Going the Distance

Marissa Farago

[An athlete is a person who looks at the rain falling and says, “good day for a run (or game).” An athlete is a person who sees an injury or illness as a temporary distraction. Only. Marissa is a senior at Triton High School. She has an athlete’s soul.]

GTD: Marissa, how many summers have you trained in Coach Braz’s program? What got you started doing it?
Marissa: I have trained at Coach Braz’s camp for two years now. I had seen a flyer for the camp at one of my cross country meets my sophomore year of running (my first year). I did some extended research to gain an understanding as to what the program offered and entailed - and then decided to sign up!

GTD: During the 90 to 120 minutes of each onsite session, were there parts you looked forward to doing?
Marissa: My favorite part of the camp is definitely the different running combinations that are done on the field with everyone as a group. I enjoy the challenge that it gives me - both psychologically and athletically when I am pushed by other runners.

GTD: The last phase of each training session was devoted to core work, flexibility, and strength. Tell us about it. What did you like and didn’t like?
Marissa: In the last part of each session, we usually will do a lot of hurdle mobility, core strengthening, plyometrics, and medicine ball work. I really enjoy this part of each practice because it gives runners a chance to focus on certain things that many may tend to exclude in their regular season workouts.

My personal favorite is hurdle mobility because it's a great way to not only get a good stretch, but it has also helped to strengthen my hip flexors. Before I came to Coach Braz’s camp, I had many hip issues while running but once I was introduced to hurdles, I started to use them more regularly during the season and was successful in making the pain go away. Furthermore, during this part of the session, I tended to struggle mostly with plyometrics. This was, unquestionably, my least favorite. But despite my feelings, I have continued to work toward getting stronger in this area as it had been very difficult for me when it was first introduced as a part of the exercise regime at camp.

GTD: When you’re doing the “running” parts of the program, do you ever “visualize” a xc race?
Marissa: During many of the workouts, usually tempo and hill workouts, I have visualized myself in a cross country race at Coach Braz’s camp. I think the workouts that are provided at this camp make it very easy to have this mindset because they are very geared towards the physical and psychological struggles that a runner faces during a race.

GTD: When you race, do you have routines that you always do to prepare, leading right up to the start?
Marissa: On the day of my race, I usually wear my “lucky” shirt and socks. I also listen to a playlist that I have on my phone to get myself pumped up and will take some time to stretch out to give myself the time to focus and what it is that I want to personally achieve from my race.

GTD: Sometimes when it’s over, runners think about those moments in a race where they lost focus (and time). Did you have any of those “lost moments” in Braz camp? Perhaps when you may have just gone through the motions during a core session, other times?
Marissa: There have been times when I have lost focus during the camp, mostly during my first year, but I think that as I improved through the support of Coach Braz and the other coaches at the camp. I became a stronger runner, psychologically. I had struggled very much with this aspect of running before I enrolled in the summer camp but throughout the many weeks of the camp, I became more confident in myself as a runner and was able to make a significant amount of improvement throughout the cross country season.

GTD: How do you handle nutrition during your racing seasons. What about race day? With xc camp starting at 8am in the heat of summer, what did you do for food/drink BEFORE 8am?
Marissa: During the season I tend to avoid sugary foods and most pre-packaged items. I think that nutrition is the key to running and when I eat healthier, I feel better about myself and as a result, I have better performances. Before practices in the morning, I would usually eat either a granola bar or a small bowl of cereal and try to drink at least sixteen ounces of water to fuel and hydrate myself for the workout.

GTD: Tell us about your fall xc season.
Marissa: This past fall season I experienced quite a bit of hardship and missed the majority of the season. I was diagnosed with mononucleosis and a heart defect that impacted my ability to run. Despite the setback from the very start of the season due to recovery time and subsequent diagnostic procedures completed under a cardiologist’s care, I was determined to run again when medically cleared to do so.

This happened toward the end of the regular season with the reality being that I would very well not achieve what I had set out to accomplish from the beginning of the fall season. Although I wasn’t as physically fit as I had been coming into the season, I still managed to accomplish my goals by placing seventh at the league meet, placing ninth at states and qualifying as an individual for the All-State Championship.

It was definitely a stressful season, but I was glad to be able to come back at the end for some of the larger meets and finish off my high school cross country career on a high note.

GTD: Tell us what you’re doing for running this spring.
Marissa: For the spring, I am planning to focus on both the mile and the two mile races. Since this is my last season of running at a high school level, I would really love to achieve “personal bests” in these two events.

GTD: College plans?
Marissa: Next year, I will be attending Franklin Pierce University pursuing a degree in Physical Therapy while running at a collegiate level. I will be competing as a three season athlete on the cross country, indoor and outdoor track teams. I am very excited and thankful to have this experience. Being able to run on a college team has always been my dream and to make this become a reality is really awesome!