Week of October 15-20, 2007
Laurynne Chetelat (Davis HS)
Sac Joaquin Section


Joe Hartman photo
Joe Hartman catches Laurynne Chetelat on the way to her 17:15 at Mt. SAC

Coming on like gangbusters over the last year in the sport of running has been Davis High School's Laurynne Chetelat, with the 10th place finisher in the State Division I Cross Country meet in the Fall graduating to top ten nationally over 3200m/two miles in the spring with the nation's ninth fastest time of the track season at 10:23.31.  She was second in the State Meet in track over 3200 meters last June, and has charged into the 2007 Fall with a vengeance over hill and dale.  With nice area wins at the Lagoon Valley Classic and the Yolo County Meet, she has ventured out against the best in big affairs in fine style, with a third place effort in the Sweepstakes run at Stanford, fourth at Clovis, and a fine third place at 17:15 this past weekend behind Foot Locker National Finalists Jordan Hasay and Arizona's Jessica Tonn.  As we turn the corner past Halloween into November and the heart of the championship season it looks like Laurynne is ready to take the next step in the Fall sport to match her success last spring around the oval. 

She is our DyeStatCal Athlete of the Week as she continues her fine Fall season. 

Doug Speck
DyeStatCal.com

DyeStatCal - Great run at Mt. SAC this weekend for third place. Compare this race with your third place effort at Stanford and fourth at Clovis (which had a couple who were ahead of you at Woodward but behind you this week) with a brief bit of explanation--

Laurynne Chetelat - Well, my training/preparation for the cross-country season was delayed by a month due to a gluteus maximus injury that occurred during the summer. Thus, going into Stanford I was just beginning to see some improvements in my fitness from my training. By Clovis, I felt I had made improved more, but since I hadn't pulled back in training I didn't feel physically rested. At Stanford and Clovis I didn't race smart because I waited for others to make a move however, I should have acted instead of reacted. At Mt.SAC I think I did significantly better because I went out fast at the start and tried to break away quickly from Claire Collison and Nicole Hood.

DSC - Had you run Mt. SAC before, and what were your thoughts on the race and strategy coming in, and how did the race go for you compared to your plans?

LC - This was my second time running Mt.SAC (the first time was Junior year). I actually really enjoyed the race even though the course itself is quite challenging and the dry heat was uncomfortable. As previously mentioned, I wanted to race aggressively in this race by trying to break away before others did.

DSC - What has your team focused on in training since your last big race a couple weeks back at Clovis leading up to Mt. SAC?

LC - We have not really changed our focus or our training. Since we live in a very flat area, we try to travel as much as possible to nearby trails that have plenty of hills. The physically strenuous days in our training week are when we do threshold and VO2 max workouts. Somewhat recently actually, we have been running very quickly in our VO2 max workouts in the beginning in order to build up some lactic acid (like in the first mile of a race) then we settle and try to descend our times while enduring the lactic acid build up.

DSC - What do you think have been your most beneficial type of workouts as we have really gotten into the strong part of the season?

LC - The threshold and VO2 max workouts have definitely been the most beneficial (especially when we do them in the hills) because they condition the body for endurance as well as speed.

DSC - We understand you were a serious soccer player previously, but have dedicated your time to running at this point. How has this decision affected your schedule, recovery from workouts, and overall running?

LC - Now that I can focus entirely on running, I have had more time for school work, rest, and friends. I never felt more fatigued when I was doing both soccer and running, than I do now as a full-time runner. Soccer I believe benefited me in that it strengthened other muscles and worked on my sprints. On the other hand, soccer can be a dangerous sport that I was always afraid would cause me an injury that would consequently prevent me from running. Overall, I'm glad to just be running.

DSC - How is cross country and distance running different (and are there any ways it is similar) to the the sport of soccer?

LC - Cross-country and distance running are very different from soccer because I always worked on sprints, changes in direction, and reactions for conditioning. Although, in distance running we do work on sprints, we run much greater distances. For example, in soccer we would never run more than one mile at a time, but in running we will run up 11 or maybe 13 miles consecutively.

DSC - Where does the season take you from here? What is the schedule down the road leading to the Section competition?

LC - For the rest of my high school cross-country season, my focus is State Championships. I will be racing strong at sub sections and sections as well, but with the intent to help qualify our team for state championships. After the high school season, I will be focusing on Footlocker West and maybe Cross-country Junior National Championships.

DSC - What changes do you see happening to your training during the next month leading to state?

LC - No major changes will occur in my training except that I will pullback on the miles and maybe the intensity a little a week before the race.

DSC - Where is your level of confidence off the success you have had in events such as Stanford and Mt. SAC?

LC - After my performance at Mt.SAC, I feel pretty confident I will be able to race strong and race for first at State Championships in my division.

DSC - What are any of your thoughts on college and all (given serious thought to a major, close or far from home or not an issue, etc.)?

LC - My top choices are Stanford, UC Berkley, and Duke University. I have already been admitted into Stanford, but I have not applied yet to the two others. I would like to major in medicine or marine biology so I am considering schools that are not only well-known for their pre-medicine programs, but also for their science programs in general. I would certainly like to stay in California for the beautiful weather and closeness to home, but Duke appeals to me for many reasons (not including the far distance).

DSC - Many students are able to kind of go the first few weeks of the school year on the after-burners and excitement of the start of school and the season and all. Then they hit a low point where many become injured or sick. Did you have to make any adjustments in your daily schedule at any point this fall, or did you start the year and continue basically the same daily schedule each week (sleep, etc)? Explain--

LC - Luckily, I haven't had to change my schedule at all. Although, that could possibly change. Junior year of cross-country and track were the same in that I did not have to adjust my training for school or injuries except for when I had an injured IT band for 2 weeks.

DSC - Some quick answers off the top of your head:

DSC - Store we would find you in if you had some extra money:
LC - Gap

DSC - favorite class:
LC - AP Composition and Literature and AP Art History

DSC - least favorite (or well, the one currently at the bottom of the rank list):
LC - Economics

DSC - last movie you watched:
LC - The wedding singer

DSC - last music you loaded on a listening device, downloaded, or purchased?
LC - Maroon 5 - "Wake Up Call"

DSC - last book you read:
LC - The Stranger by Albert Camus

DSC - favorite cross country course:
LC - Mt.SAC

DSC - least favorite cross country course:
LC - Folsom High School

DSC - ten years from now we will find you:
LC - In ten years I will probably be helping those who are unable to receive medical aid/treatment or I will be working in a lab doing research.

Thanks much - Best of luck
Doug Speck
DyeStatCal

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