Carmen Carlos is a freshman that has set the state on fire this year with times that are typically only seen by upperclassmen. Carlos has seen her times drop this season and other than a 3rd place finish at the Mobile XC Challenge of Champions, has finished first in every race she has entered during the 2009 XC season.
PRs -
5K - 17:43.57
1600 - 5:07.93
3200 - 11:10.30
Coach Drew Bentley says: While coaching Carmen, I have to often remind myself that this is a “once in a career” athlete. You can go 20 years without finding a Carmen Carlos. I spend a lot of effort trying to challenge Carmen without hurting her. Because of her strong natural talent, we have the luxury of focusing more on recovery than breaking down. She had a pr of 19:14 last year ( that’s after 2 years of competitive running). This year, she started learning how to hurt , manage that pain, and continue to run through it and ran under 17:50 twice. We also ran less races this year. It allowed us to train through several competitions and focus on the higher profile meets. You can’t treat a freshman like a senior. You can’t put the same expectations on these young people as you would an athlete in their last year of high school. Their motivations are different when they are that young. They don’t necessarily feel the sands slipping through the hour glass or have that sense of urgency every waking hour like they are still trying to accomplish some long range goal. Keep it fun and create an atmosphere where they know their best races are still in front of them.
Carmen Carlos says:
How do you balance the demand of school and practice with being a normal
teenager?
You have to make compromises like some days when you can't hang out
with your friends because you have to run.
How do you get focused before a practice? Race?
I have the same warm-up routine before races and I like to get a good night's sleep, but for practice, I don't do anything special. It's more casual.
Do you have any post season plans? Footlocker? Nike Team Nationals?
I plan on attending Footlocker.
Weekly mileage:
Even though I traveled alot over the summer I still ran around 30-40 miles per week.
Training shoes:
Nike Structure
Superstitions:
I don't really have any.
Hobbies:
Shopping and spending time with my friends.
Favorite school subject:
English
Goals for Track Season?
I hope to go under 5 minutes in the mile and 11 minutes in the 2 mile.
Hardest Workout?
Workouts on the track are the hardest.
