Forums >Off the Beaten Path>Real Fast HS Runner in Wisconsin
Tiefsa
If you follow HS CC, I interviewed a high school runner from Wisconsin named Molly Seidel.
She is really, really, really fast and doesn't even know it!!!
What I mean by that is she ran a 13:44 in the 4k recently which is very fast. Then, I found out in the interview she runs about 3-4 times per week during the off season and about 30-35 miles per week during the season. I've seen her race and she runs so easy and strong. She might have a bright future in running.
***I just saw her run in person on Saturday. Not a fast time (14:26) but click on her name above to go to the video. The week before she ran a 13:19 in the 4k (that's roughly 5:20 pace per mile).***
Distinctively Juvenile
"I’ve had a lot of races where I didn’t do as well as I wanted to or didn’t get a specific time, especially last year in track when I was trying to break five minutes in the mile. When that happens to me I just try to channel that disappointment into determination to work harder for the next race. Most of the races I remember really well are those that I didn’t do my best in for the reason that they made me work harder and become a better runner."
Sounds like she has a really good attitude towards racing. I just got back from a race that I didn't do as well as I'd hoped (cramped up halfway through) and this just kinda inspired me to get back up and try even harder at my next race next week.
Sulphur Springs 50km-- Ancaster, ON-- May 28, 2022
Tally in the Valley 12 hours-- Dundas, ON -- July 30, 2022 (Support SickKids Toronto)
Stokely Creek-- 56km-- Sault Ste. Marie, ON-- Sept. 24, 2022
is she wearing the 5 finger shoes for that picture?
I noticed that too- appears to be.
It appears that she's very talented and she seems to be on the right track, being coached and directed to the right direction.
Not to be pesimistic about it but, it seems to me, with most high school stand-out, as is in Japan as well as most European countries, is that the only way to measure "talent" in younger days is race performance. Anybody can pick the fastest kid in the race--the one who comes in first. Although he had been struggling to live up to his talent, Alan Webb, besides Lagat, is the only American to have advanced to the final of major international championships 1500m. It has been 9 years since he had graduated high school and, every year, we have young runners just as talented, coming out and win major high school championships--like German Fernandez. Nobody, including Fernandez though his is still yet to be tested, had advanced as well as Webb. On the other hand, though because of the money involved in running nowadays, some young Kenyans and Ethiopians had been emerging lately, most African runners went almost un-noticed in their teens until they start more systematic training program later in their lives.
This girl seems to be pretty small. Most young girls who perform really well may go through some rough time once they hit the full growth. Small-framed youngsters have an advantage of their oxygen carrying capacity per kg of their body weight higher than that of adult because of their small frame and lighter body weight. The only way to maintain that once they hit the full growth is by lots of aerobic training. Missing to understand that, they would face some rough time psychologically. Nurture the youngsters and teach them to enjoy running for the sake of act of running; not just the sake of competition. All the best to her.
It appears that she's very talented and she seems to be on the right track, being coached and directed to the right direction. Not to be pesimistic about it but, it seems to me, with most high school stand-out, as is in Japan as well as most European countries, is that the only way to measure "talent" in younger days is race performance. Anybody can pick the fastest kid in the race--the one who comes in first. Although he had been struggling to live up to his talent, Alan Webb, besides Lagat, is the only American to have advanced to the final of major international championships 1500m. It has been 9 years since he had graduated high school and, every year, we have young runners just as talented, coming out and win major high school championships--like German Fernandez. Nobody, including Fernandez though his is still yet to be tested, had advanced as well as Webb. On the other hand, though because of the money involved in running nowadays, some young Kenyans and Ethiopians had been emerging lately, most African runners went almost un-noticed in their teens until they start more systematic training program later in their lives. This girl seems to be pretty small. Most young girls who perform really well may go through some rough time once they hit the full growth. Small-framed youngsters have an advantage of their oxygen carrying capacity per kg of their body weight higher than that of adult because of their small frame and lighter body weight. The only way to maintain that once they hit the full growth is by lots of aerobic training. Missing to understand that, they would face some rough time psychologically. Nurture the youngsters and teach them to enjoy running for the sake of act of running; not just the sake of competition. All the best to her.
She does look short, but she doesn't look like a twig like many of the top female runners.
Every Mile is a Gift
Wow, she's amazing! Thanks for sharing your interview.
Here's a name you may hear again: Amy-Eloise Neale. I just wrote an article about her (and her team, Glacier Peak High School; Snohomish, WA) for the Oct. issue of NW Runner Magazine. She just ran a 17:51 5k on a tough, wet course. She's a sophomore. She won state (3A) last year. I saw her run in person. She doesn't look at all like a high school runner. If she stays healthy, she's got a free ride to college.
Often injured, NEVER giving up.
There is a local kid near where I live who is ranked in the top 10 in the nation. He ran a 15:03 5k a few days ago. His 5k pr is 14:49. He is crazy fast. He has won like his last 15 or so races. His name is Otis Ubriaco. His pr I think in 2 mile is around 9 flat.
that is fast, but he's no Lukas Verzbicas from Sanburg HS in Illinois.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-06-09/sports/ct-spt-0610-prep-xc-verzbicas-update-20100609_1_gatorade-national-cross-country-runner-school-graduate
Thing is about runners is there is so much variation in the looks of runners. Look at the Canadian 100m hurdler Priscilla Lopes-Schliep. She's won silver at international track and field competitions, yet she does NOT look like a sprinter. She is by no means overweight, but she has an overall larger build than the stereotypical sprinter.
You don't think that's the look of a female sprinter? Seriously?
My son is/has been running middle school XC this fall. There's one common trait among the fastest girls. They are all very thin. Zero extra weight is being carried around. Yet, when I look at the fastest boys in his races, nearly all of them already look like little men. They are physically well developed -- very strong looking legs and have a strong looking stride. It appears they are winning primarily because they are physically more developed then their peers. There's one boy at my son's school that fits this description. He doesn't win, but he gets by because he's pretty developed for a 7th grader. On the flip side, if I where a HS coach and saw a under-developed (thin) boy in middle school that was running distance events well, I'd be pretty excited because once he starts developing, look out.
I still look like a Little Man.
That's not the best photo, but if you see her at the beginning of a race at the start line, she is quite a bit larger than the others. (basically, she's built like me- larger by nature)
Google confirms this.
Reading some articles, she seems to have an outlook to match her talent.
"I want you to pray as if everything depends on it, but I want you to prepare yourself as if everything depends on you."
-- Dick LeBeau
One day at a time
BoilerTom, I thought about your post when I attended my daughter's middle school XC meet today. You're right! The winning girls were tiny. The fast guys could have been mistaken for HS sophomores. My D is tiny, only 68 pounds in 7th grade. She's not the fastest girl YET, but she's working on it!