Thursday Conversation: Saga Barzowski
With Footlocker Nationals (and Emily and Diane’s awesome performances!) signaling the official end of the High School Cross-Country season, the crew at Milesplit will spend the next few months highlighting some of the state’s best runners from cross-country who are now looking forward to track season. First up is freshman standout Saga Barzowski from Arcadia Valley. Her first cross-country campaign saw her post 5 victories, 1 second place finish, and a 35th place finish at Foot Locker Midwest. She captured individual district and state titles in Class 2 and had a PR for the season of 18:56 at the Farmington Invitational, which she ran solo winning by more than a minute. We had a chance to catch up with Saga to talk about her season and plans for the off-season.
You are only a freshman and put up some pretty impressive times and finished this year, tell me how the season went.
Since this season was my first year as a high school runner I really just wanted to get out there and get the feel for it. I loved seeing all the great runners in the state competition, and being a part of it. There is definitely a huge difference between being a middle school runner and a high school runner and there are many adjustments you must make such as your training.
I assume you were a runner before starting your freshman year. Give me a little background on your running and other athletic endeavors.
I started running as a seventh grader and started track as an eighth grader. I didn't really start running during off-season until the summer of my eighth grade year when I became pretty serious about running. In addition to cross country and track I'm also on the Farmington Area Swim Team and play basketball. I've played basketball since seventh grade and have competed competitively in swimming for 8 years but only during the summer.
Tell me some about your coach. How has he contributed to your success?
I'd like to start off by saying that my coach is probably one of the toughest coaches around and, coincidentally, happens to be my dad. I feel very fortunate for having a coach in the family and blame him for much of my success. He sets goals high for our team. It makes us work much harder so that we can achieve those goals.
With three years of running left after track season, how have you been able to focus on running as a long-term endeavor?
The best way to focus on any sport that you plan on doing in the future is to make goals, I think. As a runner you can always improve your times and that is what I would like to do over the next three years. The most important thing is that I stay healthy so that I can continue to run and compete.
Tell me about your best race this past season and what made it great.
My best race this season would probably have to be State. I felt very prepared and ready to go. I felt very fortunate for having one of the first races that day before the temperatures had risen too high. Another major factor that contributed to that being my favorite race was the course. I agree with the many people that say it's a tough course, but tough courses push you and if you add that with the level of competition that was at State then you get a very good race.
What is something distinctive about your racing style?
The thing that is most distinctive about my racing style is that I like to get out early and have a fast first mile. When you are racing against 100+ runners it's very easy to burn out too early during the race and a goal that I have is to work towards having negative splits.
What does a typical week of training while you are in season look like? You are the fastest girl at Arcadia Valley by a long shot. Does that mean you do a lot of training by yourself?
A typical week of training usually consists of two speed workout days (generally Tuesdays and Thursdays) separated by longer runs. This year our coach really focused on short repeats (200m) on the track. He described this workout as the backbone of our training program and believes this workout has contributed to our success as a team. During the season our entire team practices together (boys and girls) so I'm not all by myself, but on the weekends and off-season I usually run on my own (accompanied sometimes by my dad on his bike).
Tell me some about how your off-season is going to look.
I'm on the basketball team so I plan on doing that until spring track. Swim conditioning also starts soon so I don't plan on having a lot of rest time.
What are some things you do when you are not running that contribute to your success in running?
I think a major thing that I do that contributes to my success in running is swimming. Swimming is the perfect exercise to loosen up your muscles and let your mind relax. I also try to keep a pretty healthy diet all year round.
Favorite pair of training shoes?
My favorite running shoe brand is Saucony.
Any predictions/goals for your times on the track in the spring?
In middle school I ran three events: the 1600m, 800m, and 400m, but the mile was by far my favorite. My fastest time was 5:19 and I definitely want to see that time go down this year. I'm also looking forward to trying out the 3200m this year since I did not get the chance to run that in middle school.
Who is one runner in the state of Missouri that you look up to as a role model and why?
I would have to say that my runner role model is Emily Sisson and I doubt that there are many high school runners in Missouri that don't look up to her. She is a very talented runner, as she proved at the Footlocker Nationals, and I loved watching her race at State. Her teammate Diane Robison is also one of my favorite runners.