1) What was your sports experience before high school? What sports did you participate in? Running experiences? PRs you remember?
Before high school, I was mostly a soccer player, like a lot of distance runners. I ran one season of middle school track before COVID, doing the 400m, but never took it too seriously. I think I ran 66 seconds and would show up to practice once or twice a week. Before COVID, my experience of running was never too serious, but once I quit soccer in the 7th grade spring, I joined a track club called Team Onalysis. I never competed for them due to injury and not having the time on weekends, but learning how to properly sprint and doing things like form drills seriously helped my form today, and having sprint training before starting any real distance work was a real help, especially later becoming a mid-distance runner.
2) What or who inspired you to start running?
My dad inspired me to start running. he was never a super serious runner, but being able to go out on runs with him during COVID really helped me create a love for the sport that I could keep going into high school.
3) What was your experience as a freshman at SHC in both cross country and track and field? Lessons learned? Highlights?
I had a great experience as a freshman on both the XC and Track teams, I came into a team with such strong mentor characters who really cared about the sport and were really able to help me cultivate and develop my own passion and work ethic for track has been so valuable to me in the long run. I was an ok athlete at the time so I never made the state meet but there is a memory that really stands out to me from that initial XC season. Due to COVID regulations still being in place, our coach didn't want us staying in hotel rooms together, so I remember sleeping in a random high school gym in Fresno after a Twilight meet with my team and realizing what a cool community of people it really was. At the time, I had only been in high school for a month or two, but had already met so many amazing people.
4) When do you feel like you really caught the running bug and started considering yourself a runner?
I think I truly caught the running bug my sophomore year after CCS, although I didn't qualify for state, the race was a culmination of the last month of straight pr's and really realizing that I could do something in running. At the time I had dropped from 4:34 before my league trials all the way down to 4:19 at CCS finals and smashed my pr goals for sophomore season. Ending the season on such a high note really propelled me going into Junior year and some of my fondest memories were that summer of training with my teammates really just being excited to push each other and see what we could achieve as a team.
5) When do you feel like you made your biggest jump during your high school career? Was there a particular season? Summer? Winter? Workout? Race?
I think I've made a lot of relatively big jumps during my running career but the biggest leaps for me have always come during the offseason. Of course having a few months before the season of training is helpful but not having races always meant that I would surprise myself when I raced for the first time again. I often find myself coming into the season equaling my pr from the year before within my first race or two. There have been quite a few times where I thought I was dead in the water with my racing shape because of sickness or inconsistent training in weeks before track or XC and then I would open with a race that would completely catch me off guard for where I was at.
6) Looking back at your junior year, what were some of your proudest accomplishments during the cross country and track and field seasons?
My biggest accomplishment from Junior year was definitely running my pr in 1600m. It felt like a culmination of so much work in the months leading up to the race, but mostly it just felt relieving. I knew I had the fitness and was more than able to run a time that fast but I just hadn't found the race to put it together up until that point. To finally run it so late into the season was just such a weight off of my shoulders and an amazing feeling to get it done.
This track season a typical week of training for me has between 50 to 60 miles per week. I'll do a monday long run normally about 14-15 miles long. Tuesday will be morning weights and an easy run in the afternoon. On Wednesday I will have a workout most weeks before doubling on Thursday to help get mileage. Friday is either a pre meet or an easy day to prepare for a race or hard workout on Saturday. I'll then take Sunday off most weeks.
8) Favorite cross-country course? Favorite cross-country meet? Favorite cross-country workout? Favorite track event? Favorite track meet? Favorite track workout? Favorite long run? Favorite free time activity?
My favorite XC course has to be Clovis, and the state meet is there. It has always been such an amazing course to race on and just seems to bring out my best most days. Workouts-wise, when it comes to offseason and XC training, I have always been a big proponent of tempos. I love to get in that zone where you're just pushing a little out of the comfort zone and just really seeing how long I can sit in it. Throughout my high school career they have always really been a pretty good fitness indicator for me. When it comes to track my favorite workouts have to be 400m repeats, I don't think I can go a season without throwing up during one of them but regardless I just feel like those kinds of workouts are what propell every big jump I've had in the mile. For track, my favorite meet is definitely CCS, it's always been what Coach Andy has peaked me for, and as a result, it's where I have my best memories of racing.
9) Tell us a little about Coach Andy Chan and how he has helped develop the runner you are today.
Coach Andy has been an amazing resource to have as a coach over the last 4 years and is a big reason for where I am today. Of course, running is a sport that leans on natural talent and ability to a big degree, but that potential means nothing if it is not cultivated and coached correctly. Coach Andy has always been there by my side after good or bad races with suggestions on an endless amount of things, saying "how about we tweak this next time" or "what about changing this during our next workout so you feel more comfortable during X aspect of a race". That level of coaching and advice has been massive during my high school running career and is a large part of why I am the runner I am today.
10) You will be competing at Cal Poly SLO next year. How did you go about choosing that college, and what other colleges were also involved in your final decision?
My decision for college was always very likely to end up in California, as I love the state and the running culture here. Once I'd weighed my options, Cal Poly was a pretty easy decision to make. While the distance coaching talent across California sits at a very high level for most D1 schools here, what stood out about Cal Poly was the team culture. It's a group of California kids who really want to become something at a national level and are willing to work to get it. I knew for college competition and how I function, I was either going to be all in or nothing, so being in a place where everything and everyone in the program is geared towards getting as fast as possible made it a pretty easy choice.
11) What advice would you give a young runner with aspirations of being an elite high school runner and potentially a college competitor?
Track isn't a one-season journey. Almost anyone you see running massive pr's or rising to the top of your league, section, or state in running has been working to get to that level for way longer than anyone else could see. Big seasons come with years before of failed seasons or "mediocre" racing that can all stack up as base training and a stepping stone to reach a higher level. Patience is one of the biggest virtues in distance running and training. If you put in the work and are patient in not doing too much too early, and being ok with small steps, then success will come.
12) Anything else you would like to add?
- Thanks so much for the chance to answer a few questions. I don't often think back to my freshman and sophomore years of running, so it was a nice chance to reminisce. Good luck with everything, and I'll see you at CCS, Miles
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