This year’s track season officially started on the 17th of February. The events that PV participates in include jumps, sprints, long distance track events (such as the 1600 meter), relays, hurdles, shot put and discus. Athletes train hard to win at track meets and make PRs (personal records). Several track runners were interviewed on their thoughts about the season and how things are going so far.
Kate Marinello, a Senior here at Pleasant Valley, is currently having a successful season. She says, “My season is going well so far! I’ve had some PR’s and gotten close to some others.” Kate participates in sprinting events including the 100 and 200 meter runs, and relays such as the 4×100 and 4×400. This year, Kate was inspired to run track because of the positive experiences she had last year. She says, “I was inspired to run track this year because of how much fun I had last year, and the friends I made.” Kate has a few strategies to optimize her performance before and during a race. When asked about her race preparation and strategy, she responded, “Before a meet, I always listen to Rooster by Alice In Chains, and eat a sandwich. During a race, I put a lot of focus on my form and my power into the ground.” Kate also has strategies to stay motivated throughout the season. She says, “I stay motivated by pushing myself as hard as I can, because seeing the results of that is very rewarding!”
Another track athlete, Junior Grant Proctor, participates in the 800 and 1600 meter events. He says his season is “going great” and he has “made big PR’s in both [his] 800 and 1600.” When asked why he joined track this year, Grant said, “I want to keep improving myself and keep getting better,” adding, “what keeps me motivated throughout my season is really my teammates, just by surrounding myself with such great runners […] drives me to continue to want to [make] improvement.” Grant prepares for races by “drinking lots of extra water throughout the day and eating extra food to help make sure [he has] enough energy.” When asked about his racing strategy, Grant said, “typically I try to get out hard in the first 400 of either event and from there I’ve gotta be able to adapt to what’s going on around me and run my own race.”
Junior Juan Lugo is also going strong in his track season this year. He was inspired to run this season so he could push himself and see how much faster he could go. Juan mentions, “seeing all the old seniors run crazy times really just inspires me to try and do that too.” Juan is mid-season in track so far, and is currently very successful. “I started off the season mainly thinking I was going to run the 800 and the 1600 but after running a 9:52 3200 at the Dublin Distance Fiesta I think I might start putting more of my focus into the 3200,” he says. When asked about how he prepares for his events, Juan replied, “I really just try [to] listen to some motivational music and I also try to journal before races to get my head in the right space.” adding, “you have already done the training for your body but at that point journaling helps me get my mind in the right spot.” When inquired about how he stays motivated through the season, Juan responded, “I just tell myself that when I run faster times I run against better competition that can push me to a faster time and maybe see some things that I’m good at or can improve on.”
Overall, this year’s track season is going well for many competitors at Pleasant Valley. These athletes are about halfway through their season this spring, so they have opportunities to continue getting stronger and faster. Participating in track is not easy, but these athletes are willing to put in the time and effort it takes to make improvements.
