Dedicating time throughout the summer vacation can be challenging. The Boys Varsity Cross Country team has shown quite the amount of dedication to their sport. The team has been consistent and committed to the program all throughout the summer going into the new 25-26 season. In this article, I have interviewed Cross Country Coach Mr. Highducheck, as well as three current Varsity runners (Diego Duran, Paolo Rivas, and Francisco Alfaro) who are prepared to take on the new season and make it an amazing one.

Firstly, I have interviewed three varsity cross country runners.  Here is how it unfolded.

What did summer training look like to you this year?

Paolo: Every week I did around 50 miles; that’s like an average of 7 miles a day. I did long runs on Monday (10 miles or more), obviously tempos (doing 1-2 mile runs at around 75% of your max effort), hill workouts (sprinting uphill), and other workouts.

Diego: For me it was like 40 miles a week, Monday long runs, Tuesday recovery, Wednesday hills, Thursday recovery, and then Fridays was tempos. I would also do extra miles over the weekend.

Francisco: I usually ran around near my house since it was easier for me. We could have come to school and done workouts as well, but getting to school during summer would’ve taken me a while.

What are some goals you are trying to achieve this cross country season?

Paolo: For the new season, I want to go to state with my team, help my team and also beat my 3 mile PR (15:40).

Diego: I want to PR, and I want to get lower than a 16:30 on 3 miles, and that’s pretty much it.

Francisco: My personal goal for this season is to get to state with the team we have, and on a personal note I am trying to get 15 minutes on the 3 mile race.

A day before your first race, what are the feelings you are getting as it comes?

Paolo: Excited, sometimes nervous. It depends on the race, if it’s a league race I feel fine, if it’s a big race I do feel nervous at times.

Diego: I just give it my best and go out hard, honestly not nervous.

Francisco: There’s always a starting line of nervousness. It is usually 3 miles and I have to be going pretty fast which is tiring. There’s always a starting line of nervousness. 

What are your expectations for this cross country season and if there’s one thing you would like to say to your future/past self, what would it be?

Paolo: I want to win the coastal leagues and go to CIF finals, possibly go to state. Something I would tell myself is don’t train too much and take recovery and plenty of rest.

Diego: My expectations are to win league and make it to CIF. Something I would tell my younger self is to put in more miles over the week and that every mile counts.

Francisco: I think we are going to do well, we have good runners this year who have been practicing well, and one thing I would tell myself back then is practice harder and not slack off. That’s pretty much it.

Afterwards, Mr. Highducheck answered some questions I had regarding his experience as HMSA’s Cross Country Coach, as well as his expectations on the 25-26 season. Below are the questions and Mr. Highducheck’s responses. 

How has it felt being the cross country coach? What are some of the achievements the team has brought to the school?

Mr. Highducheck: I really like being the Cross Country Coach here at HMSA. I feel like we have a lot of running talent here, and it shows in the results. We have won our league 10 years in a row and are consistently a top 10 team in our division. Furthermore, it is a lot of fun when you get a dedicated runner and you are able to help them become even better. 

How do you motivate your players to push themselves not just through the season but the whole year?

Mr. Highducheck: Motivation is a tricky thing. I try to set things up in a way where the runners motivate each other to do better. I think the runners understand where the program is and how good we are, so they want to continue the success; therefore, they motivate each other and keep each other in check because if you are not practicing, others will be getting better than you are. Furthermore, we also run a track team which keeps you running all year long, but [it] does so in a different way so you don’t get bored of just running distance. In Track, you can focus on 1/2 mile races or 1 mile races, which adds variety and allows you to run faster.

How do you feel about this upcoming cross country season and what are some of the ultimate goals you have?

Mr. Highducheck: This season is a bit tricky. On the boys’ side, we lost three really good runners, so it is more of a rebuilding year and a year where we are trying to find guys to replace those great runners we had.  On the girls’ side, we also lost our two best runners, but the freshman class was loaded with great runners last year. So, the girls team might be able to be better than last year due to the fact that all those freshman girls have had a year to practice and they are getting really good really fast. The goals we have are always the same. We just want to take practice one day at a time and try to get better weekly so we peak at the end of the year. At that time, we want to win the league and get into the CIF’s and go as far as we can. 

This year’s team has laid a solid foundation of miles and hard work, and they are furthermore looking forward to embracing growth and hard work. Every day and every mile is a chance for the team to improve and gain discipline, becoming a stronger and faster team. Their individual efforts will not only have present success but also pass down the program’s legacy for the following years to come.