Track is a sport that helps athletes find their passion through the sport or within other sports. From preparation on the track, athletes in football, soccer, and basketball can improve their performance. Track also can help athletes continue their passion for running by adding distance. Cindy Van Tran (11) began her running career in track but eventually joined the cross-country team as well. She was inspired by the distance she had seen other athletes run.
“I really love running and I feel like it’s a great opportunity to try cross-country to get better and to improve, but overall I do it because it’s fun running. I love running,” Van Tran said.
High School Cross Country has one distance which is the 5k. The 5k is 3.1 miles of pure pain. As they continue to push past the discomfort, the athletes work hard every kilometer and mile to keep up the pace.
“It’s painful. It’s painful Yes, but overall it’s fun, but [the sport] is very mentally challenging,” Van Tran said.
During the summer, cross-country athletes run in different areas to get used to running on uneven terrain. This includes lots of hills, tracks, and greenways. These places can highlight the athlete’s ability to run longer distances.
“Running on the greenway (was a highlight)…because it showed that I can run four miles pretty consistently,” Van Tran said.
Running can be very boring. However, most runners may get inspiration from someone they look up to. This makes running easier and allows them to continue their journey.
“Oh yes, Sawyer and Pierson and Ethan. (during track season) I saw you guys running so well. I’m like, I envy them. I kind of want to be like them. So I’m trying to build that base (and catch up),” Van Tran said.
Cross-country is a completely different sport from track. The runners have to learn new ways of training which can be hard to adjust to.
“It’s very hard and it’s harder than track. Very painful, but if I still want to run, I’ll still do it if I still have the motivation, I’ll keep on going,” Van Tran said.
Goals are always important because they give athletes more motivation to keep going. These goals are all unique and can change the athlete’s mind to train even harder to catch up.
“Trying to be up there with Sawyer, and just trying to get to that level of fitness,” Van Tran said.
Cross-country is a difficult sport that requires the athlete to run longer distances at a fast pace. Running through these challenges allows Van Tran to continue to do what she loves and to improve as an athlete overall.
