Tara Lenn (photo: James Munday) |
St. Paul's sophomore Tara Lenn earned a spot in the National Cross Country Championship race by finishing fourth at the Footlocker South Cross Country Championships on November 30. Lenn crossed the line in 18:06 to qualify for the national race, to be run December 14 in San Diego, CA.
At the regional meet in Charlotte, NC, Lenn held a solid early pace, hanging with the lead pack from the beginning. In the final stages of the race, she moved up to the front of a chase pack several seconds behind race leader Racheal Forish. Lenn held second place with 200 meters to go and lost just two places to finish in fourth, with the second through eighth runners separated by a mere four seconds.
The top eight finishers from Charlotte will compete in San Diego, while the ninth and tenth runners will travel along as alternates to represent the South. The South's eight will be joined by squads from the West, Midwest, and Northeast in an extremely competitive 32-runner field.
Lenn is the first Alabama female to qualify for the national race since 1990. Last year, Ty Stanfield and Scott Fuqua shared the honor of being the first males to represent the state at nationals.
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A week before she leaves for San Diego, Lenn took the time for this interview with AlabamaRunners.
Alabama Runners: How did you prepare between state and the regional race?
Tara Lenn: We had a few weeks off between state and regionals. Our team cut back for state. We did less miles and more quality. After state I built my miles back up, started doing more distance and just a little speed.
AR: Do you think the three week lay-off was a good or bad thing?
TL: I thought it might be bad, but I think it ended up good-training through that many weeks was good. I didn't have to worry about other races, just training up for one race.
AR: What were your expectations going into Charlotte?
TL: I didn't know what to expect. At first I wanted to finish top eight, but when I thought about it and looked at times I didn't think it would be a possibility. So, I wanted to get in there and get the experience and then try to qualify my junior or senior year.
AR: What was your race strategy?
TL: I wanted to go out from the beginning and check where I was with other runners. When I started out and I was up at the front, I thought, 'I can do this,' so I tried to stay up there with them. And I did.
We ran the first mile in 5:32. That's really fast, but it felt comfortable running with everybody. At the one mile it was a big clump of girls all together. Going up the hill, quite a few people passed me. I'm not really strong on downhills, so more people passed me going back down. I was probably 12th after going downhill. I passed them all back on the next stretch and I stayed between 6th and 8th or 9th. I told myself then that I was going to qualify-I couldn't finish 9th. That would be really bad.
I started kicking at a half of a mile to go. I got in front of a big group of girls. I knew I had to pass them early, because I don't have a really strong kick. I felt like I had a lot left, so picking it up too early didn't seem like it would be a problem. Only two of those girls passed me back, so I guess it was good.
AR: When will you leave for San Diego, and who will go with you?
TL: My plane will leave on Thursday (the 12th). My mom and my coach will fly out on Friday morning.
AR: Have you ever been to California?
TL: No, but I've heard the course is supposed to be really hilly. I like hills, I just don't really like downhills. I think the hills will be good for me because some people are not as fast on uphills. I feel strong on them.
AR: What will your training strategy be between the regional race and nationals?
TL: Well, I know I probably can't improve in two weeks. I'm trying to just stay in the shape I'm in. I'll do mostly distance and mentally prepare. Nationals is different from a state race-I'm not expecting to win. I'm not sure what to expect, so I'll just try to do the best I can against the other thirty-one best runners in the nation.
AR: What are your expectations and goals for San Diego?
TL: I will probably go for a personal record. I'll position myself early and see who's around me at the beginning and take it from there. I've been wanting to run under eighteen minutes, but the course in San Diego is supposed to be really hilly. I have only kind of thought of how I want to fall in individually. It would be really nice to fall in the top half.
AR: How do you think the South will do as a team this year against the West, Midwest, and Northeast regions?
TL: The South is a really young team, but we are good. We had a really small split at regionals-we were really close together. I think that will be our strength.
AR: How have your school, team, and town reacted to your qualification for nationals?
TL: All the runners knew what a big deal it was to qualify. They knew that I wasn't going into the race expecting to qualify, so they were excited for me. The team found out that night and they decorated my yard with signs. At school, John Brigham and I went to the front during chapel. Coach Tate told everyone what we had done in Charlotte and announced that I had qualified to run in San Diego.
AR: Remembering back to your eighth grade year, how does running now feel different?
TL: It feels faster, but not harder. I'm in better shape now. Sometimes it feels better when you go faster, too. I've had to learn how to run by myself, learned to run for time. In track, I was usually alone and out front, so I've learned to run for pace-fast the whole way.
AR: Now that you've run so well in cross country, have you changed your goals for indoor and outdoor?
TL: I want to go for the state championship in the two-mile. Maybe the one mile, too, but that will be a little harder for me.
AR: What or who was the biggest influence to get you into running?
TL: I have always wanted to run. In first grade, my teacher's daughter was on the cross country team and she would tell us about her running. I remember thinking, "I want to run at the state meet when I get bigger."
AR: Do you remember your best mile time from grade school fitness tests?
TL: In third grade I remember I ran 8:47. That year another girl and I both ran about that time. She is a sprinter on the track team now. We were rivals in the fitness test in third grade. In fifth grade I ran 7:23.
(Note: The Presidential Physical Fitness Award is given to students finishing the 85th percentile in each of five tests. The qualifying time for third graders (eight years old) in the mile run is 10:02. For fifth graders (ten years old), the qualifying standard is 9:19.)
AR: What is the best feeling in running for you?
TL: Winning, because I'm so competitive. Winning is SO good. You've won. You've beaten everyone else. That is a good feeling.
AR: Who do you compare yourself against to gauge your success?
TL: Just myself mostly, lowering my times and stuff. This year some of the guys on the team would say, "I'm going to beat Tara this time." They would try to run faster times in the boys race then I would run in the girls race. One of the guys bet that he would run faster than me at the state meet. He won, but he had to run his best race.
AR: What's been the highlight of your running career so far?
TL: The biggest highlight was when our team won the state championship in 2000 when we had a lot of senior leadership and were such a close team.
AR: If you weren't a runner, what sport or hobby would you pursue?
TL: Ballet, and I would probably go back to softball and maybe volleyball. I still do some ballet when I get the time. It really helps strengthen your legs.
AR: Thank you, Tara, and good luck in San Diego. You've got a very proud home state behind you.
TL: Thank you!