Spotlight Athlete: Lincoln Freshman Alyson Churchill

Sep 15, 2016

Lincoln freshman Alyson Churchill just began her high school career in cross country and has already become a spotlight runner. Starting her season at the Miller Landing Madness Alyson placed 10th with a time of 19:20. Just a week later Alyson ran 18:46 to win the Cougar XC Challenge. She is not new to running though. Alyson has run very well in the past including winning both the 3000m at the FLYRA Panhandle Regional Middle School Qualifier and 1600m at the Leon County Middle School Championships. We caught up with Alyson to talk summer training, transitioning to high school, the 2016 season, and much more. (Photo by Chris Tucker)

How was your summer training? Has it helped you for the start of the season?

Summer training went very well. I got a stress fracture at the end of April which had me out of running for almost three months. It was definitely tough, but I managed to get in a lot of cross training during that time, and also did a bit of strength training as well, which I think ended up being really good for me. In the middle of July I started running again and really appreciated it more after having taken a break.

I heard you have a twin sister on the team? Is that true?

Yes, I have a twin sister, Megan, who runs on Lincoln's Cross Country team as well. It is a lot of fun practicing together, and I think we push each other in practice. I have two other sisters as well. Paige and Sarah. We are all four very close.

How has the transition been coming from middle school to high school?

The transition going from middle school to high school has been really fun. I think the training has definitely been kicked up a lot from middle school, but at the same time we have fun at practice. There are four of us freshman (me, Megan, Chase Merrick, and Rylee French) who ran together at Swift Creek and have transitioned into high school together. The whole team has been really nice and welcoming to us.

You've run some 5ks before and have been running for a long time. How did you get started in the sport?

I started running in seventh grade when some of the girls on my soccer team were running for conditioning. I loved it and have stuck with it ever since.

What are some of your favorite workouts and places to train?

I always like the long run days, seven to ten miles on the trails of steady running. I also like the tempo runs for about three and a half miles. I enjoy running at Tom Brown Park on the Cadillac trail, which is where we train most of the time.

Looking ahead, what meets do you have circled on your calendar?

The Bainbridge meet this Saturday. the Katie Caples meet a week later, and also the FSU Pre-State meet sometime in the near future.

What are your goals for the year?

My cross country goal for this year is to run under 17:40. I would like to compete at the state meet and hopefully place towards the top.

Outside of running, what are your favorite things to do?

I enjoy playing with my three sisters, playing soccer, and baking.