On Oct. 8, the girls’ cross country team powered through the hilly 2.95-mile course in Belmont at the Crystal Springs meet that hosted over 10 teams, with many members achieving personal records.
“This one was more hilly, and it seemed like there was a lot more people too,” sophomore runner Isabella Lee said. “It was a little intimidating, but the weather was nice, so it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.”
Freshman runner Elsa Blom described the inclined start as being crowded and dusty, which impaired runners’ vision. This meet was more challenging than the previous races at Baylands and Lynbrook, which were both predominantly flat courses.
Lee emphasized that although the entire team did well, the freshman runners stood out, though none placed in the top five.
One of these high-performing freshmen was Blom, who took the third fastest Saratoga runner at the meet behind junior Jessie Zhou and sophomore Amoli Vanavadiya. Blom attributes her fast time at Crystal Springs to the numerous hill-specific workouts the team did the week before and to her positive mindset during the run.
“I keep trying my best because I feel good every time I put all my effort into a run,” Blom said.
Blom’s goal for future runs is to beat her previous record of 21:41.6.
Blom described how she pays close attention to staying healthy after every run by rolling out her muscles to prevent injuries and ease soreness. She also believes that the recent hot weather has increased the necessity of staying “hydrated and healthy.”
Senior Julia Hoffman said the team’s performance at Crystal Springs was a good example of runners’ dedicated mindset, explaining that the team is back to practicing hard and focusing on training for their next meet at Lynbrook on Oct. 31.
Even after such a difficult meet at Crystal Springs, the girls are ready to push themselves further. Meets like these help fuel the girls’ passion for running.
“I’m looking forward to spending time with all the people on the team and running at practice with them,” Blom said.