While most student athletes concern themselves with preparing for a single season, one group must deal with the stress of competing in not one, but three varsity seasons.
The men’s and women’s long-distance runners represent N.C. State in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track competitions. While other athletes share their work ethic, it is the mental aspect of having meets year-round, redshirt junior Stephen Furst said, which sets the distance runners apart.
“We’re pretty much always mentally ready to race,” Furst said. “That’s a key difference. A lot of the other sports are working out year-round, but it’s a different thing to be mentally ready to compete every week of the year.”
Furst’s teammate, senior Wesley Smith, agrees the obligations of the distance runners sometimes go beyond those of the typical student athlete.
“The only difference is that we’re really competing,” Smith said. “We don’t get that couple weeks off season that they get to enjoy to just let your body relax and recover. We’re constantly grinding it.”
Despite the never-ending workouts and meets, junior Amy Kelly enjoys participating in all three seasons.
“I still love it,” Kelly said. “It makes the year go by fast.”
Furst said having a year-round schedule isn’t an option, but rather a necessity for distance runners.
“Basically, every mile that you’ve ever run makes the next one a little easier,” Furst said.
“If you just take off two months out of the year, then you’re going to come back, and you’re not going to be as good as you would have been if you’d been running. You build for five years — you build every single week, every month. So really, you have to train a full-year round, because otherwise, you’re taking a step backwards.”
Smith said the rigors of training for distance running are things athletes simply must overcome.
“It’s a stress on your body for three seasons in a row, but if we didn’t love doing it, then we wouldn’t be out here. It’s just the thrill of competition, I guess. It’s working out hard and getting ready for races,” Smith said. “Every long-distance track athlete is doing it, so to be the best, you have to prepare like the best.”
Sophomore Brittany Tinsley doesn’t see the unwavering burden of training and racing as hindering her college experience.
“I would say it enhances it,” Tinsley said. “I don’t really feel like I’m missing out on anything. I like to run, and so I like having the busy schedule with running every day.”
Furst, on the other hand, said never having an off-season does make his college experience unique.
“It’s a different college experience, that’s for sure,” Furst said. “We miss out a lot on the partying scene, and some of the other social events, but at the same time, we develop a family here. That’s as close as any other group of friends that you could have. I don’t think you’re missing out. There’s definitely a difference, but it’s a very strong and enriching experience that will transition well into the rest of life.”
