By Devan Lee |Staff Writer|
The ladies of CSUSB women’s cross country continue to train hard in hopes for a successful finish to their 2012 season.
It is playoff time in the CCAA conference and the Lady Yotes landed top ten in the CCAA rankings, earning them in a spot in the championship race in La Jolla, California.
“We definitely have a lot of strong points going into the playoffs this year,” said junior runner Jackeline Felix.
She claimed that the team has improved their running since the previous years, ultimately scoring them the right number of points in their races.
“In the past we would usually have one lead runner while the rest kind of trailed behind. This year, we have a group of strong runners who can keep up with each other and finish together,” said Felix.
Senior Katherine Gomez is one of the current successful runners this season.
Although she suffered from an injury last season, Gomez worked through her minor setback this year and came out on top as the Lady Yotes’ front runner in the UC San Diego Tritons Invitational race Saturday Oct. 6.
With all the athleticism the team possesses, it appears as though these women seem to have all the right weapons needed to be successful in the playoffs.
The team’s success this season is nothing short of hard earned. Their achievements reflect not only the vigorous training days they endured every week, but the dedication they have for running.
Practices start as early as six in the morning for CSUSB women’s cross country.
It consists of a variety of exercises that train every inch of the muscles needed to be physically up to par in long distance running.
From two mile warm ups to twelve mile mornings, their mobile style of training proves to be only half of the preparation needed for a race.
According to junior runner Sarah Colorado, long distance running not only requires a high level of physical fitness, but an overall focused state of mind.
“The day before a race I like to think about successful races in the past where I was feeling great, preformed great, and had great results. It gives me confidence,” said Colorado.
Perhaps self-confidence and integrity go a lot further in a long distance race than a high level of physical fitness.
“Along with a lot of water and sleep, being mentally prepared is really important in cross country,” said Felix.
Unlike other sports, she claims cross country is different because being mentally prepared for a race is the difference between a good or bad performance.
Perhaps there is much more to long distance running than extensive cardio and conditioning.
“My teammates and I have worked hard and are too determined to give anything less than our best,” said Colorado.
With regionals right around the corner, the Lady Yotes continue to lay it all out on the line for a high rank in the CCAA conference.
The CCAA cross country west regionals will take place on Nov. 3 in Kahuku, Hawaii at Hawaii Pacific University.
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