I yelled at Caleb to cut in. I was leading the race for about another 100 meters when I started to slow down and wait for Ian, Patrick, and Noah. I have run with these guys a lot and I know they like to get out strong and hold it. I let them pass me and I followed them. The first mile was 5:08 and the second mile was 10:34. Now here again is when my team’s coaches played another amazing role. Our coach have us finish with some sort of an 800m finish on tempo runs or just general practice. We always practice our finish and thank god the coaches did that. As I was running, the coaches met me in different spots and looked at me and said, “Don’t wait to make your move at the finish make it when you’re ready”. That is what I did as I reached about ¾ of mile left I made my move, I put 20 meters of ground between me and Ian, Noah, and Patrick. I built to the finish line, I did make my move maybe a little bit too soon, because I started to die within the last 200 -300 meters. And then Noah Rolfe who was my best guess who would win state was shoulder to shoulder with me. That gave me just enough momentum for me to finish when you can see a guy right next to you it brings a competitive edge.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>4.) This is your first individual state title. What does that mean to you, and how does it feel?</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: red;">The goal should always be to see growth and improvement you know I went from 65,20,13,19,7,1 in state placing and I am more than happy with that. But, honestly for me I love the sport for the competitive thrill but to be part of a team(s) for 6 years and have some amazing teammates and being part of a family. I love the feeling of bringing some hardware home to the supportive community of Bowman and sharing the riches with my teammates old and new. I hope that winning spirit and family atmosphere stays around for a long time.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>5.) For the first time since 2011 and only the third time since 2003, a team other than New Town won the state team title. In your time at Bowman County, your team has placed 5th, 3rd, 5th, 3rd, 2nd, and now 1st at state. What does it mean to you, in your senior season, to finally get that team win? </p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: red;">It’s unbelievable, I had some really fast people running on the team when I first joined the sport and then I became one of those guys. New Town always had some fast dudes, it’s an incredible program they run, I fully anticipate them to bounce right back. When you get 2nd or runner-up at state you feel good about the win, but you just have doubt about how you could have been better. I really wanted to see my senior teammate, Camden Wokal to be part of a winning team. And we fell short, so to come back and win it my senior year. I think it just shows how hungry the team was for a win. The team even before I was around wanted blood, they led the polls right away. When I came back it just intensified and grew stronger.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>6.) On the topic of New Town, what has it been like racing for years in a region dominated by a team other than your own?</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: red;">Not even going to lie it has been tough, as an athlete I’ve lost to them in Track and Cross Country repeatedly. When we beat them in regionals Junior year in Cross Country it was a big reward, but we lost to them at state. It’s a amazing program and amazing coaches they deserved everything they got.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>7.) Obviously this year is different. We all know that every walk of life has been changed by the pandemic. Your track season was cut in the spring, and you didn’t know how cross country would play out. How did you cope with not having track last season?</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: red;">It’s just the way of life I was sad at the time but looking at it now nothing I could do about it anyways. Just go with the flow.</span></p><p><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></p><p>8.) What has it been like to train through the pandemic and keep your sights on goals that you have?</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: red;">Training through the pandemic was easy except maybe for the open windows on the bus that got pretty chilly. The hard part was when some kind of covid-19 news happen. Like someone got sick or this person was a close contact. I mean that’s two weeks of their life’s just poof and as you got closer to state that was hard to take. Most of us runners went to distance learning the week or 2 before state so we wouldn’t end up on anybody’s close contact list. When we found out that they were taking the tradition number of 10 runners and cut it to 7 runners that was a hardest pill to swallow. I want everyone on the team to compete no matter how good or bad. The goal never faltered we have studs and were deep. If anything it made me want to run faster for the ones who worked so hard for their season just to not even go.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>9.) What does the rest of cross country season look like for you? Are there any races to go to? How about for track- what are your goals there?</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: red;">Just going to prepare for college and get good grades. Probably not any more races but practices to stay in shape. My goals for track I will have to develop when the sport if the sport starts. Take some time off and sharpen my running tools.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>10.) Do you have plans to run in college? Have you committed anywhere?</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: red;">I would love to run in college and I haven’t committed anywhere just looking at some places for the time being.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>11.) To what or to whom can you attribute this success you’ve experienced?</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: red;">I got better from losing and wanting to win. So my teammates and my rivals all push me.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>12.) What does running mean to you?</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: red;">My parents didn’t let me join football when I was young so I joined Cross Country and I loved it. I was not a good runner at the time but slowly developed into one. For me running embraced a competitive spirt and I loved competition. I play basketball and track and you don’t have a family aspect like you do through cross country and running. Cross country teammates are family even the ones who leave the sport.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>13.) What’s your favorite place to run in North Dakota?</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: red;">We have this road here in Bowman that we call Cemetery Road, we have countless miles on this road. It’s almost the perfect road to run on because it goes east and west with hills. That would be my favorite place besides a state course atmosphere.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>14.) What words of advice can you give to those who are interested in running?</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: red;">Words of advice, I think I would start about by saying running isn’t for everyone- it takes incredible amount of work. But also you don’t immediately become good you have to put the work in. Being a runner is a great reward every day you can see your goals improve. Increasing your distance, time, just general health is the biggest reward you can see for yourself and competing for your teammates it’s both spirit and guts.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>15.) What adversity have you experienced with running, and what did you do to overcome it?</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: red;">I could give a sob story about shin splints, hamstring pain, and about how I had to wear compression sleeves on my knees. But none of that matters, its truly a mental sport. You can run another mile and you can increase your time. You just have to believe in your training.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>16.) Do you have any runners from North Dakota that you’ve drawn inspiration from or look up to? What about professional runners?</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: red;">There’s a couple boys up at NDSU that I can think of. Most notedly Alex Bartholomay, who is also from bowman and was my teammate when I was in seventh grade. He pushed me in practice because I thought it was unbelievable that he could start a mile behind me and beat me by a mile. Alex always passed me in this one particular spot on commentary road, every day I would grow a step stronger because of him. The competition edge was awesome. Also Isaac Huber, he was the only one that could run with New Town and beat some of them. As professionals go it would definitely be Steve Prefontaine who went from some hometown hero to a record breaking long distance runner and a quote of his “<i>Somebody might beat me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it</i>” was pretty impactful for me.</span></p>Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15222477277724716117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920771319573983588.post-18551469106502866202020-10-28T12:40:00.003-05:002020-11-21T08:28:21.844-06:00ND Runner Interview #5- 2020 Class A Girl's State XC Champ Meghan Ford<p> Last Saturday, in temperatures hovering in the mid-20s with snow on the ground, the Class A State Cross Country Meet was held at Parkhurst Recreation Area just outside of Jamestown, ND, and the Class B State Cross Country Meet was held further north at the Cooperstown Country Club. The Class A races stayed close to the predictions, whereas the Class B meet had some upsets. This interview is the first of four interviews with the individuals who won state titles this year. </p><p>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGIyvoeN74OfbXiKLsl74Fjb8ncT4usBViTiSQ27vNe96bkcpZTFg2ULKZSGDWmqFkImvQIvEAXvEhmBbp5NVgAF2oGBHvHtW-jWl0vDbfMN0cPJ8QMrpn_L8vdwXambUhavphafZ2xSY/s1280/Meghan+Ford.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGIyvoeN74OfbXiKLsl74Fjb8ncT4usBViTiSQ27vNe96bkcpZTFg2ULKZSGDWmqFkImvQIvEAXvEhmBbp5NVgAF2oGBHvHtW-jWl0vDbfMN0cPJ8QMrpn_L8vdwXambUhavphafZ2xSY/w400-h225/Meghan+Ford.jpg" title="Meghan Ford at the recent State XC Meet. Photo Courtesy NDHSAA" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ford at the recent State XC Meet. Photo courtesy NDHSAA</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p>On October 24th, 2015, in Grand Forks, ND, a 7th grader from Jamestown finished in the Class A Girl's State Cross Country meet. Her time for the 4k was 16:24 and there were 56 girls ahead of her, five of whom were also in 7th grade. Her name was Meghan Ford. </p><p>The next year, 2016, the women moved to 5k in North Dakota, which means we've now had 5 years of 5k at state. Ford has won three of those five titles. </p><p>Meghan Ford has become one of the more dominant high school runners in state history. She currently:</p><p><br /></p><p>1.) Is only the third Class A girl to have won three consecutive state xc titles</p><p>2.) Has three individual state track titles with one season left to go</p><p>3.) Is top ten in state history in the 800, 1600, and 3200 on the track </p><p>4.) Won the Nike Cross Country Regional Meet as a junior and just missed top 20 at the National meet. </p><p><br /></p><p>Placing that high at regional and national meets starts putting her on lists with name like Ihmels, Anderson, and Leingang. She wins races by large margins here, and has recently committed to run at the Division 1 level. She won this year's state meet by close to 40 seconds, and below are her responses to questions that I had for her. I asked her about the race, track, the pandemic, college, and the best state in the Union- North Dakota. One thing I learned from this questioning is that the state high school track record book is going to be attacked this year!</p><p>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p><br /></p><p>1.) First of all, congrats on your victory! Being that this is your third state title in a row, what does this one mean for you? How does it stand out?</p><p><span style="color: red;">Thank you! This last victory was kind of a cherry on top to my career here. It was a good way to wrap up these last 6 years and I’m grateful to have had the steady progression and stay injury-free every single season I’ve run cross country to be able to accomplish the things I did. It means a lot, having three titles in a row was a new milestone that I was reaching for ever since I got the first one my sophomore year.</span></p><p><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></p><p>2.) Being close to home, with cold temperatures (which I’ve read you said you run better in), how did you prepare for this race? What was your mindset coming in?</p><p><span style="color: red;">Going into the race, I knew that I had done everything I needed to prepare and the only thing that I could control no matter how the race played out, was my attitude during the race. I knew beforehand that it would be cold and that I have always run well in that weather, so that made me more confident heading into it. I also knew that the race being held on my home course was an advantage since I have been running on it for so long and so often.</span></p><p><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></p><p>3.) Talk a little about the race. How did it play out?</p><p><span style="color: red;">Right off the gun, everyone was sprinting so fast, and I didn’t feel that I needed to do the same, so I was in like 8th place at the 200m mark, and made my way up to the front by the 400m mark. I thought that was a very good move to make for me since I don’t like to start races off too fast like that. I felt amazing at the mile mark and even a little past 3000m I felt comfortable. The hilly section between 3000m and 4000m really took a toll on me, I think mostly mentally honestly as I came into the final 1000m, I slowed down a bit at that point. I wish I had another chance to race on the course because I still haven’t quite mastered resetting myself for the last half mile of the race mentally.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>4.) Where did you set your sights this cross country season? Are there goals for you outside of a state title?</p><p><span style="color: red;">At the beginning of the summer going into my build-up, I had set my goal for breaking 17 in the 5k and also placing top 5 at NXN this year, which I knew were both bold goals, but felt that I was capable if I worked hard. A couple months later, NXN got cancelled so I was mostly left with the goal of breaking 17, I haven’t done it yet, but a month ago I ran a PR of 17:16 during a hard week of training in the Nike Cross Virtual race in Jamestown on a trail. I still have the Virtual National race and one more regional race where I hope to break the 17 minute barrier. I’ll also be going to a “National” meet in Terra Haute in November so ill have some fast girls to race there.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>(for readers, "NXN" is one of the two national high school cross country meets, this one being put on by Nike at their campus in Oregon. To qualify for it you have to place high enough at a regional meet to advance as an individual or team. Ford won the region meet last year)</p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></p><p>5.) What about track- what are your goals for track?</p><p><span style="color: red;">For track, my goals are to win the 800m, 1600m, and 3200m state titles, run under the 1600m state record of 4:44, and to break the 3200m state record and run a 10:15 in that event. For the 800m, I would love to break 2:10, but that won’t be a main focus of mine. At Nationals, I would want to get top three in whatever event(s) I’m running.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>6.) What have you done to stay motivated and continue your training through the pandemic?</p><p><span style="color: red;">Once Covid cancelled our track season, I decided to get my iron levels checked again. Once I found out that they were even lower than before, I just tried to listen to my body for a couple months to get those levels back up. I was battling it throughout a lot of the summer as well, but I am feeling a lot better now. It isn’t all the way back up quite yet, so I’m still trying to be cautious of overdoing it, but I have the energy to train with much more consistency and volume.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>(for readers: iron deficiency is more common in runners that you might think. <a href="https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a29176511/iron-levels-absorption-workout-timing-study/" target="_blank">this</a> link from Runner's world has a pretty good summary of it)</p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><br /></span></p><p>7.) How did you cope with not having track last season?</p><p><span style="color: red;">Just because I had issues with my iron levels, I saw it as kind of a blessing in disguise. I really missed track season, but that period of time was perfect for me to step back and take care of that issue without having to worry about upcoming races so I could be stronger for my last year of high school running.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>8.) You have committed to run collegiately at Division 1 Furman University (for readers- this is a school in South Carolina that has had success in cross country over the last decade). What stood out about Furman to you?</p><p><span style="color: red;">Looking at the results of the 2019 NCAA XC Championships, I saw Furman had placed both their men’s and women’s teams inside the top 10. I had never even heard of the school until that fall, but they were still placing ahead of teams like Oregon and Syracuse, like these huge well-known running programs. I decided to do some research on them, saw that the school only had 3,000 students (which was important for a North Dakotan girl like me), and that the campus was just beautiful. I emailed Coach Roberts and he got back to me quickly and our phone calls remained consistent from that point on. I always felt that I was a priority on their team and that they really cared because they reached out for phone calls often. Ultimately, what made me choose them was the team, I got along with them instantly (over zoom calls).</span></p><p><br /></p><p>9.) I have to ask- are you ready for the humidity of the South? I live in Virginia now and it’s not really something you can prepare for in North Dakota.</p><p><span style="color: red;">I have raced in North Carolina a couple times and it is so humid!!! I know what it’s like, but it is definitely going to take my body a while to get used to... I won’t be spending a ton of time there my first summer, so I’ll hopefully be avoiding the worst of it. I’m more worried about coming back to North Dakota during winter break and not being prepared for the blizzards and below-0 degree temps!</span></p><p><br /></p><p>10.) To what or to whom can you attribute the success you’ve experienced?</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: red;">I feel like each year and season I have ran, somebody different has been motivation or inspiration for me. It was my brother who convinced me to start in the first place. When I was in 8th and 9th grade, I aspired to be like Karly Ackley who ran the 3200m State record and almost lapped me when I was 12. Sophomore year, I wanted to run for Oregon, so I looked up to Jessica Hull and Galen Rupp. I looked up to Emily Covert who won NXR. Then she committed to University of Colorado, and suddenly I wanted to be a Buff. Last year and this year, I discovered that all the people I fan-girled over were the same people that I raced and maybe even beat at NXN, and I still look up to them and strive to do the same great things they do. But we all have to agree that the ultimate idol is Eliud Kipchoge.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>11.) What does running mean to you?</p><p><span style="color: red;">Running is a very good way for me to let out anger, stress, or grief when I am struggling with things. Going on a run is also a great way for me to relax, celebrate, or dream. Running is basically the one part my day that I can always count on to let go, push myself, and feel so much better afterwards, even if coach schedules 1000m repeats.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>12.) What’s your favorite place to run in North Dakota?</p><p><span style="color: red;">There’s a winding, hilly, gravel road that runs along the reservoir here in Jamestown that me and the guys like to do our long runs on. It’s the closest thing in North Dakota we can get to running on the roads we run on in Wyoming at camp.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>13.) What words of advice can you give to those who are interested in running?</p><p><span style="color: red;">All season I have been telling the younger girls on the team to stop setting limits on themselves. You can do a lot more than you think you can, but when you set a goal that doesn’t test you or scare you, you aren’t going to get as far. I would tell young runners to not put so much pressure on yourself and just enjoy the process because you will run your fastest when you are happy and excited to do it. Lastly, focus on your path and don’t get caught up in how everyone else is running because I see it happen a lot and I have struggled with it. You have no idea exactly how they are training, so why would you compare yourself to them?</span></p><p><br /></p><p>14.) What adversity have you experienced with running, and what did you do to overcome it?</p><p><span style="color: red;">A huge setback I had last year was my iron deficiency that I found in late September after I finished 42 nd at the Roy Griak Invitational. I had to continue training for WDA, State, and NXR, though, so I had to fight really hard at practice sometimes to even finish workouts. I was so fatigued for a period of time. It made me a lot more mentally tough so once I started to feel better with supplements, I realized I could push myself more. That kind of led to a huge breakthrough for me in my post-season, especially at NXR and NXN.</span></p><p><br /></p><p>15.) Do you have any runners from North Dakota that you’ve drawn inspiration from or look up to? What about professional runners?</p><p><span style="color: red;">I definitely look up to Laura Roesler, Karly Ackley, and Becki Wells. To run the times that they did just all on their own and in the Midwest with our unpredictable weather is so incredible. For professional runners, I look up to Karissa Schweizer and all of the Bowerman track club a ton.</span></p>Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15222477277724716117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920771319573983588.post-60185080584272740232020-10-10T20:28:00.000-05:002020-10-10T20:28:02.763-05:00Nostalgia<p> One thing that moving across the country has brought me is occasional powerful nostalgia.</p><p><br /></p><p>At the age of 27, I can by no means claim to be old or associate myself with anything that involves complaining about age. Yet, I find myself being drawn to influences from the past in ways that I've never experienced. </p><p><br /></p><p>In North Dakota, I was close to all of my experiences. I would smell fall and physically prepare for cross country; I would feel fall and emotionally prepare for hunting season; I would see fall and mentally prepare for the brutality of winter. None of that is necessarily nostalgia, and for some reason my experiences in middle and high school did not feel as powerful in college as my experiences in high school and college have felt in adulthood. Heck, the only thing I remember from middle school is riding the packed Horace bus and laughing while Chris Krick forgot he was inside and spit a lougie on the carpet while we were all walking late to class, because our bus was never on time. </p><p><br /></p><p>Ahhhh, memories. </p><p><br /></p><p>But memories are different than emotional longings for what was. Recently, I started listening to the song "Free" by Rudimental (the Cash Cash X Gazzo Remix) and I had to stop early because I was developing intense feelings, include goosebumps, and almost had some water welling up in my eyes. I stared down at my phone, shocked at the images that just flashed across my mind. This song had transported me back to a lonely gravel road in western North Dakota, where I relied on my iPod to get me through unreasonably harsh North Dakota weather. I remembered jamming to this song, pumping my fists in the dry air, while rehearsing my lines out loud, because I had to perform as Jesus in our Faith Walk later that evening. This song had been one of my favorites for a long period of time, and it had been years since I had last heard it.* Somehow, this song had infused what seemed like simple music into my emotions and created something powerful. It reminded me of the movie "Inside Out", where the fusion of core memories is what allowed the main character to grow and mature. </p><p><br /></p><p>I haven't listened to the song since. There's something about that song that almost scares me, because it affected me differently than any other song. I have music that makes me almost drive off the road because I'm so fired up, and I have music that can lull me into homework mode for hours at a time, but few other things can transport me back to a seemingly past life. </p><p><br /></p><p>One thing I've been doing a lot of here in Virginia is cleaning. No, not dishes and sweeping cleaning (I do a lot of that, too), but de-cluttering cleaning. Both in my family and other families, many folks have a tendency to hang on to things, not for their financial value, but their sentimental value. That spoon reminds them of an international journey, that dress reminds her of that friend's wedding, that book reminds him of his father. We attach ourselves emotionally to things that serve as memory-inducers, because we are afraid to forget. I, for one, am especially guilty of this, because one of things I do with this blog is document my experiences to help me remember what I've gone through, in terms of running. </p><p><br /></p><p>Runners do this, too. Many runners will keep racing bibs, despite having little-to-no financial value. Each number is a memory of a race, place, time, and/or friends. We hang on to shoes as a reminder of the miles that it took to destroy their rubbery fabric. We refuse to throw away shirts picked up at racing events, no matter how battered they may be. We all know that nobody will check the results in the future, and that place and time don't matter at all in the long-term (unless you're an Olympian, but odds are that you aren't if you're reading a North Dakota Running Blog). </p><p><br /></p><p>What do we do with nostalgia? Do we let it consume us and affect our day-to-day life? Do we ignore it as something in the past? In a nutrition class in college, I learned that 75-80% of our enjoyment in a certain food comes from the first bite, and then there's diminishing returns after that; this is why simply eating more of something doesn't really make you feel better or bring your more pleasure. When a powerful memory hits as the result of an old letter, song, sound, view, etc, it's beneficial to swim in it for awhile, letting the memories flow through you like waves on the beach, or like that first bite of something delicious. Eventually you need to exit the water, dry off, and move onto the next thing. The waves will be there, but there's no harm in waving good-bye and coming back at another point. The cool (but also scary) thing about nostalgia is that sometimes you don't know when it'll hit. </p><p><br /></p><p>A few weeks ago someone asked me why I like listening to the Minnesota Twins on the radio while I do my school work. I realized that it brought me a sense of comfort, because during it I was transported back to high school Nate, sitting in front of the TV, bowl of ice cream in hand, in the stuffy and warm upstairs as the heat of a summer's day breathed out of the ground. Since that time, I've went to college, ran track/xc, taught on a Reservation, worked 10 summers at a Bible Camp, been married, travelled to almost every state in the country, and moved to a different time zone and climate. And yet, I can still remember Johan Santana's changeup and Nick Punto's gold-glove defense like it was yesterday. </p><p><br /></p><p>I haven't yet found a song that triggers a MN Twins memory, but I also didn't grind hundreds of miles on a gravel road while listening to baseball. I don't know in the future what will trigger my memories of Virginia, but I know that I'll hang on the them, let them go, and ask them to come back and visit sometime, because they'll always be welcome here. </p><p><br /></p><p>I'm gonna go listen to that song now. </p><p><br /></p><p>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>*Well, I had heard it once a few months ago while running, and I also got goosebumps and audibly smiled while running.</p>Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15222477277724716117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920771319573983588.post-52513308867533769712020-09-18T21:22:00.004-05:002020-09-18T21:22:40.750-05:00You Have Never Run Because You Have Never Been Injured<p> *The title of this post is inspired by the song "You Have Never Lived Because You Have Never Died" by the artist "Listener". One of the most powerful songs I've ever heard. </p><p>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Some runners have been blessed with injury-free genetics- I am not among them. My injuries started during my first track season in my junior year of high school and have continued to the present day. I've had injuries to my calf, knees, IT band, groin, shins, and hamstring, to go with various sidelining blisters. I've had a high school conference meet, three collegiate track seasons, and one summer training block derailed by injuries. Since graduating from college, I've worked through more little injuries than I care to count, and currently I'm rebounding from another IT band injury stemming from returning to training too soon after a taxing race. It sucks. </p><p>I wouldn't have it any other way. </p><p>When we are training and healthy, we focus on splits, times, workouts, efficiency, running locations, trails, teammates, friends, speed, racing, and improvement. We lace up our shoes, get our watch, head out the door, get a good run in, think about whatever we want to think about, stretch, roll, and move on with our lives. Many runners thrive on the routine of getting in a daily run at the same time every day; it simultaneously brings a sense of satisfaction and normalcy. We dream of what we can accomplish with unhindered training, whether it's setting a pr, running farther than we have before, or dropping to a certain weight. We often take it for granted. </p><p>It starts out with some soreness or tenderness. Something on your run just doesn't feel right, but you're a tough runner and you've had weird soreness and little pains before. You make sure to recover well, maybe throw an ice pack on it, and get some rest. Next day on your run it's worse- you actually feel some pain and you know something isn't right. You try to push a little bit so people don't see you walking, but eventually you'll have to do the walk of shame back to where you started. You sit down, coming to the eventual realization that something isn't right, and your body is not happy with you. </p><p>You see, running injuries are different compared to other sports. In many sports, the injuries are obvious- ACL tears, broken/sprained bones, concussions, etc. When an athlete gets an injury like that, it's not difficult to diagnose initially, and a rehabilitation program follows almost immediately. Running injuries are mostly what's called 'overuse injuries', which is when you work a certain muscle, ligament, or bone until it cries out for rest in the form of breakdown or inflammation. This means that instead of that one moment where pain erupts from a certain location, this pain will appear slowly over time, sometimes only while running. It's difficult to discern initially. This leads to runners undervaluing their pre-injury and continuing on down a path of despair. Soon there is a stoppage in running, a diagnosis, and a search for a solution. </p><p>Here's where injuries deliver their most important and life-giving attribute: a chance to re-discover your body. You might think you know your body, but once you've had to journey through an injury, you find that you never really did. Most running injuries are fixed by rest and targeted muscle strengthening. You see, the human body- I've learned through injury- is a kinetic chain. That hamstring injury might be affected by the glutes, and that knee injury might have something to do with your hips. My current injury on the outside of my knee is the result of my hips and IT band. </p><p>Knowing that an injury coming from weakness allows you new insight. Every rehab exercise finds a specific muscle and attempts to strengthen it. Each part of your legs becomes the subject of your focus, and you take extra care to bring every muscle up the speed, and you'll continue to do that after you're healthy again. </p><p>All of this occurs while you can't run. You never realize how important getting out the door and running every day affects your mood and outlook. Running turns from this daily chore, to suddenly something that you crave and miss- it's almost as if the joy of it comes back and appears as a result of injury. That return of joy can make it all worth it. </p><p>Most of the time, injury takes away something you love, forces you to take care of your body in a new way, and only gives it back when you've reached rock bottom. Today, while walking home after only being able to run for 8 minutes, I was stunned by how peaceful going for a walk in the evening is. Usually while running, it's hard to truly appreciate and take in my surroundings, but while walking, I float through the dark silently. I never would take this time to appreciate the beauty of quiet darkness if not for the injury. I come home and do exercises that will make me stronger- something I don't take time to do when I'm healthy. Every running step I get to take these days is a celebration of health and joy, something I now refuse to take for granted. I have not ever appreciated running more than I have after being injured. We grow as runners from our injuries. It sucks right now, and it's going to suck as long as I can't run, but I know that the breath of fresh air will come. When I come out, I'll be a new, hopefully happier runner. I'll be new. </p>Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15222477277724716117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920771319573983588.post-29970754162442760772020-08-31T21:20:00.000-05:002020-08-31T21:20:24.743-05:00ND Runner Interview #4- (Almost) 20 Questions with Alex Bartholomay<p> Note: this is the 4th post in a series of interviews with some of the North Dakota runners either currently making a name for themselves or at one time did make a name for themselves. To check out the others, go <a href="http://northdakotarunner.blogspot.com/p/north-dakota-running-research.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </p><p>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>On Saturday, October 23rd, 2010, on an overcast day, a 7th grader from Bowman County named Alex Bartholomay finished the hilly 5k at the North Dakota Class B State Cross Country Meet in 20:51, finishing 107th place. </p><p><br /></p><p>On Saturday, February 29th, 2020, a month after running a mile in 4:07, Alex Bartholomay of North Dakota State won the individual title in the 3000 meters at the Division 1 Summit League Indoor Track and Field Championships, running 8:20. </p><p><br /></p><p>We all love a story about the small-town guy making it big. Alex Bartholomay is currently one of the fastest North Dakotans on the track, even cracking into the top 10 all-time for the mile in this last year (top ten lists <a href="http://northdakotarunner.blogspot.com/p/north-dakota-all-time-top-ten.html" target="_blank">here</a>). Coming from Bowman County, one might not expect that to be the case. The town of Bowman rests in the far southwest part of the state, close to both Montana and South Dakota. Bowman County is just slightly smaller than the state of Rhode Island and has a whopping 471 students total in grades k-12. This county sits in the heart of the 'empty quarter' of the United States, characterized by sweeping cattle country, wheat fields extending for miles, gravel roads to nowhere, and lack of services. </p><p><br /></p><p>And yet, historically Bowman County has been one of the strongest Class B programs, amassing dozens of state titles in boy's and girl's cross country. Today, we will meet a runner who never won a state title in high school, but has managed to become one of the top distance runners in NDSU history. </p><p>Meet Alex Bartholomay. </p><p>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="NDSU Track & Field on Twitter: "Junior Alex Bartholomay (Bowman, ND) was the top collegiate finisher in the mile at Minnesota, running a personal-best 4:07.73. He now ranks 5th-fastest in NDSU history!…" height="430" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EPtoCbiWsAEcljM.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="614" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex Bartholomay at the NDSU indoor facility, courtesy of NDSU Track and Field Twitter</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><u>High School</u></b>: <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
started off your high school career at Bowman County, surrounded by vast plains and gravel
roads. Can you describe what your experience there was like? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="color: red;">Bowman is well-known for the success
that we have had in our cross country program. We were dominant during the 80’s
and in recent years have been consistent placers in the top 5 teams at state in
both the boys’ and girls’ program. The tradition there is something that many
of our parents started and we got to experience as well. Our coach, Jon Jahner,
always kept practices fun. He understood that running was something very few
high schoolers absolutely loved. He would often give us popsicles after
practices which was a selling point for kids to join the program. The kids who
went out for the sport showed up to practice and worked hard each day. As we
improved and started receiving recognition in the polls, we enjoyed the
moments, but never got complacent with where we were. A lot of that had to do
with Mr. Jahner continuing to motivate us throughout the season. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Bowman County has had tremendous success in
cross country historically, but you ran during a time of absolute domination in
Class B Boys by New Town. What did it take to mentally prepare to race such a
strong team?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><span style="color: red;">I enjoyed the opportunity to race against the
New Town boys every time we saw them. They were a group of guys who had fun
doing what they did. They were very dominant, but that helped motivate me to be
a better runner. I knew going into each race that there was going to be strong
competition and that it was going to take a good race to stick with them. No
matter how big the meet was, I was always looking for the yellow New Town
uniform to measure where I was within the race. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What kind of training did you do in high school?
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any secret running spots? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><span style="color: red;">I was low mileage in high school,
running about 20-25 miles a week in both cross country and track. Mile repeats
were always the big workouts during cross season. We would also do tempo runs
often. My long run during my high school career was 7 miles. Most of the
workouts during track season would be done on the track doing a little bit more
shorter reps. I would train five or six days a week depending on our race schedule
and would not train during the winter because I played basketball.</span><span style="color: red;">We would have about 5 different
roads that we would bus out to for practices. They were not anything special,
just gravel roads with the typical rolling hills that are found in western ND. We
never got too adventurous when it came to finding roads to run on.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your junior year of high school you finally
cracked the top 20 at state cross country (finishing 7<sup>th</sup>) and the
top 8 at state track (6<sup>th</sup> in both the 1600 and 3200). What changed
around your junior year to allow for that jump in performance? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="color: red;">I felt like my biggest jump during my high
school career happened my sophomore year. I hit a growth spurt and my body
matured a bit during that year. I was able to lead my team during most of the
races that year. I didn’t break into the top 20 or get on the podium in track,
but it was the first time that I felt like I could actually be successful at
the sport of running. That gave me the confidence going into my junior year to
break into the top 10 and get onto podium in track. Leading up to my junior
year of cross country I put in a few more summer miles, but nothing too major.
The biggest change was just the way I approached each day of practice. I went
in with a clear goal in mind.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What was your favorite place to race in high
school? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="color: red;">My favorite place to race in cross
country during high school would probably be Mandan’s course. The race was ran
on a well-maintained golf course. The meet included a lot of Class A teams as
well as Class B teams so there was always good competition. It was a very flat
course, so times were usually fast. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="color: red;">For track I always thought that The
Bowl in Bismarck was the best spot to run. It seemed like PR’s came every time
you raced there and the environment during the state meet was unbeatable</span>. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u>College</u></b>: <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->After high school you continued to NDSU. Why run
at NDSU? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="color: red;">My senior year I looked at a few
different D2 schools for running, and my mom convinced me to submit my
information to the coaches at NDSU. They brought me in for an unofficial visit
and told me that they could guarantee me a spot on the cross country team, but
that a spot on the track team was not guaranteed. They told me that I could
come in as a preferred walk-on. That was all I needed to hear. I grew up a fan
of the Bison and dreamed of wearing the Bison uniform. It was an easy decision.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Your distance coach at NDSU has been Andrew Carlson, one
of the fastest North Dakotans ever, sporting a sub-14 5k, sub-29 10k, and 2:11
marathon. What is it like to train under a coach who has such incredible
personal accomplishments? What kind of training do you do? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><span style="color: red;">Andrew’s experience as a runner is something
that is invaluable. Throughout Andrew’s career he has experienced most things
that we would experience throughout the course of our college career. Andrew
centers his life around running and he is very knowledgeable of the sport. He
isn’t afraid to give us advice based off his experiences. As for training it
depends on what season we are in, but a typical week will have 2 workouts, 1
long run, and mileage the rest of the days. I keep my mileage for cross season
around 80-85 miles a week and drop down to around 75 during track season. We do
a lot of longer workouts during cross season. Indoor season is a lot of
treadmill runs so we tend to do a cutdown run most weeks and finish with fast
reps on the track. Outdoor workouts tend to be similar to indoor, I just throw
hurdles in on certain reps to get the feel for the steeplechase. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Freshman
year you competed in a lot of races ‘unattached’, which for our readers is what
athletes commonly do while redshirting- you can run at a race without
representing your team. What was your freshman year like? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="color: red;">I knew from the beginning that I
would be redshirting all three seasons my freshman year unless something drastic
changed. I came into college as someone whose body wasn’t fully developed yet;
I was young, and low mileage in high school. Redshirting my freshman year
allowed me to focus on building up my mileage slowly and getting accustomed to
the college running scene. The only reason I run is for the chance to compete,
so I made sure that I drove myself to every race the team went to that was within
a reasonable distance. This still allowed me to compete while letting my body
develop another year.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Throughout your college career, you’ve had a
steady improvement in races, cutting your 1500 meter time to 3:51, your mile
time to 4:07 (5<sup>th</sup> fastest in NDSU history), and your 3000 meter time
to 8:15 (3<sup>rd</sup> fastest in NDSU history). What has been your recipe for
continued improvement in college? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><span style="color: red;">I would credit a lot of my success to the
training that Andrew has drawn up for me. He has written training that allows
me to continue to improve while staying healthy. Throughout my career I have
trusted the training that he has written, and it has paid off. I have had
teammates along with me the entire way that have helped push me in workouts and
in races. When it comes to race day, I can step to the line with confidence
knowing that I am in a position to run fast times. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After many close attempts, in February of this
year, you finally broke through and won an individual title at the Summit
League Conference Meet, running 8:20 to win the indoor 3k. What was that moment
like for you? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="color: red;">It was definitely a great feeling
crossing the finish line of that race. Going into the Conference meet I knew
that I had an opportunity to win a title, whether it be in the 3k or the mile.
It was a relief to accomplish that goal on Day 1 of the meet. As a college
distance runner, you train year-round to be put in positions where you can win
races and the conference races are the ones that matter the most. Once the
indoor meet was over, I got a couple of days to soak it in and realize that all
the hard work I had put in was worth it. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What’s
your favorite part of the NDSU program? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><span style="color: red;">I enjoy being a part of the strong tradition
that NDSU has developed. Throughout our entire athletics program, the culture
is one that sets expectations of winning conference titles and even National
Championships. The athletes that are brought in are focused and determined to
continue the tradition. Our track program is no different. We have found a lot
of success competing in the Summit League and bringing home conference titles.
Our coaches guide and support us along the way and the teammates know what
their expectations are. When it comes time for a conference meet, everyone has
one goal in mind and that is to compete for their teammates. I’ve enjoyed the
opportunity that I have been given to be a part of the tradition of NDSU
athletics. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Pandemic</u></b>: <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->As
you started getting some of your best personal times, COVID hit. Talk a little
about how cancellations and closures have affected your training. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="color: red;">Andrew has tried to keep our
training as normal as possible throughout all the cancellations. When outdoor got
cancelled in March, we continued training like we were in an outdoor season for
the most part. Our summer training was normal because we were fully planning on
having a cross season. We tried to simulate a few races by creating events
within the team where we race on the road individually and submit our times.
That helped break up the training and gave me something to look forward to in
training. The biggest difference in training was doing it all alone starting in
March. I was lucky enough to be able to come back to Fargo for the summer and
train with some teammates for that stretch. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">13.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What
have you had to do with your mindset to stay positive during this time?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="color: red;">My mindset throughout this entire
pandemic as it related to racing is that I’m not going to waste my time
worrying about something that I can’t change. We have now had two seasons
cancelled, but I did not want to sit around and mope about it. I have been able
to look towards the future and continue training hard with the hope that when
the pandemic hits a point where we can compete, I will be ready to continue
improving my times. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">14.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->What
are your goals for this season? This is your last year at NDSU, right? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="color: red;">I am a 5<sup>th</sup> year at NDSU
right now, but with the COVID cancellations I currently have an opportunity to
come back for a 6<sup>th</sup> year in both cross and outdoor track. I have not
made a decision on whether I will use that extra eligibility or not, but it is
an option. My goals for the season is to add a few more conference titles. The
hope is to be able to push everyone around me so that we can celebrate winning
more team conference titles as well. I have my eyes set on making a Regional
meet outdoors. As for times, I would like to get as close to the 4:00 barrier
in the mile and 8:00 in the 3k. Since the last outdoor season got cancelled, by
the time outdoor rolls around again it will have been 2 years since the last
outdoor race. I would like to shave time off both my 1500 and steeplechase and
be around 3:45 and 9:00 in those. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Personal</u></b>:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> 15.)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Growing up, did you have any North Dakota
runners or athletes that you looked up to or drew inspiration from?</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="color: red;">As a junior high and young high
school runner, the teammate at Bowman County that I looked up to the most was
Michael Palczewski. Mike was an all-around good athlete who I was teammates
with in cross country, basketball, and track. I had the opportunity to watch
him win a state title in the 400m dash my 8<sup>th</sup> grade year. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="color: red;">The North Dakota runner who I
looked up to the most was Jake Leingang. Jake was someone who was doing things
as a high school runner that I thought were crazy coming from someone from
North Dakota. When Jake announced he was transferring back home to NDSU, I was
excited for the chance to be a teammate with him. (editor's note: Leingang was competing at the University of Oregon before transferring to NDSU)</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">16.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How about pro runners? Do you have a favorite?
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="color: red;">I have never followed professional
running much, but since I’ve came to Fargo, I have heard a lot of conversations
about different professional runners. During the COVID outbreak we had a chance
to have a Zoom meeting with Craig Engels. From listening to Craig talk it was
apparent that he enjoys what he does and always has a fun time with it. Coming
from someone who runs at that level, it was cool to hear his perspective on
running. </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">17.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s your favorite place to run in North
Dakota? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="color: red;">My favorite place to run in North
Dakota is the gravel road by my house, especially after I have been away for a
while. There are no spots that really stand out when I think about places I’ve
ran in North Dakota. We do some basic routes in Fargo, but I haven’t been very
adventurous when it comes to finding cool places to run. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">18.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you could give one piece of advice to
younger runners out there, what would you tell them?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="color: red;">Stay patient with training. Fitness
is something that can take a long time to soak in. There will be times where
you don’t see much progress, and there will be times where you see very small
progress, but if you stay on it every day, you will be rewarded. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">19.)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last question- what’s something on your
running bucket list? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="color: red;">I’m not sure that I plan on
consistently running too much longer after I finish my college career, but one
thing that would be on my bucket list is to run a marathon. Depending on how
everything plays out with that, I think it would be cool to run the Boston
Marathon too before I call it good. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">A special thanks to Alex Bartholomay for giving us a look at a college distance runner's mindset and share some of the things he's experienced! Good luck this season!</p><br /><p></p>Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15222477277724716117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920771319573983588.post-8822015763293773782020-08-13T22:08:00.006-05:002020-08-14T10:07:51.716-05:00Laura Roesler- A Short Profile<p> *The following is an article that represents part of a series on North Dakota running research. If you want to read about more incredible athletes from the greatest state in the Union, look under the 'Pages' tab on the right and click on 'North Dakota Running Research'.*</p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Few high school athletes in any state have ever so thoroughly dominated their sport quite like Laura Roesler did from 2005-2010. She amassed an incredible number of state championships, broke numerous state records, and even ran at the Olympic Trials; this was, of course, just the beginning of a successful post-high school career as well. The English language struggles to describe that level of dominance, but I will attempt. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_acRg970g0MGOrFNHnePlgQnnO9O0_VXfxMSTWN6DQ5JjScRDYA_0H0I3Pyi0rReL9Ue8gY4-u0SX6UWlme7eLDnfkw_BZvsE_ExqfnYmNRfUc2qTTZIU7Ni4w66FnGN-n-jzNTnb3ME/s600/Laura+Roesler+High+School.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_acRg970g0MGOrFNHnePlgQnnO9O0_VXfxMSTWN6DQ5JjScRDYA_0H0I3Pyi0rReL9Ue8gY4-u0SX6UWlme7eLDnfkw_BZvsE_ExqfnYmNRfUc2qTTZIU7Ni4w66FnGN-n-jzNTnb3ME/d/Laura+Roesler+High+School.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">High School Laura Roesler at the 2008 Olympic Trials. Photo by PhotoRun.Net</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>Roesler ran her high school career at Fargo South, rival of my alma mater, West Fargo. In North Dakota, student-athletes can start competing at the varsity level in 7th grade and continue through their senior year of high school, a total of 6 years. At the High School State Track and Field Meet, an athlete can run up to 4 events, which yields a total of 24 possible state titles an athlete can win in their high school career. Most athletes would be satisfied with one title. The best of the best may win as many as 10 throughout their career. Laura Roesler won 20. That's right, twenty INDIVIDUAL state track titles from grades 7-12. In fact, from her 8th grade year through her junior year, she won all four titles every time. Her senior year, she only won three, but another athlete had to break the state record to beat her (more on that in a bit). WOW. That is dominance. Throw in a couple other state championships, and we're talking about something amazing. </p><p>Let's dig a little: </p><p><u style="font-weight: bold;">7th Grade</u>: </p><p>In the fall of 7th grade (2004), Roesler placed 2nd at the State Cross Country Meet, running the 4k course in 15:18 and finishing 19 seconds behind Minot's super stud Melanie Funke. The next 7th grader was a full minute behind. </p><p>In the spring of 2005, she ran 4 events at state track (not an easy feat for anyone): 400, 800, 4x400, and 4x800. She placed 5th in the 800 (2:20), 3rd as leadoff for the 4x400 (4:07), and 5th as the third runner in the 4x800 (9:55). BUT, she broke out and won the 400 by a full second with a time of 57.88, only 1.5 seconds off the state record. Just a reminder that 7th graders tend to turn 13 sometime during the school year. </p><p>State Championships Tally: 1</p><p><u style="font-weight: bold;">8th Grade</u>: </p><p>In the fall of 8th grade (2005), Roesler again finished second at State XC, again to Minot's Melanie Funke. Her time was 15:37, 7 seconds away from that title. </p><p>In the spring of 2006, she officially took over ownership of the North Dakota State Track Meet, sweeping the 100, 200, 400, and 800 for the first of 4 years in a row. This means that on Day 1, she made it through prelims in the 100, 200, and 400, and then came back the next day and won the finals in all four events. Here's the stats: </p><p>100: 12.40<br />200: 25.07<br />400: 57.67 <br />800: 2:20.53</p><p>I wonder if the weather might have been a little crappy, because times were generally slow across all divisions. I'd also like to add that Roesler was personally responsible for 40 of 2nd-place Fargo South's 114.5 points at state. At this point, pundits across the North Dakota track circuit were probably wondering if they were witnessing the beginning of one of the best athletes in state history, or a young female athlete that was peaking early in high school? They'd have their answer. </p><p>State Championships Tally: 5</p><p><u style="font-weight: bold;">9th Grade (Freshman)</u>: </p><p>In the fall of her freshman year (2006), Laura Roesler took that elusive 1st place at the State Cross Country Meet. Let's not think that it was a dominating performance though: that pesky Melanie Funke finished 2nd in 14:33.00, which is the exact same time listed for Roesler. A sprint to the finish between the top runners from each of the last two years? Yes, please. </p><p>Let me put this into perspective for you: in the same year, Roesler won the longest race competed in North Dakota high school sports (4km) and the shortest (100m). This means that she was simultaneously the fastest distance runner and sprinter in the state. AT THE SAME TIME. Absolutely insane. </p><p>In the spring of her freshman year (2007), Roesler again swept the 1, 2, 4, and 8 at the state meet. Here's the stats: </p><p>100: 12.90<br />200: 25.75<br />400: 55.56 (State Record)<br />800: 2:17.11</p><p>Here we see her first state record, in the event she won her first state title two years previous. She won the 400 by two full seconds. She only won the 100 by 0.03 seconds. At this point, it's clear that Roesler has the strength of a mid-distance runner, because she can hang with the cross country runners, nip the sprinters at the line, and demolish everyone in between. Her 40 team points helped Fargo South to the state title with 156.5 points. At this time, Roesler is the shining star of the state. We aren't even close to being done. </p><p>State Championships Tally: 10 individual, 1 team</p><p><u style="font-weight: bold;">10th Grade (Sophomore)</u>: </p><p>In the fall of her sophomore year (2007), Roesler, for the second year in a row, won the State Cross Country Meet. This was Melanie Funke's senior year, and the finish was again close: Roesler's 14:36 to Funke's 14:38. The only other people under 15? Alissa Mears (West Fargo) who won the next year, and Tarin Lachowitzer (FS) who won the next three years after Mears. What a stacked race! Was it the deepest in state history? I'll leave that up to people who were actually there. </p><p>In the spring of her sophomore year (2008), she, again, *yawn* won all four events at state track. Stats: </p><p>100: 12:07<br />200: 24.30 (State Record)<br />400: 55.76 <br />800: 2:10.78 </p><p>This time she scored 40 of her team's 120 points (that's one-third), but they only took 3rd as a team. </p><p>Ok, these times are starting to get elite. The 200 was won by over a full second, the 400 by two seconds, and the 800 by NINE (!!) seconds. Roesler has a vice-grip on the xc/track scene in this state. She could hop into any non-hurdle running event at state track and win. This is year that things change for her, though. </p><p>On June 27th, 2008, 16-year-old Laura Roesler toed the line of the first round of the 800 at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. During track, she had run 2:03 to qualify, and now she was racing against the professionals- the people that would be on the Olympic Squad. She ended up running 2:04.3, which placed 7th overall and was easily enough to advance her to the semifinals. To be clear: nobody knew who she was- an unsponsored high schooler from North Dakota. </p><p>On June 28th, 2008, 16-year-old Laura Roesler toed the line for the semifinals of the 800 at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. She ran 2:06.82, which placed her 12th, and was not enough to qualify for the next round. Her season ended there, almost a month after the state track meet where she pummeled on lesser beings. "There's not much to do in Fargo", she tells the media. </p><p>State Championships Tally: 15 individual, 1 team</p><p><u style="font-weight: bold;">11th Grade (Junior)</u>: </p><p>In the fall of her junior year (2008), Roesler placed 50th at the State Cross Country Meet, with a time of 16:37. </p><p>....</p><p>Wait, what? I actually competed at this meet as an athlete, and the question was definitely asked how the greatest track athlete any of us had ever seen ran so poorly at state. I can't say I know the answer, but my best guess is that she probably took a long, deserved break after a track season that almost made it to July. She probably eased into training and wasn't in 100% fitness at state. Maybe she was hurt, I don't know. </p><p>In the spring of her junior year (2009), she started out the state track meet by breaking two state records in the prelims: the 200 (24.66) and the 400 (55.37). Then, she came back for finals and swept all 4 events, again. </p><p>100: 12.45<br />200: 25.16<br />400: 55.10 (State Record, again)<br />800: 2:13.82</p><p>She scored 40 of second-place Fargo South's 94 points. As an individual, she would've placed 8th out of 14 in the team standings. Lurking 1-2 places behind her in each event was a little-known 8th grader from Minot named Morgan Milbrath. With Roesler's absolute dominance of the state for so many years, nobody wondered to themselves, 'will another Minot athlete throw down with Roesler at state?' We were about to find out. </p><p>State Championships Tally: 19 individual, 1 team</p><p><u style="font-weight: bold;">12th Grade (Senior)</u>: </p><p>In the fall of her senior year (2009), Roesler placed 5th at the State Cross Country Meet, running 15:08 and finishing 15 seconds behind 1st-place teammate Tarin Lachowitzer. At this point I wonder if Roesler's training was more 400/800 focused in preparation for college and cross country was more of a base phase for track. Maybe she had injuries, I'm speculating at this point. I've just always found it strange that she maintained dominance on the track but not on the cross country course. </p><p>In the spring of her senior year (2010), Roesler received the challenge of her high school career (other than the Olympic Trials, of course). For the first time since her 7th grade year, she did not win all four events at state track, but DO NOT let yourself think she had slipped off her game. She still won the 200, 400, and 800, but not the 100. You see, in the 100, 200, and 400, freshman Morgan Milbrath (Minot) pushed her further than any athlete in previous years. If you want read a more in-depth discussion of that weekend, I suggest checking out this post: <a href="http://northdakotarunner.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-greatest-race-ive-witnessed-state.html" target="_blank">The Greatest Race I've Ever Witnessed</a>. </p><p>Here's a short breakdown: </p><p>100: 2nd place, 12:38 to Milbrath's 12:35. Both athletes had flirted with the state record in prelims. <br />200: 1st place, 24.9 to Milbrath's 25.07. Both athletes had shattered the state record by over 3/4 of a second in prelims. <br />400: 1st place, 53.25 to Milbrath's 53.31. Both athletes won by over 5(!!) seconds, destroyed the state record by over 2 seconds, and ran 2 of the top 5 high school times in the country that year. <br />800: 1st place, 2:17.64. Milbrath ran a relay. </p><p>Fargo South placed second as a team with 133 points, of which Roesler scored 38. </p><p>State Championships Tally: 22 individual, 1 team </p><p>To round out her high school career: 22 individual state titles and 1 team title; currently is the 2nd-fastest in state history in the 100 meters; currently is the fastest in state history in the 200, 400, and 800 meters; qualified for the semifinals of the US Olympic Trials. Not bad, eh? Oh, she went on to that track school- the University of Oregon. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSjfoSc6Br1PLjK53iBK7wMpXV_YoHVhgXRnuWvJ7uf_BmwUjib8Qxl7Tjj7bufybmhbXgvh35hXRWSzdqhZ4ZpGnN3lhkaCNwXeQwEqB2mTg6CyoFhC_nZK6TRXPkAiiYaEEUL1BuCZs/s280/Laura+Roesler+College.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSjfoSc6Br1PLjK53iBK7wMpXV_YoHVhgXRnuWvJ7uf_BmwUjib8Qxl7Tjj7bufybmhbXgvh35hXRWSzdqhZ4ZpGnN3lhkaCNwXeQwEqB2mTg6CyoFhC_nZK6TRXPkAiiYaEEUL1BuCZs/w350-h225/Laura+Roesler+College.jpg" width="350" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">College Roesler. Photo from Hapa Productions</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><u style="font-weight: bold;">College</u>: </p><p>Roesler was highly recruited with her 400/800 talent. Her 800 time of 2:03 in her junior year of high school would put her up there with some of the best in the NCAA every year, and if she could shave a few seconds off of that, she'd be looking at an NCAA title to add to her resume. </p><p>In her freshman year of college, she qualified for both the indoor and outdoor national championships. At indoor nationals she placed 11th in the 800 prelims, and at outdoor nationals she placed 10th in the 800 prelims, neither was good enough to advance. She did place 8th and 3rd, respectively as a member of the 4x400 relay for Oregon. Her pr that year: 2:03.12.</p><p>In her sophomore year at Oregon, she failed again to advance in the 800 at indoor nationals (16th in prelims), her 4x400 placed 10th, and her DMR (Distance Medley Relay, 1200-400-800-1600) placed 2nd. At outdoor nationals, she had a breakthrough, running 2:02.09 in the prelims to advance, and then running 2:02.96 in the finals to place 4th. She was an All-American! Additionally, her 4x400 relay placed first- she was a National Champion!</p><p>In her junior year, she kept climbing. She placed 2nd at indoor nationals (another All-American) in the 800, running 2:02.32, and her 4x400 won another national title. At outdoor nationals, she tacked on ANOTHER 2nd place (another All-American) with a blistering new PR of 2:00.98 in the 800. Oh, and her 4x400 took 4th. </p><p>Senior year was her last chance at an individual title. She started off the season with a 4:40 indoor mile and a 2:01 800 a week later. At indoor nationals, she finally did it- 1st place with a time of 2:03.85. Laura Roesler was an NCAA Individual Champion! Her 4x400 won again, too. Outdoors, she ran 4:19 in the 1500 and lowered her 800 PR to 2:00.54. At nationals, she dominated with top time in prelims and then came back and won another national title, this time with a 2:01.22. Her 4x400 placed 3rd. </p><p>So this girl from Fargo, North Dakota, went to powerhouse Oregon and won two individual NCAA titles in the 800 and three NCAA championships as a member of the 4x400 relay. She was truly great. To honor that, she was awarded the Bowerman, which is annually given to the best male and female track and field athletes in the NCAA. The next step for an athlete of her caliber? Professional career.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSKsrnMHgjfx_udN53SKiV9-POw0tFhH-vAS_YDnmeWgYqhdaJ2MMMnY2SGioeDFNrWoI2JXI7FeQRqNWI4iQ15QxWhR1JU3sTj-GpDg77Vpe5JDthuquPO4oc8dXRZcYz9xxeL-obUM/s1200/Laura+Roesler+Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1041" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSKsrnMHgjfx_udN53SKiV9-POw0tFhH-vAS_YDnmeWgYqhdaJ2MMMnY2SGioeDFNrWoI2JXI7FeQRqNWI4iQ15QxWhR1JU3sTj-GpDg77Vpe5JDthuquPO4oc8dXRZcYz9xxeL-obUM/s640/Laura+Roesler+Pro.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pro Roesler at the Pre Classic. Photo from JWill Photography</td></tr></tbody></table> </p><p><u style="font-weight: bold;">Professional</u>: </p><p>After college, Roesler signed with Nike. In the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Trials, she was unable to qualify for the Olympic Team, despite having PR's similar to the some of the athletes that made it. She did have a breakout race in 2014 after she finished her college career, running 1:59.04 at the USA Track and Field Championships, and she has qualified for two different world track and field championships.</p><p>Unless I'm mistaken, she is the only female North Dakotan to go sub-2 in the 800, which is an amazing accomplishment. Recently, she's been training in Jacksonville, Florida and gearing up for the 2020 Olympics, which we all know didn't happen. She's not done yet, despite the ups-and-downs of pro running and nagging injuries. Hopefully we hear more from her next year at the Olympic Trials!</p><p><br /></p><p>Links I used to assist me: </p><p><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/14sKsf-NuXO6zIMGBIOeRf6t6K-1DfhWkwImAq5yDhMg/edit" target="_blank">North Dakota All-Time Class A Girls</a> </p><p><a href="https://bismarckhighthrowers.weebly.com/all-time-state-track-meet-results.html" target="_blank">All-Time State Track Results</a><br /></p><p><a href="https://ndhsaanow.com/champions/crosscountry-girls" target="_blank">NDHSAA State XC History</a><br /></p><p><a href="https://nd.milesplit.com/meets/57103-north-dakota-state-cross-country-championships/results/106607/raw#.XzXvkOhKhPY" target="_blank">Milesplit State XC Meet History</a><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/28/sports/olympics/28roesler.html?auth=login-google" target="_blank">NY Times- Roesler at the Trials</a><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.runnersworld.com/advanced/a20799840/interview-with-laura-roesler/" target="_blank">Runner's World Pre-Trials Interview with Roesler</a><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.tfrrs.org/athletes/3272989/Oregon/Laura_Roesler.html" target="_blank">Roesler's TFRRS Profile</a><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.inforum.com/bison-media-zone/mens-sports/track-and-field/5012425-Roesler-Otterdahl-disappointed-but-understand-likely-Summer-Olympics-postponement" target="_blank">The Forum- Olympics Cancelled for Roesler, Everyone</a><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.inforum.com/sports/track-and-field/970285-A-healthy-Roesler-finding-success-rediscovering-her-love-for-running" target="_blank">The Forum- Roesler Rediscovering Running</a><br /></p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Roesler" target="_blank">She Even Has Her Own Wikipedia Page!!</a><br /></p>Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15222477277724716117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920771319573983588.post-20566413928326050012020-08-02T20:17:00.001-05:002022-10-09T21:18:05.743-05:00That Time the West Fargo Packer Travel Bus Got Pulled Over on the InterstateIn the cold, blustery October weather, we warmly celebrated our victory while bundled in winter coats and hats. For the second time in school history, we had won the Eastern Dakota Conference (EDC) meet, the first time being the year before. Powered by three runners in the top 5 and all of our scorers in the top 20, we defeated the snow and all of the Class A schools in the eastern part of the state, and we were elated.<br />
<br />
We were having one of the best seasons in our school's history. Our coach subscribed to a 90s approach to training, which featured low mileage and multiple intervals sessions each week. The training regimen we followed was a great way to develop high school speed without a strong emphasis on long-term growth. We spent years developing a core group of runners that would regularly violate one of the principles of distance running: taking easy days easy. We would hammer many of our daily runs and intervals, leaving us with enough speed to fight through a 5k. In 2007, we started working our way through the conference ranks; in 2008, we won the conference meet for the first time through the puddles of Rose Creek in Fargo; finally in 2009 we were ranked as high as 2nd in the state (behind perennial powerhouse Bismarck High) and were on the verge of something special. We combined it all together and got the 'W' in Grand Forks at our first of two big meets- things were looking up!<br />
<br />
Our celebration brought us to the local Walmart on our way out of town. Knowing next-to-nothing about nutrition and in the midst of celebrating, we purchased obscene amounts of unhealthy snacks- especially Little Debbie's. We hopped on the bus and headed for the interstate.<br />
<br />
I-29 between Grand Forks and Fargo might be the most boring stretch of interstate in the United States. This 60-mile stretch stands out for being particularly flat and desolate. The road is full of sugar beet trucks and speeding Canadians. The countryside is painted with wheat, corn, soybean, and sugar beet fields. Every few miles are railroad towns that had as many as 200 people during their haydays. Halfway between Fargo and Grand Forks is the metropolis of Hillsboro, which I've heard might even have 40 kids per grade at the school. If you struggle with falling asleep, drive I-29. Trust me, it was also my drive to and from college, so I'm quite familiar with it.<br />
<br />
Naturally, a celebrating team on a barren stretch of road needs to flex its teenage testosterone, right?<br />
<br />
Right????<br />
<br />
The outwardly proud West Fargo Packer Travel Bus entered I-29 in its usual state: the coaches sat in the front, followed by the girls team, and then the boys in the back, arranged by seniority. A plan was concocted, and we passed our snacks to the seniors in the back. Some food was thrown towards the front of the bus, but it didn't generate a sufficient reaction- the boys needed MORE. We looked out the window and saw a car coming in the distance. As it approached, the seniors prepared for strike. The car moved left to pass the bus and closed the gap. The senior grabbed a snack, held it out the window, waited for the opportune moment, and dropped it right on the hood of the car.<br />
<br />
Nailed it!<br />
<br />
Most of the boys were hiding underneath their seats, trying to avoid laughing loud enough to attract attention up front. Our assistant coach, Brad, was looking at us through the front mirror and he KNEW something was up. We laid low for a while to let things cool off before planning the next assault.<br />
<br />
The target was sighted. The next car behind the bus had seen the tragedy previously, and was hesitant to pass, fearing the same fate. The bus was going slow, however, and they needed to get around. Sensing their predicament, our seniors prepared for another launch. Suddenly, the car moved left in a burst of speed and went for a quick pass. Our seniors, hiding, jumped up and released the snack.<br />
<br />
BAM!!<br />
<br />
Right on the windshield!<br />
<br />
The car continued speeding forward to get past the bus, and then made a fateful decision: they tried to clear the Little Debbie's Swiss Roll from their windshield by activating the wipers. This accomplished exactly one thing: it smeared chocolate all over the windshield while they sped away We couldn't contain our mirth and started making a commotion in the back. I caught the Assistant Coach's eyes in the rearview mirror, and he looked displeased. He slowly, calmly moved his head side-to-side. I hid behind my seat. Younger athletes a few rows up were starting to pick up on the festivities and wanted to watch- we were being exposed!<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, the seniors had already identified a new target. Behind our bus, a semi driver was spaced well beyond normal following distance, clearly holding back after seeing what befell the vehicle in front of them. A short discussion begun, with the topic being how to approach this new challenge. The resulting strategy was executed by one of the senior captains- he reached out of the window (holding a snack, of course), and threw the Little Debbie's snack far into the air, where air resistance and decreased momentum knocked it away from us, while gravity started pulling it down.<br />
<br />
The wise driver, drawing upon previous knowledge, visibly swerved on the interstate, even though the projectile fell short of the target. The driver then slowed and gave us even more space. We fell back beneath the bus seats and suppressed our laughter again. With no targets in range and an assistant coach looking at us with deathly hawk-eyes, the plug was pulled on the operation and we resigned to finish the ride home in relative peace.<br />
<br />
As we entered the Fargo area, we went through a small area of road construction and everybody was moved from two lanes into one. A state trooper was sitting in the median, looking for speedsters. As we went past, the trooper suddenly flew onto the interstate, got up behind our bus, and flipped the lights on. Our bewildered bus driver moved over to let the officer pass, but quickly learned that WE were the ones getting pulled over. Simultaneously, the semi behind us and the car in front of us (the one that had a direct windshield hit) pulled over as well; they both must have called it in.<br />
<br />
S***<br />
<br />
All of us immediately sought refuge behind our seats, knowing that this was NOT going to end well, because there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide- we were screwed. Some of the athletes in front looked back, confused. Most of the girls, however, looked back with that 'what STUPID thing did you do this time?' look. Our head coach's face was turning purple. The officers stepped up the stairs of the white travel bus with "West Fargo Packers" painted proudly on the side, while car after car sped past.<br />
<br />
"Whoever is throwing food out of the windows needs to come up here NOW."<br />
<br />
..........<br />
<br />
We were silently panicking. What now? We were dead to rights with no escape. Two hours ago we had won the conference meet and now we were pulled over on the interstate with cops ready to drag us out of the bus by our ears! I heard some quiet expletives behind me as those who actually threw the snacks were sweating bullets. Our assistant coach was not impressed:<br />
<br />
"If you did it, GET UP HERE NOW."<br />
<br />
.........<br />
<br />
After another short pause, our two senior captains stood up and walked slowly to the front of the bus. The officers spoke briefly to them and then they all walked off the bus and towards the car in front of us. Immediately, hushed whispering started throughout the bus, until our head coach cut through the noise:<br />
<br />
"When we get back to the school, boys stay after. We're gonna have a talk."<br />
<br />
.........<br />
<br />
S***<br />
<br />
My phone vibrated; I read the text message:<br />
<br />
'Is that you guys pulled over? Is everything ok?'<br />
<br />
A friend from Kindred who ran for Fargo North had just driven past in the Fargo North bus and seen us on the side of the road. The embarrassment was beginning to set in as tense conversation began to grow in the bus. We were in SO much trouble.<br />
<br />
The captains had to apologize to each of the drivers for their actions, and then they were let back on the bus. The story is that they were each fined for "distributing rubbish". Each of them was suspended from the next meet, which is a meaningless meet tucked in between conference and state, so they were each able to run at state. Our head coach chewed us out a little bit, but we still got into further shenanigans throughout the rest of the season.<br />
<br />
Maybe it was karma, but we went into the state meet that year ranked 2nd in the state, but we crapped the bed and ended up finishing 7th. Either way, let it be known that in the fall of 2009 a group of cross country runners got their bus pulled over by the cops for throwing food out the bus windows at passing traffic. No wonder we had a reputation for being knuckleheads.....<br />
<br />
<br />
End<br />
<br />
<br />
P.S. I partook very little in the many of the events we got in trouble for. I was always kind of a 'walk-the-straight-line' athlete, and I never really liked the culture and team atmosphere as I went through the program, but few things beat having a crazy story to tell! Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15222477277724716117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920771319573983588.post-39074599761675678232020-06-17T12:41:00.000-05:002020-06-17T12:50:11.323-05:00Reflections During a Workout in a PandemicI stepped out of the pickup into the warm, damp Virginia air and hid my keys. On my left, a large field with a cemetery; on my right, a Baptist church whose parking lot I was using. The breeze fought its way through nearby thick tree cover, and gently brushed again my exposed chest. All else was still. I hit start on my watch and started shuffling onto the road. With no shoulder, I ran along the side of the skinny road, hoping that every driver I encountered today would be kind.*<br />
<br />
It was around 8:30 on a Wednesday morning in rural Gloucester, Virginia. The sky was overcast, threatening rain, while the air, damp and refreshed with a cool breeze, hinted at humidity levels unparalleled west of the Missouri River. My road of choice today was a 6 mile loop through an area called a 'neck', which is essentially a piece of a peninsula. Somewhere only a few miles to the east was a large bay feeding into the Chesapeake Bay, but with such abundant tree cover, line of sight was usually blocked within a couple hundred yards, at most.<br />
<br />
Just a few days before, my school year had finally come to an end. We all had to deal with a unique and fluid style of education that changed everything. Perhaps most important to me, I found myself sitting at home by myself for the majority of the day, five days a week. I would grade, check emails, and create assignments, but even through zoom calls with students, something was missing. I found myself attacking Ingrid when she got home, incessantly talking her ear off until she begged for mercy. I found myself getting abnormally angry at things and situations that weren't a big deal. I found myself at times paralyzed and unable to do basic household chores because I was just....lonely.<br />
<br />
As I finished my warm up, I knew that I would need to take a pee before I started my work out, but this isn't some dusty gravel road in the middle of no where, and I can't just pull up anywhere and do what I need to do. So, I identified a good spot, checked for cars, jumped the ditch, ran past a NO TRESSPASSING sign, and hid in the trees. While I answered Nature's call, a vehicle drove past, and I got right up against a tree and hid. Noticing nothing, the driver continued without changing speed or direction. As the car drove away, I listened intently to sound of the wind, trying to detect any cars in the distance that may see me when I popped out of the woods. Hearing nothing unusual, I quickly ran out to the road and began my workout. The goal: 10 miles at 6:20/mile.<br />
<br />
I've been taking extra time during quarantine to drive to local areas for my daily run- anything to try to get out of the house for a bit, less my mental and emotional health decline. I've run at the high school (nobody there and I got kicked out after 2 months, because "it's closed"), a local middle school (nobody there), and a local park with trails (maybe a couple people on a weekday). What used to be my retreat from people and chance to reflect on my day has now turned into my public appearances. It also allows me to get away from the noise of internet and social media in the middle of absolute chaos. I've also been incredibly blessed to find a person to go run with in the mountains, which has lifted my spirits as well.<br />
<br />
My first mile was 6:20, and my second mile was 6:21. I feel smooth and relaxed, confident that I'm going to be able to finish this workout. I'm training for a trail race next month in the Badlands of western North Dakota, where a piece of my heart currently resides somewhere in a north-facing juniper thicket overlooking the Little Missouri River. Before that I race I will have driven from Virginia to North Dakota to California back to North Dakota. Throughout that time, I'll see the landscape change from the East Coast to the Interior Lowlands, from the Midwest to the Great Plains, from the Rocky Mountains to the Sierras, and back.<br />
<br />
Right now, all over the United States, people are faced with the same struggles- shuttered businesses, a global pandemic, race relations and police brutality, protests on the streets and at state capitals, and continued questions of when certain things will be open, and in what way. We're all struggling in our own way right now, straining to find a sense of normalcy in a sea of confusion and despair.<br />
<br />
Running is my outlet. As the miles click by, the pace slowly increases. I run past woods, beat up trailers, a couple reclaimed plantations, roads that disappear into the trees, corn fields, and beautiful two story homes with American flags draped over the front porch. Though this is confederate country, I don't come across any confederate flags. The town I live in does have a large confederate monument, however, and we have seen all over the country how these symbols have become flash points in the debate over racism and how the country grapples with it to this day. I have students who are likely descendants of slaves, and other students who are likely descendants of slave owners. My ancestors farmed in a state that wasn't a state until 25 years after the Civil War was over, and so I've been learning a lot just by being here.<br />
<br />
After mile 5, I decide that I feel a little too comfortable and start increasing the pace more, now entering into the 6:10/mile and faster range. I begin to make my second loop around the area, and not much has changed. Some of the houses around this area look incredibly tall and mighty, but upon further inspection have been lifted many feet off the ground by brick. With tropical storms and hurricanes always a worry on the East Coast during the summer and early fall months, storm surge is one of the biggest fears. Down here, people live only a few feet above sea level, and when storm surge brings water 4-6 feet above sea level, not only are roads inundated with water to where travel by anything other than a boat is impossible, but people's homes are in significant danger if they are not raised from the ground. Basements aren't even discussed. The strongest foundation of the home can actually be above ground, protecting the home from natural disaster.<br />
<br />
Many people have used this pandemic to reset the foundation in their life. I've taken the opportunity to reset my training, and many people have started projects at home, re-thought education, cooked new meals, checked finances and budgeted, and started new workout routines. We have been forced to examine our humanity and strip it down to the most basic layers of survival- food, water, and shelter, mostly because that's all the government would allow us to do. I think travel and movement is also a basic human function, and that's why bicycle sales have been at record highs, and so many people are out walking and jogging.<br />
<br />
I finish my last few miles, chopping down to a 5:57 last mile, and come to a halt. My shorts have long since lost their last remaining dry spot, and my shoes are making squishing noises with each step. Sweat rolls of my face, arms, and legs. I stand up and start walking. It's quiet. I'm proud of what I've accomplished, but I also know that each step towards the pickup is a step towards having to go home and be alone. It's been a rough stretch these last few months, but somehow I think I'll emerge from this stronger. I've never wanted to be back in the school more than I do right now, and I'm really enjoying running right now, too. What really lifted my spirits though, was last week, in the middle of all of the chaos and panic, I had two students express that they actually missed having me as a teacher. That's all I needed.<br />
<br />
Time to go clean.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
*I was wrong, as usual. One thing that truly unites Americans all over the country is their distaste for slowing down and moving over for bikers and runners. 'MuricaNatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15222477277724716117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920771319573983588.post-20795856284276091732020-05-05T11:28:00.003-05:002021-07-27T08:24:52.143-05:00When the World Looks a Bit Different, Part 2To read about another time that my world was changed because of running- look <a href="https://northdakotarunner.blogspot.com/2019/04/when-world-looks-bit-different.html" target="_blank">here.</a><br />
<br />
<br />
Many people who love running can pinpoint the first time that forever changed how they view running. For many of us growing up, it's simply that natural human function that allows us to chase peers across the playground, or perhaps a means of keeping up with older, faster humans. As we age, it can start to become competitive- if we all share this basic human thing- who can do it the best? Indeed, it seems that all runners can be neatly tucked into three categories- those that run to be in shape, those that run to beat others, and those that run because they love it. Of course, any given person can be a combination of those three things, but very few of us can claim to use it for survival in the year 2020.<br />
<br />
I currently fall into all three categories, but most importantly I love doing it. I become more irritable around other people if I haven't run in a day or two, and the way I feel about my body decreases at the same time. Yes- some days it feels like a chore, but a bad day of running normally defeats a good day of sitting on the couch. Recently, for no particular reason, I was reminded of a time that the world of running changed before my eyes, and the limitless possibilities thereof were laid bare at my feet.<br />
<br />
It was the summer after my junior year of high school. At this point, I had just completed my first year of track and had dumped baseball and swimming as a result. I was preparing for my senior year of cross country, but at West Fargo High School, that meant captain's practices where we might run 20-30 minutes, and would more likely end up causing trouble than getting fit. Our routes would take us through neighborhoods of West Fargo- sidewalks, unknowing people's backyards, parks, etc- it was all that I knew. I went to a big school and ran with a big team through a big town while preparing to race other big schools in other big towns. We had decent success. We had just won our second conference title the previous fall and had positioned ourselves to take second place at state, where we then had a disastrous meet where I don't even recall what place we took.<br />
<br />
My best friend lived across the street, and word traveled to me that his friend Eric and his family was coming to visit and would be interested in a run. This intrigued me. I hadn't run with Eric before, but I heard that he was pretty good, running for the Class B Langdon Area team up in the state's icebox near the Canadian border. I decided to go for it and see what would happen. My experience running around my town was limited, because I ran at the high school Monday-Saturday during the season, and usually took Sunday's off. I wondered what knowledge Eric would bring. <br />
<br />
My town was a formerly sleepy town on the verge of an eruption. Seemingly forever a railroad town in between Kindred and Fargo, Horace, ND, sat right on the shores of the Sheyenne River and for many years served those who wanted nearness to Fargo without living there (they're called 'Bedroom Communities'). As Fargo expanded, Horace slowly became less and less isolated until you could see Fargo from town. Sure, there was only 2,000 residents, and sure, from anywhere in town you were always less than a mile or two from a gravel road that disappeared into the horizon, but Fargo was nearby. Now, years later, Horace is a full-blown suburb about to get a new high school attached to the West Fargo Public School District.<br />
<br />
This summer's day though, was calm. The explosion had yet to get started, and Eric was here. His tall, trim runner build stood in the driveway, while my shorter, stockier frame walked across the road to meet him. After exchanging pleasantries, he announced that he was thinking about running for an hour, and asked if that was good with me. Knowing full well that I had only once in my life run more than 6 miles, and even after that I was exhausted, I accepted without hesitation. He mentioned knowing a good road to run on, and I accepted that as well. With the captain steering the ship, we started off down the road.<br />
<br />
It was one of those perfect prairie summer days. The day had been warm and dry under the constant watch of the uninhibited sun. Thin cirrus clouds streamed through the sky, with a warm breeze blowing through the countryside. It was late afternoon rolling into early evening, and as the sun started to wane in the northwest sky, the breeze slowly backed away and the earth beneath our feet breathed a sigh of relief.<br />
<br />
As we approached an intersection, Eric suggested we go left and run on the gravel roads. I had never run this way before. In fact, my only experience with it was the times my dad would drive this way as an alternate route to get to the interstate, thus avoiding West Fargo and Fargo. Little did I know that it would become (and still is) one of my favorite places to run, drive, walk, and exist. We crossed a small bridge over the Sheyenne and ran past a small rural development, As we passed the last house, the countryside opened up spectacularly.<br />
<br />
Before us was the mighty Red River Valley, one of the most crop-productive and fertile stretches of land on this planet. Pancake-flat and silt-fed by regular spring flooding, this heavy clay soil is a wonderland for wheat, sugar beets, and soybeans. With the wind dying down to nothing, there was thin haze through the air from vehicles kicking up dust on the gravel roads. The drooping sunlight fractured on the dust particles and gave the air a deep orange glow, the same kind from Rocky Mountain forest fires in late summer. Mile after mile of flat farmland stretched all the way to the horizon, punctuated only by little cars in the distance, racing across the grid-system gravel roads, balling up a huge exhaust of dust that simply hovered in the air, with no wind to dictate its movement.<br />
<br />
I started to fall in love with running right there. We ran due west down the road, which turned into a minimum-maintenance road with soft black dirt that turned to impassable mud when wet. Another mile passed and we approached a car sitting on the shoulder near the next turn. As we got closer, I noticed a boy from town, one year younger than me. He was a bulky, burly guy that always dressed in flannel, Wranglers, and cowboy boots. I still to this day don't think he actually lived or worked on a farm, but that form of dress is attached to way of life that is quite attractive to many young men in North Dakota, including yours truly at this point in the past. My wonder turned to sadness as I witnessed that he and his friend had simply come out into the countryside to have an under-18 smoke. One thing they had on me, though, is that they had discovered this gravel-road secret before I did.<br />
<br />
We turned and started clicking away miles, one-by-one, fast enough to feel free, slow enough to maintain conversation. Every step for me was a step away from the old me and towards the me that I was to become. Every breath was fresh, every stride enlightening. We turned again and continued running without cars passing, noisy people, or city sounds that drove me nuts. It was as if the town was not the oasis on the prairie, but the open prairie itself.<br />
<br />
At this point we were parallel to the railroad that went into Horace. Eric, with his higher knowledge of local geography, understood that our way back into town could be shortened considerably and avoid the highway if we ran on this railroad- one that rarely sees train traffic. This idea scared my conservative nature, but I followed him as we ran up to the tracks and on the rocks beside them. Within a couple hundred yards, we were pigeonholed into running on the railroad ties themselves. Trees suddenly surrounded us, and we found ourselves standing over the Sheyenne River again. I stopped; he stopped. We stood there in silence. There was not human soul who could see at that moment where we were. The water below us silently continued its long march towards the Hudson Bay, and a hum of insects filled up the silence. It was the prairie at its finest- a small, flowing river huddled by a thin layer of trees, penetrating the vast miles of broken sod in the transition zone between the more wet and humid Midwest and more dry and arid West. This is where I learned about the incredibly sights and sounds you can experience from running.<br />
<br />
Fearing what could happen if we were caught on a railroad line over a river, we quickly ran to the other side and hopped back onto the rocks outside of the railroad ties. We followed tracks back into town, where a 4-wheeler path wore into the ground beside the tracks. We ran on the path until we were about two blocks from home, turned left one last time, and bounded down the street. My legs were tired, but my heart was alive.<br />
<br />
It took me a few years after our run to fully comprehend that Eric was actually a state champion at 800 meters in high school. That run was first of hundreds that I have done on that exact same gravel road west of Horace, and through this experience I have sought to use running as a means to explore any area where I live. It also marks a continuation of my dangerous tendency to blur trespassing lines while exploring on the run. My attitude towards running and places changed that day, and I'm forever grateful for it.<br />
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I ate huge bowl of ice cream after we finished.Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15222477277724716117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920771319573983588.post-36100263032857783912020-03-17T12:42:00.000-05:002020-03-17T12:42:59.866-05:00Alone<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13.3333px;">
Gunshots echoed through the trees. Limbs and leaves swayed with the cool March breeze, while the neighbors dribbled a basketball in their driveway. In our yard, a freshly painted set of outdoor chairs sat while drying, and the blooming flowers looked sad on this overcast day. In the home, little stirs. Ingrid is taking a nap on the couch and the cats rest downstairs. I’m wasting time on my phone, afraid to make noise while my wife sleeps. My social media is buzzing and alive with posts and memes about the Coronavirus, and the stock market is continuing to crash into oblivion for much the same reason. It is quiet.</div>
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The President has just issued a recommendation that people should avoid gatherings of 10 or more, but this is to no one’s surprise. Every public space imaginable has been closing in recent days, with sports being the first to go. The NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS- if there’s a professional level of sport, it’s been cancelled for the foreseeable future. Road races are nearly impossible to come by. The NCAA did its part and took the axe to everything they have, including sports in the middle of their season or approaching championships. Members of the track and field team at my alma mater, the University of North Dakota, found out on their spring break training/competing trip that their season was over- gone in just a blink of an eye. Student-athletes that had poured everything into this outdoor season came up empty-handed, and though the NCAA is promising an extra year of eligibility for them, many seniors need to move on to the next step of their life, track or no track.<u></u><u></u></div>
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It sucks.<u></u><u></u></div>
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The Myrtle Beach training trip was one of the peaks of the UND season. After enduring a gruesome North Dakota winter and the equally gruesome training facility (the Hyslop) we shared with baseball (RIP) and softball, and after enduring the long indoor track season, where every meet you walk away with cottonmouth, a raging cough, and/or a nosebleed, we finally were afforded the opportunity to train and compete somewhere warm. When we would step off that plane in Myrtle Beach and feel the radiant sun on our exposed skin, we knew we were arriving in track and field heaven.<u></u><u></u></div>
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The layout was simple: we stayed in villas right by the beach, complete with multiple bedrooms and kitchenettes. We were assigned teammates to live with and given a certain amount of money ($150 each I recall) to pay for food for the 8-10 days we were living there. The grocery store was a few blocks away- an easy walk- but coaches would periodically offer rides to the store. We were free to basically do whatever we wanted as long as we showed up to vans to go to practice at the right time, we didn’t do anything stupid like go to the bars, and we were limited to one hour of beach time per day, because exhaustion and sunburns don’t improve performance. The track was about 2.5 miles away, and most groups would do two practices- one in the morning and one later in the afternoon.<u></u><u></u></div>
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I got to meet my teammates on a completely different level. For us distance runners, because we had no need to go to the track every day, we would make our own schedule and run together morning and afternoon every day, and fill our time in between with bonding. Each year it seemed that someone would have the amazing intuition to bring a gaming console, and we would waste away hours sitting in our running clothes, eating food, and playing something like Super Smash Bros. In fact, this is where I learned from Connor that Jigglypuff is dangerous in a group setting. If it came time to do another run, those going would simply yield their controllers and go run. Upon return, it’d be time to play again. The throwers and jumpers on our team would often be gone all day practicing, and so it would often just be us. We were at peace.<u></u><u></u></div>
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The meets were something to behold as well. Track teams all over the northern half of the US would descend on southern climates for spring break to compete. The big ones were at Arizona State (Phoenix area) and Coastal Carolina University (Myrtle Beach). The record board here at CCU was full of professionals and high-level D1 athletes. Hundreds of athletes from all levels of the NCAA and Ju-Co were there: From the University of Minnesota and Clemson to dozens of small, private Christian schools throughout Ohio and Pennsylvania. Everybody was looking for the same thing: great training conditions and the ability to actually have an outdoor track meet right after indoor season ends in early March. For many of us (ESPECIALLY UND), outdoor track meets in mid-march simply was not an option back home.<u></u><u></u></div>
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During the week we would try to arrive at the track early for workouts, not simply to beat warmer weather later in the day, but also to avoid the crowds. On one side of the track, some teams would be practicing relay hand-offs in lanes 5-8. On the other side, lanes 3-6 would be used for hurdling. The infield would have dozens of athletes from different teams doing different warm-ups and little space for anybody to maneuver. The inside lanes of the track would be reserved for runners doing workouts. When you finished a rep, you stepped off the track to avoid getting trampled. If you were about to trample someone, you yelled “TRACK!” and hoped they heard you. Behind the stadium, throwers would be practicing javelin, discus, and shot put in the open field. It was a bustling metropolis of athletes.<u></u><u></u></div>
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The first meet when we arrived would be relatively small, but then throughout the week teams would start showing up in all the different resorts up and down the main boulevard. The culmination of it all was the big CCU meet that went Thursday-Saturday on the second and final weekend we were in paradise. In outdoor track, the largest meets are commonly Thursday-Saturday, where Thursday is used to get some throwing events and the 10,000 meters out of the way, while Friday and Saturday are commonly used as a prelims-finals kind of thing for the rest of the events. Some meets will also fill up Friday and Saturday morning with ‘unseeded’ heats of events, for everyone except the top 10-20 in each event, and then the ‘seeded’ heats during primetime on Saturday, when the top dogs go at it.<u></u><u></u></div>
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During this long weekend of track, we would seemingly go days without seeing the throwers, and when we did, they would have some incredibly damaging sunburns and be totally exhausted. Our bodies weren’t used to being exposed to sun, and the throwers would sit outside all day supporting each other, and it seemed that no amount of sunscreen could protect some of them. Hell, we all got ridiculously sunburned on that trip. Athletes were encouraged (required in some cases) to stay at the resort unless their event was close, in which time the coaches would pick you up and drive you to the meet. If you were done after that, you could stay. But if you had an event later, you’d be asked to go back and rest in the shade.<u></u><u></u></div>
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We all felt like we could stay there forever: lounging in the sun, competing against people from all over the country, watching how other athletes and coaches train and interact, sunrises on the beach, living carefree- it almost felt like a dream. I remember laughing until my sides were sore, running with friends into the cold, salty water, racing my heart out and breaking my first school record, cheering on teammates, eating ice cream, morning runs, watching Indoor Nationals, and learning more about myself as a person.<u></u><u></u></div>
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You see, these are things that student athletes will not have this year- the memories. You miss a meet or two, and it’s not the end of the world, but you take away an entire season of memories, and you’ll always wish you had more time. It reminds me of the video a few years ago of the Boston College basketball player who, after his season had ended, was asked what his favorite memory of college was. He responded with: “eating lunch”. He didn’t say the games, travel, or practice- he talked of the little things that he shared with his teammates.<u></u><u></u></div>
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We forget how powerful the little things can truly be. When I think back on the spring break training trip, what stands out to me the most was when I was leaning on a fence. We were at the track on Thursday, and it was getting late. Darkness had descended and the stadium lights were on. The stands had cleared out and just about everybody had gone home. The only event running was the only event left- the 10k. The air was breathing a huge sigh of relief and the temperature was slowly dropping. The sea breeze had calmed down after a busy day and the whole world seemed to be relaxing. I was standing along the fence with Coach Clay and a teammate, while other assorted distance runners and distance coaches dotted different areas around the stadium. On the track, some runners were racing the 25-lap monster of outdoor track, clicking off lap after lap. Every time around, coaches would be yelling splits and words of encouragement. Other than that, it was quiet- so quiet, in fact, that you could hear the labored breathing of each athlete as they came around for another lap. I recall thinking to myself, surrounded by only a few distance-minded types, on a perfect Thursday evening in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: I wish this moment would last forever.<u></u><u></u></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px;">To those athletes whose season recently ended down in Myrtle Beach and any athlete anywhere whose season is over: find those moments, and don’t let them go. When you’re alone and away from your teammates years from now, they will bring you a smile.</span>Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15222477277724716117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920771319573983588.post-35447293040794856322020-02-02T16:26:00.002-06:002020-02-02T16:26:50.783-06:00Appalachian Trail<br />
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It was fairly early on a Sunday morning, maybe 7:30am, when
we finished the one-hour drive to Richmond Airport. Ingrid stepped out and
grabbed her things. The sun was peaking out through the trees, barely over the
horizon. The dampness and rain from the previous day were being replaced with a
dry, brisk northwest wind and a clearing sky. Ingrid took out her bag and set
it on the ground away from a water puddle, and then gave me a big hug. She was
shipping off for a trip to Phoenix to visit her friend and her friend’s snowbird
grandparents, replacing the humid and densely forested Virginia coastal plain
for the dry, open Arizona desert. We said our goodbyes and she entered the
airport, leaving me alone with a low tank of gas and a short grocery trip. <o:p></o:p></div>
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After taking care of the necessities, I hopped onto the
interstate, bound west for the mountains of Shenandoah National Park. As I cruised
easily through light Sunday morning traffic, I passed by the downtown Richmond
area, and was immediately reminded that the next day was the huge
Pro-Second-Amendment rally on Martin Luther King, Jr Day. I marveled at how
something so big could be happening so close to where I lived, and I even toyed
with the idea of going there myself. Alas, I continued on. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Interstate 64 from Virginia Beach to Charlottesville is a
fascinating drive. The road undulates the entire duration and is usually
bursting at the seams with traffic that considers speed limits merely a
suggestion. Focusing on the rapidly changing traffic is relatively easy,
because the road on both sides is lined right up to the road with tall, dense,
and magnificently green trees; there’s really not much to look at because you
can’t see anything. The common joke in the West is that if you blink, you might
completely miss the town you drove through. On Interstate 64, it’s impossible
to tell if a town is nearby or not, because any line of sight from the road is
met with a wall of wood. The median is also covered with trees; as a result, it
feels like you’re driving through a tunnel at warp speed, bouncing around the
road while slowly climbing towards the great wall of the east- the Appalachians.
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As the highway opened up in Charlottesville, I saw two state
troopers drive in the eastbound lanes, and a few miles later another trooper
with a following unmarked trooper passed by. Within minutes I had counted more
than 15 marked and unmarked state troopers, all headed eastbound, and none with
their lights on. My mind drifted back to the gun-rights rally the next day in Richmond,
wondering if maybe all these fine folks were headed to be security for that. <o:p></o:p></div>
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My car was then slammed in the side with a massive gust of
wind that about pushed me into the next lane. Department of Transportation
signs had been warning us of high winds on the mountain, and now that I was
ascending rapidly into the United States’ oldest mountain range, the wind was clearly
picking up. I climbed almost 1000 feet out of Charlottesville before pulling
off at the Shenandoah National Park exit. The only road through the park, the Skyline
Drive, was still closed due to icy conditions from the night before. My
attention was immediately drawn towards the line of vehicles parked along the
road right up to the gate blocking the entrance. People were walking right in.
I parked my car in the line. <o:p></o:p></div>
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As I sat in my vehicle, I could hear the 30-degree air
roaring against the west side doors. I thought about my recent knee pain that
had flared up due to a relatively strong increase in running mileage over the
last month or two. I messaged Ingrid, who was likely thousands of feet above
ground, and I stepped outside. The incredible noise of the bustling interstate
below me filled the air; a middle-aged family with dog walked past, seemingly
oblivious. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I started jogging over the bridge towards the entrance gate.
I caught a glimpse of two runners getting ready to run into the park, and I
instantly improved my running form to demonstrate that I was the alpha male
here. When I crossed the gate into the park, I started searching for the fabled
Appalachian Trail. Supposedly, the bridge I had just run across was part of the
AT, and somewhere early in the park it disappeared back into the woods. My
breathing increased rapidly as the hill carved up the mountainside into the
trees. Each step forward became more difficult as the road turned slowly
towards the east, in the direction of the visitor’s center. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Out of the corner of my eye, I saw what looked like a little
dirt path turning sharply off the road and steeper yet up the hillside. As I
realized I was staring at the Appalachian Trail, I hopped onto the trail and started
climbing. The terrain was steep and wooded, with large rocks and exposed tree
roots covering the trail. Movement was slow going as I approached 2700 feet in
altitude. I went past a National Park Service sign detailing proper trail
regulations, with a man standing there reading it; I hoped he didn’t listen too
much to my huffing and puffing as I trotted past. My watch beeped- my first
mile was completed, and in about 11 minutes, or about 3-4 minutes slower than
my normal easy run pace. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Over the next mile, I passed many families as the sound of
interstate traffic slowly disappeared into the wind through the trees. My
attention bounced back and forth between the technically difficult trail, and
the beautiful scenes surrounding me. Large rock formations protruded from the
hillside above me and to my right. The park highway was hundreds of feet below
me to my left, but silent. Through the leaf-less trees to my left I could see
all the way down the mountain onto the surrounding lowlands- towns, houses,
trees, water towers- all seemingly hundreds of miles away. My knee was starting
to ache when I had to increase elevation rapidly, a commonplace on this trail. I
stopped and walked. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The Appalachians remind me of my family’s farm back in North
Dakota. The gently rolling prairie, devoid of trees and human life, suddenly opened
in small gorges created by rivers- mostly notably the Little Missouri, the Missouri,
the James, and the Sheyenne. Tucked into the trees that cover these large hillsides
is land that I grew up hunting, shooting, and working on. I would sit at the
base of a tree and listen to the water in a nearby creek, running down the
rocks. Squirrels and deer would walk past, kicking up the leaves and making an
absurd amount of noise in the quiet woods. As the sun receded in the west, the
first of the stars would appear in the night sky, shining brilliantly above
this little oasis on the prairie. <o:p></o:p></div>
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AARRGGGHHHH. I fall to the ground. I had started trying to
jog again, but my knee received a jolt of pain while going up some rocks. I go
back to walking. My watch says I’m a little past 2 miles, and I am not ready to
turn around. It’s such a beautiful day outside in such a beautiful place- I don’t
want to waste this long drive. I decide to gently jog the flats and downhills,
and speed walk the uphills. I pass by small waterfalls of ice bleeding onto the
trail, untouched by the rays of sunlight fighting a losing battle through the
trees. The trail forks ahead, but I’ve learned that the trail has trees occasionally
painted with white spots to denote the path, and so I follow whichever route
has white dot trees. I haven’t seen a person in over 30 minutes, and with my
breathing quite low due to the slow pace, I find myself silently gliding along
the trails, feeling great, enjoying myself, and wondering if this is how ultramarathon
trail runners feel. <o:p></o:p></div>
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As I start feeling better, I run a little more, just in time
for another jarring knee pain on an uphill, hitting me to the ground again. I
look at my watch- 2.9 miles. In my head I had been holding on for 3 miles, but
I realized that worrying about exact distance when I’m on a remote mountain may
not be the best idea. We as runners get so caught up in exact distances or
times that we forget basic humanity. We have to run exactly 7 miles on the GPS,
or the watch has to say 30:00.00 when we are done. I swallowed my OCD and
started back down the mountain. I used the ‘ultra’ style of running, where I
mixed walking uphills with gentle jogs on the flats and downhills, averaging
about 16 minutes per mile on mountains terrains with occasional stops to enjoy
the peace and serenity around me. My instinct was to be stressed about my pace
or my body, but my heart was fully invested in enjoying the moment. Despite
everything, I was truly inhaling every breath with joy, and landing every step
like it was sacred. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I pictured what it must have been like, thousands of years
ago, for indigenous people to use the mountain range for food, water, wood,
shelter, war advantage, or even a journey. I wonder if it would look much
different than it does now, minus the trail signs and the road way down the
hill. It’s crazy to think that the local wildlife would not be able to recall a
time without cars, but it’s possible that some of the trees standing on the
mountain have watched the landscape change from trails to roads. There’s
something inside of me that awakens when I am furthest from technology and
closest to the real world. I am even tempted at times to say that there is the
awakening for all of us at some point, whether in the woods, on the mountain,
in the water, or away from this tangling web of cars, internet, and insulation
from nature. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Towards the end of the Harry Potter series, Harry receives
the snitch that he caught early in his school days and inscribed on it are the
words: ‘I open at the close’. It seems like when we find ourselves in the parts
of the world that we have closed off- true nature, wilderness- we open up and
awe at what we have really been given. The world is a gift that we often take
for granted. We have used every means of technology and our brain and will
power to try controlling the forces of light, wind, water, and landscape; and
yet, we choose to find natural places where we willingly give up our comforts
to experience what is raw and real. <o:p></o:p></div>
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As I continued down the mountain, I became acutely aware of
the increase in noise from the interstate I was approaching. My time of peace
was coming to an end, and within minutes I was back on the bridge over Interstate
64, jogging over the traffic blazing past- drivers plowing towards wherever
they needed to be. Within a few more minutes, I was back in my car roaring onto
Interstate 64, shooting down the mountain at almost 80 miles per hour, heading
home. It was amazing how what had felt so real and natural 30 minutes previous,
now felt like a fantasy or a dream. I resolved, the way I always do, to visit the
national park more often. But first, I had to figure out what was going on with
my knee, and check facebook, and call Ingrid, and grade papers, and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15222477277724716117noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2920771319573983588.post-87098894677134697652020-01-13T20:44:00.000-06:002020-01-13T20:44:45.138-06:00An Ode to the Lodge
My first memory of the lodge was the juice machines. When I
was much younger, our family would make the 4-hour trip to camp almost every
summer, and every visit to camp included a stop in the lodge. This old, decrepit,
white building perched regally on the north shore of Lake Sakakawea has been a
staple of Camp of the Cross Ministries for decades, and for young me, walking
through the door and seeing those juice machines was something that could
brighten me up. The grape juice was my favorite, and after abiding by our
2-glasses-of-water-before-juice rule, I would indulge myself in the sugary
goodness. <br />
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The story is that this building was used as a barracks for Army
Corps of Engineer workers during the creation of the Garrison Dam in the 1950s.
During that time, an enormous earthen dam was built across the Missouri River,
flooding all the river bottom land in the directions of north and west, all the
way through populated areas of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation up towards
Williston. Thus, Lake Sakakawea was created. At the completion of the project,
there were buildings that could be re-purposed, and the barracks were no exception.
Camp of the Cross received this building, but transporting it was going to be
difficult. Fortunately, North Dakota’s frigid winters freeze the lake over to
such a depth that the building was thrown on the back of a truck and driven
across. They set it down on the north side of the lake, and here we are, years
later. <br />
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Today when I visit the lodge, there is a forgotten quiet,
sliced only by the hum of a few remaining freezers still being used. With the advent
of our new fellowship center at camp, the lodge has passed on into history. Essentials
have been removed; non-essentials have been left. Assorted items are scattered
across the floor, and parts of the wall remained painted from this summer’s
festivities. The 70+ boats representing all our supporting congregations have
been taken down from the wall, and so too have the numbered prayers that all
campers for decades have sung together. The juice machine is absent, having
been disposed of years ago because it didn’t work. <br />
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The lodge as a building would go through cycles every year.
During the summer and weekends during the rest of the year, it was bustling
with noise and vibrancy; during times when nobody was there, it was simply
another old building in the middle of nowhere. I fell in love with it during
the quiet times. From playing piano early in the mornings and listening to rain
fall off the roof in the veranda, to hiding from howling winter winds and searching
for air conditioning, this building was always a refuge. In this building, a
person can watch a prairie thunderstorm whip across the lake while hiding from
the kids inside. In this building, a pastor can nap before Sunday morning
worship. In this building, it felt like a person could breathe easier. <br />
<br />
Well, now that we know what kinds of things are in the
ceiling, I suppose ‘breathing easier’ is subjective, but that never stopped the
lodge from shaking the walls with noise. In the summer, we would pack Summer
Sunday worshippers in like sardines, and at times the guests would spill out onto
the veranda. Hours later, dozens of crazy, noisy, energy-packed youth stormed
in and made it impossible to hear your own thoughts. We would sing, dance, and
eat like our lives depended on it. During times of rain, we would come in and
play games, watch movies, and even one time perform our famous ‘Faithwalk’ play.
During staff reunions, we would stay up late into the night playing games and
blasting music on the kitchen speakers. <br />
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Adults can make plenty of noise, too. For a few years,
Ingrid and I lived and worked at Camp, and during that time we hosted lots of adult
retreats, many of them focused on crafting and quilting. Even though it was
cold and dark outside, the attendees would fill up the space with their warmth,
laughter, and conversation. In the stillness of winter, life abounded in this
glorified shack. Many times I would walk through the back door (kind of the employee’s
entrance, even though my official title was ‘husband of the program manager’-
which is a <i>de facto</i> volunteer) and immediately be greeted with smells of
food and sounds of laughter. I’d try to sneak a dessert and hop in line for
food, before having a time of fellowship with whoever was spending their
weekend getting away from the world at camp. For many, year after year the
lodge represented a safe haven to enjoy life a little, worship a lot, and
breathe easier a little more. <br />
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During my Christmas visit this year, I wandered into the
kitchen. The utensils and cooking supplies were mostly gone, along with the
fridge and most of the stuff in the pantry. Remaining was the basic outline of
stovetops and countertops, the dishwater (Hobart), the walk-in fridge (Betty),
cabinets with meal plans written on them in marker, and a small chalk wall with
a monthly outline of retreats. As with most of the rest of the building, it
looked as if someone hastily packed up the necessities and abandoned ship the
day before. I considered all the dishes I helped clean, all the desserts I had
illegally obtained from here, and all the camper midnight kitchen raids that
had occurred under watchful supervision. I remembered the songs we had blasted through
the small space and the times we had all been kicked out by an overwhelmed food
service manager. Perhaps most vivid to me was the quiet weekends during my
first summers on staff. I and the few others who lived more than an hour or two
from camp would stay Friday night and Saturday while everyone else went home.
Often, we would gather in the kitchen in the lodge and cook a meal together,
usually something gourmet like mac-n-cheese or spaghetti. In some of those weekend
moments, it was peaceful and quiet. <br />
<br />
After the kitchen, I walked into the vern (the veranda). Describing
the vern is difficult; it is like that second-favorite room in your house that
you don’t frequent as much as you wish. This extension perpetually battled the
wear and tear of North Dakota, perched wonderfully on the west side of the
lodge, ready and willing to take the brunt of punishing northwest winds all
year round. When it rained, water would pool on the tables; when it was hot or
cold outside, it was hot or cold inside the vern; and when food was left unattended
for a week during summer staff recharge, a friendly neighboring raccoon came in
and got itself stuck inside a dry storage. The vern housed staff meetings,
guitar practice, art storage, fish frying, and excess meal attendees. <br />
<br />
For me, the vern always has weather attached to it. Because
most of the windows of the lodge are covered up, the vern is where’d I go to
keep an eye on pesky summer storms that would brew up during the afternoon and
come barging through around suppertime. We would be treated to spectacular displays
of lightning, howling winds, and rain and hail pounding on the metal roof above
our heads. Sometimes I would use weather as an excuse to leave the lodge, because
those kids can get so loud sometimes!<br />
<br />
For years at camp we have done this thing called “amped up”,
where we would take a normal campfire worship and turn it on its head by using
electric guitars and basses, a drumset, and speakers. It has, over time, also
morphed into “lamped up”, where we do everything the same, but we also plug in
an obnoxious number of lamps to illuminate the stage well after sundown. I remember
being a camper and not wanting to be in the lodge when amped up was going on,
because it was too loud for me. I went out to the vern with a staff member and
stayed out there most of the time. A few years ago as a staff member, I stayed
out on the vern with some youth that didn’t want to be inside during the loud
festivities. The vern has always been a place of peace. <br />
<br />
I’m not ready to say goodbye to the lodge, because I haven’t
known life without it. It would be fascinating to see a picture of myself every
year I’ve walked into that building and how much I’ve changed over time. I went
from a little kid, to an adult shaving in the bathroom sink on the day of his
wedding, while it rained right outside. I went from an inexperienced staff
member to someone that helped a year-round staff member drag his deer out of
the woods through the snow in the non-summer months. I went from a person that
seemingly knew everything to someone that seemingly knows nothing. At the
center of it, each year, was the old lodge. <br />
<br />
It’s not a liberal estimate to say at least 50,000 unique people
have walked through the oft-broken front screen door of the lodge throughout
the years. Whether for worship, a meal, camper registration, retreats, youth
bashes, reunions, or service work, anybody with connection to Camp of the Cross
has experienced the lodge at some point, and it will now be phased out. In some
time, it will be torn down. The prairie grass will fight back into its old
turf, and within a few years maybe even some prairie flowers will reappear on
the hillside. Kids will run through the open space, unaware of the large, rickety
shack that once stood in that place. In 100 years, it will be a faded picture
in a photo album. <br />
<br />
But in many ways, the lodge was much like the faith of a
western North Dakotan. It wasn’t flashy, it wasn’t enormous, and it wasn’t
in-your-face. For year after year, season after season, it quietly went about
its business providing a refuge to retreaters and worshipers from all walks of
life. It was strong and steadfast and had a deliberate message of being a place
for people to seek God. For every day of joy and noise, there were equally many
days of quiet and seclusion. And the people here wouldn’t have had it any other
way. <br />
Natehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15222477277724716117noreply@blogger.com0