GIRLS WINNER: Emily Edwards - Senior @ Fort Myers High School
A state championship in the 1600 meters in May, Golden South at the end of the month, New Balance Outdoor Nationals in June. That was the summer schedule for Fort Myers senior Emily Edwards. While others were resting, taking time off, and eventually gearing up for cross country, she was putting in work and racing against the top runners in the country. Due to her postseason schedule Coach Kelly Heinzman-Britton says these races gave her a great insight of what it takes to be prepared to step on the line in big races.
"Her training to prepare for these races were lonely in the fact that everyone else was finished. Emily had to motivate and push herself for six weeks of the post season. This helped her develop the determination to do what it takes to get to where she wanted to be for each race."
The late summer also altered her training schedule. Once she started back at Green Waves practice the work load began to increase and her base began to build back up. Heinzman-Britton describes what a typical week of training for Edwards looks like.
"Monday longer intervals (Mile repeats, 1.5 repeats, 1000m, ladders, depending on the time of year etc.). Tuesday is tempo Tuesday. We do tempos that are 1-3-1, 1-4-1 and an afternoon road run. Wednesday is shorter faster days with pickups.Thursday morning is hill run/repeats. Friday us prerace run with varied distances depending on the week. Saturday is a race, and Sunday is a long run or day off depending ont he week."
"The season is overloaded with races each week. We have to opportunity to race against teams like Estero and Gulf Coast among other great teams each and every weekend. With this in mind, I believe it is not in the best interest of the athlete to race with winning being the only focus. We like to have some races where she takes it out to mimic the bigger more competitive races and then the others we like to sit in to work on her pack running. Each race is a unique situation. You must be prepared for anything."
Seeing tough competition in southwest Florida has definitely helped Edwards, but at the Flrunners.com Invitational she would face the best from around the state. As the defending champion of the event, the Fort Myers standout would have a bullseye on her back. Britton-Heinzman says for that reason it was important for her to be in the race when it started.
"She needed to mark moves, be tough when things hurt, and run efficient. I was pleased how Em ran. She fixed her form, focused on Xiang (Karen Xiang) and her own running and didn’t get flustered."
Xiang passed Edwards and lead a majority of the race, but the senior hung in there. Her grit and toughness was on display two and a half miles in. Entering the final stretch and straightaway Alexa Cruz of St. Thomas Aquinas made her move and passed Edwards. Showing her track speed, Edwards kicked passed her in the final meters, to win in a time of 18:04.40, the second fastest in the state, and new season best by 31 seconds. Her coach says she saw a lot of positives in the race.
"The positives form Flrunners are the fact that Emily may get beaten in some races, but she will come back the next week and fight for it. She never gives up."
After finishing fifth at the 3A Cross Country Finals in 2012, Edwards has her eyes set on a state title, but it won't come easy. 3A is arguably one of the toughest classes in the whole state. November 9th will be her last state meet, but not her last race. She also plans to compete at the Foot Locker South Regional where she was 18th.
Edwards has already been on several visits for the next chapter of her running career. She has made stops at the University of Florida, FSU, and Alabama all while trying to maintain training and grades. The youngster and her parents are going to look at the options and pick the school that is the right fit both athletically and academically. Britton-Heinzman has an idea of where she'd like to see her land but will be happy with wherever she goes.
"I will be happy and I am sure she will be happy when she has decided so she can relax and just run. As a coach, you want the kids to become lifelong runners. Emily will be a lifelong runner, yet she also has the amazing opportunity to also be a very elite runner. I think that Emily has been a great role model to runners in the state. She has shown everyone that regardless of what happens week after week or year after year that if you never give up you can accomplish great things."
BOYS WINNER: Nick Diaz- Junior @ Miami Sunset High School
Miami Sunset coach Alex Shaw first caught a glimpse of Nick Diaz as a youngster at Ammons Middle School. Diaz was in the 7th grade and the talent was evident. That talent has blossomed over the years and in the three years Coach Shaw has had him under his tutelage. In the 2012 cross country season, the Knights standout was fifth. An injury plagued track season ensued, but that didn't stop Diaz from finishing third at the state meet in the 1600 meters and sixth in the 3200 meters. Shaw says that pure speed is definitely a strength when it comes to cross country.
"As for his natural speed, its crazy! His speed is something we hardly work on just because it has always been there. I would rather focus on other parts of his training."
One aspect the duo focus on weekly is strategizing. So far Diaz has won all four races he has competed in including the Flrunners.com Invitational Boys Race of Champions. Coach Shaw has a scouting report meeting each Wednesday where they go over individual and team goals. He says for Nick and a few other guys they usually draw up two different ideas in case the race goes out slow or it becomes an all out effort from the gun.
"Nick has the ability to adjust the game plan as the race develops, and is usually no more then 10 seconds off his "goal time". As for FlRunners the plan was totally different since the competition was going to be phenomenal. In the end it all worked out."
Diaz stayed with the lead group as it dwindled from eight to six to four. With three quarters of a mile the junior decided to open up his stride and go. Nick Morken of Niceville stayed with him and the two went stride for stride until the Knights standout took it at the line with a time of 15:15.60, four tenths ahead of Morken. It was a new personal best and the second fastest time in the state for 2013. Shaw says he wasn't totally surprised by the outcome.
"I get spoiled to see what Nick does each and every day in practice as well as in the meets, but I think the 15:15 win at FLR is very close to the top of the list. The way he had to gut it out in the last 100meters made it that much more special. By the way, he has a great deal of respect for Nick, Tyler, Kurt and Ryan. Its great to see some of our best runners competing with each other."
Running against tough competition week in and week out in South Florida has given Diaz the confidence that he can with anyone in the state. He also has a core group of teammates that can push him everyday in practice with guys like Kenny Castro and Ronny Greenup breathing down his neck is a great problem to have. Coach Shaw says he believes his area has some of the best individuals and teams Florida has to offer with the likes of Belen, Coral Reef and Columbus, so there is plenty of competition to go around. Over the last four weeks Diaz has seen his times go from 16:12.96 to start the season at the Ferguson Falcon Invitational, to 16:26.23 at the Dade County Youth Fair, to 15:43. 01 at Spanish River and ultimately his personal best of 15:15.60 at the Flrunners.com Invitational. If you asked Shaw if he thought Diaz would have been dropping times at this pace and undefeated at this point in the season on June 1st he would have told you you were crazy.
"That his how I felt back then. Now after watching him train during the last three month.sI think he has the ability to be among the best all-time. Regardless we will continue to take it one day at a time and one meet at a time. There is no point of talking about winning state when we have not even reached Pre-State."
In September the focus was tempo runs hill work and long intervals, but now that October has rolled around the workouts have shifted. The Knights plan to hold off on the short fast stuff until after the GMAC Championships with the goal to peak in early November. No matter how the next few weeks play out for Diaz and his teammates, Shaw says the future is very bright for the Knight's junior.
"With out a doubt Nick is the best athlete I have had the opportunity to coach. He is a very special athlete that usually comes around only once in a career (regardless of how many years you coach). All we know is that before his days at Sunset are over we hope to see him make the short list of runners that have ran sub 15 minutes and have multiple state titles. I can't wait to see him run 8K & 10K at the collegiate level one day. Another very lucky coach will get to enjoy what I have been able to treasure for the last three years."