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Week of
October 8-13, 2007 A start to one of those magical prep sports careers has been the story of Jordan Hasay. The California mid-coastal slight star has raced along since day one with her flowing golden locks usually far ahead of the pack, with a magical first year of running where she emerged her very first season as a National prep champion in Cross Country. One has to kind of hold their breath as we wondered, “where do we go from here?” The path from frosh to senior year is often times not a straight line of glory and successes, with many an age-group star encountering obstacles during their high school career that become very confusing to overcome. There has been a speed bump or three along the way as we all hoped this young star could escape the occasionally frustrating realities of life and running, but each time so far there has been a pleasant response, recovery, and moving on to better things with a supportive family and fine coach to guide development. Jordan’s success extended to the international level this past summer, with a silver medal at the World Youth (under 18) Championships in Europe over 1500 meters, with her races to close her summer track running showing she has taken her running to the next level and expanding her horizons pleasingly to the global stage. Before we knew it Fall was upon us, and the racing has started in another season, with Jordan a couple of fine efforts, including a Course Record run this past weekend in the local Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Invitational at a venue she is familiar with. She is our DyeStatCal Athlete of the Week and we hope continued success for this super young lady. Doug Speck
Jordan Hasay - Training has gone really well so far. Because I had such a long track season, I have only run in three races so far. I hoped to do better at Clovis but last weekend at Cal Poly I felt better. I am starting to get into the Cross-Country mode. DSC - Describe how the race went this past weekend at the Cal Poly Meet locally for you? JH - I am happy with how the race went. Originally I was not planning on running because I had a virus for most of the week. But on Friday I was feeling better so I decided to run because I felt I needed to get in another race before Mt. Sac. I tried to go out hard and then finish as strong as possible. I train at Fairbanks (the course where the meet was held) all the time but I had never raced there. So it was nice for a change. DSC - Briefly describe how, if much, your training has been different this Fall than last year about this time? JH - After I came back from Europe I took a break so I didn’t start seriously training for XC until the beginning of August. We cut back on the mileage this year but have still been doing the same basic workouts only faster. We have also been paying more attention to how my legs are feeling and my morning heart rate so that I will not become too fatigued. DSC - With a pretty serious summer of track racing up through the World Youth Championships in mid-July how did that effect how you approached training and racing this fall in Cross-Country? JH - Basically the same as above, the late track season pushed back my Cross-Country training and racing. DSC - What were the couple biggest things you learned from the international racing at the World Youth Championships, where you finished second, between Kenyans who were first and third in the 1500 meters event? JH - International racing was an incredible experience and I am honored to have been a part of the US team. I think the experience has given me more confidence as a racer. Racing internationally is different from racing here because you don’t know any of the competitors. Also, there is much more pushing and shoving there versus races here at home. Another big thing was learning how to adapt to things such as jet-lag, different food, etc… Getting to know all the USA athletes as well as the international athletes is something I’ll never forget. DSC - The distance racing we saw you do at the pre-high school, age-group level involved racing away early from all competitors, and cruising to big wins. Near the end of this past track season we sensed that you had developed the ability to race as part of the pack, then finish strong for a good placing. Describe a bit the process you went through to feel comfortable in races such as the USATF Jr Meet, where you won the 1500 meters, or World Youth Meet, where you ended second in a talented field— JH - Coach Mando and I have been working on different race strategies and tactics. In Ostrava, I was boxed in several times. In my younger racing days, I would have panicked. But having worked and trained on different tactics and strategies, I was able to overcome this by staying focused on my position and the overall race strategy. In practice, my teammates and I try to practice running behind each other so that we can be more comfortable doing this in a race. In practice we also try to emphasize running the last half of the workout faster than the first. DSC - What are your thoughts as you look forward to the next couple of months in Cross-Country? JH - I just hope to be able to got out there and race my best with hopes of peaking for Footlocker Nationals. DSC - When we go into 2008 have you and your family and coach given thought to a focus on competitions (World Cross Country, World Junior Championships in track, or - ?). JH - We have been thinking about running Junior XC Nationals depending on how the rest of the season goes. Our track plans right now are to run an early March 5K and maybe a couple of 1500 meter races after that followed by the state meet. Assuming all goes well, our goal is to run again at Junior Nationals with hopes of qualifying for the World Juniors in Poland and also running in the Olympic Trials. We’ll just have to see how it goes. DSC - What advice would you offer to a beginning cross-country athlete out for the sport as maybe their first running experience this Fall season? JH - Just have fun, put the miles in, and it will come. Remember to listen to your coach because they will have a plan for you. Most of all, always remember you’re a student first and an athlete second. Thanks Jordan
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