Salute to Seniors : Zac Miller

What was your most memorable meet or race?

My most memorable meet would have to be the sectional 4 meet my junior year.  Our team came together and had our best day of the season and we took 2nd place.  It was such a great feeling to get hugs from teammates, friends, and family and see our hard work pay off.  It was the first time our boys team had gone to state since 2004.  I also got All-Sectional which was really special to me.

 

Out of all your high school accomplishments, which stands out the most?

Like I said before, taking 2nd in our tough sectional was amazing, and taking 5th at state the following week was a satisfying end to the season.  Another one would be the Greg Wilson Classic my senior year.  I was expecting big things my senior year and it started off great with my first ever win in high school cross country.  I gave all I had the last 600 meters and got a PR, at that time, of 15:58.

 

If you could do it all over again, is there anything you would change?

I would run every race like it was my last, with the knowledge that I may get injured or be sick and not be 100% the next race.  I would take full advantage of every race that I was healthy going into.

 

What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?

I had a weird injury my sophomore year right when track practice was starting and I had to have surgery.  I couldn't run for five weeks and it ruined that season.  However, I started an intimate relationship with Christ during that time off, so I look at it as a positive.  My senior year was really rough.  I started noticing a lack of energy during my conference cross country race where I didn't run as well as I'd like.  I shook it off and didn't worry much about it until at districts I felt even worse.  This resulted in blood tests that showed that I had very low iron.  I started taking supplements and it gave me enough energy to make it through sectionals, but I felt terrible at the state meet.  After the season I had further testing and found out that I have Celiac disease.  This is a definition of Celiac disease: 

"Celiac disease is a condition that damages the lining of the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing parts of food that are important for staying healthy. The damage is due to a reaction to eating gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats."  I was happy to find out what was wrong with me and start on my gluten-free diet.  Little did I know that the battle with my iron deficiency wasn't over.  I got it up to a reasonable level by track season, but still far from the ideal level of 60.  It has slowly dropped since I reached a maximum of 40, which resulted in a very up and down season.  I would feel great one track meet, then lethargic the next.  I expected it to go up after the break from running I just took, but it continues to drop.  My family and I are now taking a more serious look at how to figure this out.  Despite being far from my goals of all-state in both cross country and track, this experience has allowed me to trust in God more than I ever have and has made me a much stronger person.  I'm trying to make the most with what I've been dealt!

 

What will you miss the most?

I'd have to say the cross country sleep-overs that we'd have throughout the season.  I've made some unforgettable memories with my teammates that I will never forget!

 

Do you have any advice for younger athletes? 

Love to race.  I never fully grasped this in high school.  I have always liked racing, but there's a part of me that gets so nervous that I begin to dread my races.  Trust me, it's no fun!  If you can obtain the mindset of loving to race, you will find yourself improving exponentially rather than incrementally.

 

What are your college plans?

I am attending Northwest Missouri State University this fall and will be running cross country and track.  I am leaning towards majoring in education and counseling, but plan to get involved in ministry after college.

 

Who would you like to thank?

I'd like to thank my incredible coaches and teammates who have encouraged me and pushed me to be the best runner I can be.  I'd also like to thank my family whose support and encouragement has meant the world to me.  They never miss a meet and their presence pushes me every race.  And lastly, my friends who don't run who are always asking how I'm doing and how my races are going.  

<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> <em style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: invert none 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana;">Want to be featured in our Salute To Seniors series? &nbsp;Email PEverett@milesplit.com and answer the questions above! Congratulations to the seniors on all their hard work and success.</em><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12pt; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; font-family: Verdana;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;"> <div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent;"> &nbsp;</div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p> &nbsp;</p>