The five S’s of sports training are: stamina, speed, strength, skill, and spirit; but the greatest of these is spirit.
– Ken Doherty
We all had a good laugh at that lack of form.
The photograph of you jumping over that barrier makes this whole project worthwhile.
I am so glad I made it worthwhile. It is seriously funny.
Imagine the next step. With both feet up, the landing had to be a dead stop. No forward motion is possible.
Although I do have long legs for this body, overall I am still short. Not built for the steeple.
How did you get your start in cross-country?
I usually attribute my starting point in training with Laszlo happening in early 1970 track season. However, I met him late in the previous fall season and the first thing he had me do was to join my teammates at a cross country race in Ventura, CA. I presume he was just looking to see what I was made of.
Tell me about that first race?
Mind you, I was such a greenhorn, and I’d never raced anything beyond a 400 or 800m track race, and I did not run all year round, so I was not in good shape. I remember the heat and steep dirt hills. At some point I tripped over my own feet in my fatigue and fell down. If I was hoping to quit, that wasn’t an option. I might’ve heard Laszlo yelling on the sidelines, but I did get up, and struggled to finish.
What surprised you about the second race?
Who knows? I don’t even remember it.
Please describe your training (progression) for the season.
Laszlo [Tabori] trained us similarly no matter the season. It was always filled with intervals. Of course, for cross country, he would let us step away from the track some times to run in parks. He also had us practice running up hill, down hill, and turning corners. He emphasized form in every workout, and cross country meant ever-changing our style and form and pace. Yes, he taught us how to surge, how to pass, how to crest a hill, and so on.
What do you consider your greatest XC performance?
I wouldn’t say I ever had a great performance in cross country. The race was never long enough for me. I performed better if there were a lot of hills, but otherwise, if the course was flat, it went to the milers. Remember, when I started, races were only 1 mile, and grew only to 2 miles by the time I moved on to road races. I believe my best season was when I came close to the top ten at nationals. I was in a very competitive district, which included Mary Decker and Francie Larrieu. Actually I was only third best on my own team, with Judy Graham and Cheryl Bridges ahead of me.
Favorite race or venue?
Mt. SAC. Mount San Antonio College is still classic California cross country. If the rest of the world ran cross country on flat, muddy courses in cold rainy weather, well, we experienced exactly the opposite. Hot, dry weather on dusty, steep, dirt hills. California college coaches have standards for incoming recruits, and it includes times for the Mt. SAC course separate from any other cross country courses.
Any XC memories you care to share?
Cross country nationals always happened on Thanksgiving weekend. I remember a lot of missed turkey dinners with the family. I remember my first nationals in Ohio in the snow. The ground was icy, slushy, and I slipped and fell more than once in the warmup and again on the start line. We had an evil team manager who screamed at me to get up and run (we only had 5 runners to score, and no alternates). My wrist was broken. But I had to finish. I never spoke to that person again.
How important is the team aspect of XC?
Extremely important. I’ve coached high school track and cross country for decades. There is no exaggerating the importance of team spirit, team bonding, and character building.
It’s amazing, because I missed the turn for the finish line and had to turn back (a course monitor missed me).