Athlete Name: Katherine (P-nut) Terino
School: Montgomery Catholic
What was your most memorable meet?
My most memorable meet was probably the Montevallo Early Bird Classic my junior year. It was the first race I ever won, and I had to find a kick (which I just don’t have) to do it.
Where did you face your biggest competition?
Biggest competition I raced was the Jesse Owens Classic this year. I ran up in the Gold division with a lot of girls I have never seen or heard of before. Despite the mud and rain, that race was fast.
Out of all of your high school accomplishments which stands out the most?
My senior year I helped a team of all middle schoolers place second in the 4x800 in the indoor state meet for 1A-4A.
If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high school?
I would take it more seriously from a younger age. I wouldn’t have played soccer my freshman and sophomore years and just stuck to running. If I would’ve stuck to running I probably could have prevented some ankle problems that would have made my senior year much different.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
My senior year, I hurt my ankle(which I had previously had problems with) pretty bad over the summer which led to a hip injury because I was compensating. Just trying to keep a good mental attitude was the most difficult thing. Injuries are detrimental physically and mentally which just killed my confidence.
What will you miss the most?
I will miss all the people I have met and my teammates. So many coaches and people were so supportive, and I have met some of my best friends through high school running.
Do you have any advice for younger athletes?
All I have to say to younger runners is to keep it fun but stay focused. You can get a lot out of this sport by putting forth the effort. The more fun you make it the more you’ll get out of it. Also stay competitive!
What are your post-highschool or college plans?
I plan to run at the University of Montevallo and to keep improving. I am going to major in secondary education, so hopefully after college I can teach and coach my own team somewhere.
Who would you like to say thank you to?
I would like to give a big thank you to my dad. He has been my coach for five years. He has seen me at my best and worst in this sport. I don’t know what I would’ve done without him cheering me on and coaching me the whole time. It will be different to not hear his booming voice at all of my races anymore. Of course I would have never actually trained without him telling me to get out and run every day either. Also thank you to everyone who has cheered me on and supported me over the years; it really meant a lot for me to hear people screaming “go P-nut” when I had never met them before. Without everyone’s support, it would have been a much different journey.