Flrunners had a chance to catch up with Troy Smith, a sophomore from Rockledge who has had an impressive season thus far. He came in second at the Wickham Jamboree in a school record time of 16:09.00 and has won his last two races. Smith talks about his 2016 season and preparing for the flrunners.com Invitational this weekend after finishing third last year in the boys invitational race.
You've already set a big PR of 16:09 this season. How did your summer training go and what kind of training are you doing at this point in time?
I had an amazing summer of training and it contributed a lot to improving my performance. Over the summer my team and I went to so many awesome places that are great for running such as Clermont clay roads and nature filled trails in North Carolina. I racked up about 720 miles total. Currently, our team is doing slightly more intense training than usual to help build both our speed and endurance. We are also doing workouts which involve running our splits at race pace to adapt to that pace.
What are your goals for this season both individually and as a team?
Individually, my goals are to run a sub-16 minute 5k and to finish in the top 10 at the state meet. As a team, however, we are trying to have a 17:40 team average; and more importantly, make it past districts and regionals to move onto the state meet.
You still have a long high school career ahead of you. Are you thinking about the future past this season at all?
Yes. I'm thinking about the future ahead of me but I have a hard time deciding exactly what I want to do. I've considered running cross country for FSU, but I have my mind open to running for other Florida colleges.
Rockledge has had some fast runners in the past according to the school records. Are you setting your sights on any of those yet?
There have been great distance runners at Rockledge High School like Kenny Clark and Sean Burris in the past for 3 miles, but Taylor Hickey held the school record for 5k at 16:12. Christian Minor is listed as the 5000m run record holder but that was after he was at FSU during track season. Last year, I was within reach of the school record, but never got it. However, after the Wickham Jamboree earlier this season, I ran 16:06 and came in 2nd place; therefore beating the school record.
Do you have any pre-race rituals?
I don't really do anything special before I race. I just go out there and try my best.
Are there any other runners in your family?
Nope. I'm the only runner in my family, so it's hard to relate to them when it comes to physical fitness.
How did you discover running?
I discovered running when I went to Kennedy Middle School in 7th grade. Every Monday in P.E. we would have "Cardio Day" which is when everyone would go out on the track and run a minimum of 6 laps in 20 minutes. As competitive as I am, I would try to see how fast I could run those 6 laps. When I finished, I had a lot of time to spare, so I would go and do as many laps as I can before the 20 minutes was over. I would end up going anywhere from 10-12 laps, and the other students would call me crazy for doing so many laps. This continued until later in 8th grade when I decided to sign up for a 5k just to see how I would do. I ended up finishing the race in 3rd place with a time of 18:55. This inspired me to run more races, and that's when I realized that running was a gift that I had. After 8th grade was over I went to train with Rockledge High for summer conditioning. I had a really fun time running with the team and getting to know them, so I made my decision that I was going to do cross country.
You ran your fastest time last year at the flrunners invitational. Are you excited to run that course again?
I am very excited and looking forward to running the course again. In my opinion it's a very fast course and I can run it very well if I have a front pack to stick with.
You placed 3rd in the invitational last year. Do you have any goals for this weekend in particular?
My only goal for this weekend is to hopefully win my third race in a row.
Are you excited for things other than the race, like the environment, out of state runners, or Leo Manzano being the special guest?
I am excited to see all of the different teams that are going to be there. Also, I'm really looking forward to being able to see an Olympic athlete while I'm at the meet.
Any interesting things about yourself separate from running that most people don't know about?
In my spare time, I like to go fishing and throw a football with my friends.
