2 races in a week! - Tell us about the experiences at Fleet Feet and Jackson
The Fleet Feet Kick Off was held at Parkway Central which is a pretty tough course. PCH is also our sectional course so even though we ran the short set-up, it was nice to get an extra run in on that course. Plus, it’s always exciting to compete when there are outstanding runners like Hannah and Sophia in the mix. It’s great to compete against the best. Eureka and Nernix Hall dominated that race, but I was happy to at least get some Seckman blue in that top 10 just to break up some of that Eureka gold and NH green. : )
At Jackson we were all just really happy the weather held off! I’ve always had decent runs at Jackson so even though, it too, is a challenging course, it has been a good course for me. Jackson is our district course and while we didn’t run the full 5k Saturday, it was a nice warm up for districts. I was really proud of our senior team for taking second in that race class. We’ve got a lot of new runners on our team so taking home a trophy was a very positive experience.
You ran track well into the summer competing at the AAU Nationals, how did they help you for XC season?
I think that experience has given me a lot more confidence. Competing in the AAU Nationals and training for that has definitely helped me prepare for this cross season. I trained smarter and harder. I did two-a-days almost every day during the summer (minus the week of nationals) which really built the base I needed. Seeing my summer AAU/USATF track times drop from last year (3000m and Steeple Chase) has really helped me mentally and competing in Houston at the JO’s, was just an awesome experience.
You are now racing with you younger sister - tell us about that experience?
Well, we’re not the Everett brothers! Technically, we haven’t raced together, yet, since Jackson was divided by class. But, yes, of course, it's going to be awesome when we’re at the starting line together. I’m excited she’s following in my footsteps … but just as long as she’s following me, not leading me. : ) Kelsey is a great all-around athlete. Even though she doesn’t claim to be a distance runner, she was probably one of the top three middle school XCer’s in the region for the last two years. I know there are high expectations for her coming into this season. However, since she also plays varsity volleyball, she’ll only be able to compete in some of the weekend races and she has to find time to practice on her own. That makes it a little tough and she’s probably a bit behind where she was hoping to be. But I’m sure she'll end up as one of our top XC runners. I’m hoping I will be able to push her to maximize her potential. I know what she can do.
Where do you race next?
My next race is Thursday at Webster.
Well done Katelyn! - Have a great birthday and 2012 season.