About
I began competing in cross country after attending a summer running camp with my school’s team and getting to know my teammates at Foss running camp. I led the junior cross-country team along with my friends and classmates and had a successful season, including a top-five finish at the Roxbury Latin Jamboree, contributing to a team victory. Additionally, I enjoyed getting the opportunity to compete alongside the older boys on the JV team at a meet at Groton. In that 5K race, I went from last to first over the 5K course, ultimately winning the race through my kick in the last 150 meters. I also ran my first-year outdoor track, trying the 3K, 1500m, 800m, and 4x400m relays.
The following summer, I trained regularly, started running with Emerging Elites, and attended the running camp with the team. I then ran as part of the Varsity running team and scored for the team in every race. I enjoyed learning from and becoming friends with the older runners and adapting to the more intensive training and racing. I then ran my first ever year of indoor track with Emerging Elites but was only able to run 1 indoor race, 4:56 mile at GBTC, before injury sidelined me for the rest of the season. I then had a strong outdoor track season, finishing 5th and 4th at ISLs and NEPSTA D2 Champs respectively. A highlight was the ISL 3K race, a hot race in which I fully committed to racing and scoring points for the team and gave everything I had physically to finish the race in a top-five position. I also raced an outdoor mile at Battle Road and ran 4:45 to win my heat, ending my track season.
During the summer before my Junior year, I also trained with Emerging Elites. During the fall, I took more responsibility for the team’s performances, as I was consistently our fastest or second-fastest runner. I also focused on making the many new team members feel welcome and valued throughout the season. Season highlights included winning our Family Day meet via a decisive kick at the mile mark, shutting the race down early, running an all-out race on the pavement in a downpour at Freshpond and working together with a teammate, using an aggressive strategy to secure our New England title at home. During the indoor season, I focused on my mental approach to training, focusing on embracing the process and the daily work required to run at a higher level. I also became more consistent, becoming stronger and performing better at the end of workouts and running with faster turnover on a routine basis. A highlight of the season was running 2:03 for the 800 indoors and it felt much easier than expected. During the outdoor season, I worked to improve my mental approach to racing and my strategy. I found a greater competitive edge and unlocked my ability to commit to race plans, find additional gear, and refuse to quit in tough races. This resulted in my ability to double effectively, scoring top-six finishes at ISLs and top-four finishes at NEPSTAs in both the 1500m and 3000m.
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