Where There\'s a Wills There\'s a Way

Colonial High track coach Rene Plasencia has a problem unique to other prep track coaches.

His top runner, junior Alex Wills just works too darned hard.

Wills has a work ethic that is envied by any track coach in the state. He's the first one on the track and the last one off. He does it because he enjoy, of all things, the pain.

"I love the pain I feel when I run,'' Wills said. "The pain is addicting. I live for it.''

Wills has experienced the pain in the past year. He suffered tendonitis last year and tried to cut back on his workouts leading up to the outdoor season, but the pain prevented him from being in the best possible shape and he struggled all spring, never living up to what he considered his potential.

He kept with his regimen all summer and stayed relatively pain-free whether he liked it or not, and finished second in the Class 4A cross county meet last fall, just behind senior Justin Harbor of Flagler Palm Coast and ahead of rival Aaron Kindt from...