Week of September 4th-8th, 2007
James Tracy (Del Campo, Fair Oaks)


Joe Hartman Photo

With the heat and all it has been a challenging start for just about everyone statewide at the start of the Fall harrier season.  However, after some months of preparation the competitive drive has certainly been there among the state's top runners, with some special performances north and south.  On a course that has been used up through the Section Championship level when an athlete starts out by equalling a very respectable Course Record in the season's first multi-school affair it certainly gains attention.  James Tracy of Del Campo in Fair Oaks, a school with a great distance running tradition had a fine 2006-2007 school year of running, with a Section Division III title, and fifth in the State Meet at that level.  In Track he was 9:18.46 for 3200 meters in placing fourth in the Sac Joaquin Section Finals.  His 16:12 run in last weekend's Willow Hills Relays at the Reservoir course in Folsom which was run in a "relay" setting was a great start to his 2007 season, and he is honored as our DyeStatCal Athlete of the Week.  His school has been moved to Division II level this year in early CBED listings, with that very competitive level locally and statewide added to greatly by his presence this coming Fall. 

DyeStatCal - Good run at Willow Hills Reservoir in the Relay meet there--what did you think about your performance?

James - I felt great. We had a good weeks worth of workouts and a strong base from the summer work. I knew that I had a forty something second deficit that I had to make up, so I went out strong, but controlled because I have seen the problems that that course creates if you go out too fast. After I caught up and made the pass, I focused on creating some space and losing my opponent's contact.

DyeStatCal - How was a "relay" setting there different than a regular meet and how did you like it?

James - It was definitely different. There were fewer people out at each time and after the first two legs you couldn't always tell who was running really well because one team could be ahead or behind by a margin, so you had to watch the change in splits between runners from different teams. It was a fun meet because it is unique. I've never run anything quite like it.

DyeStatCal - Guess the school is moving up a division this fall, how does Division II look?

James - Division II looks stacked. There are a lot of great teams out there fighting for those few top spots. No matter what division you run in, especially in CA, there is great competition.

DyeStatCal - About how much running daily did you do this summer in preparation for this season?

James - We started easy, 4-5 miles a day, and added a mile each week. We ran a few hills during the summer, too. After we went to our XC camp in August, we started running twice a day.

DyeStatCal - Your team graduated a lot from 2006 - how does the 2007 team at Del Campo look?

James - We have a lot of guys ready to step up and fill in those holes. We have a lot less experience, but a lot of potential ready to go.

DyeStatCal - How have you adjusted lately for the weather conditions up your way this late summer and early season?

James - Ah, the heat wave. That hit us the first day of practice after school, which happened to be the week we came back from camp by the coast! We were very careful to drink lots of water during the day and practice and ease into the heat. We knew it would take about a week to adjust, but we would eventually.

DyeStatCal - What are some of your goals in the fall and spring with your running this school year?

James - #1 is staying healthy. Nothing hurts a season more than an injury or illness. After that, I want to do what I need to do to get my team back to the state meet. Hopefully run a lot of PR's along the way, too. As for track, the state meet is always up on my list.

DyeStatCal - As far as college, what are your interests, getting away from home or staying kind of close, have you given any thought to a major, how far in distance do you feel comfortable in moving up to at the College level?

James - College has always been a goal of mine. I don't mind if I stay close or go a distance. I have been looking into engineering for several years now. Any distance is good for me, but I tend to like the longer races more. I like the mental side of the long races and the challenge to set the right pace to run "comfortably", but still leave it all on the course.

Congratulations and Best of Luck
Doug Speck - DyeStatCal.com

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