Hi, I'm Garrett Westlake from P.K. Yonge high school in Gainesville, Florida.
I'll be starting my senior season with a new coach. I have had four different coaches in my career so far, so it isn't anything new, but in my eyes change is always good, and I'm really looking forward to this season. Coach Beth Godwin is an amazing coach and athlete with a lot of first-hand experience. I trust her a great deal and I know she will help make my senior season a success.
In addition to having to adjust to a new coach, my team will have to deal with the loss of three strong runners that were fixtures in our top five last year and years before. It will definitely be different not having them there to train and race with. This year there will be only three upper classmen on our team, so we have a young team with a very bright future.
My goals for this summer were to run every day and remain injury free. My typical distance runs are usually done with my teammates but, on the harder days I try to run with Jordan Brown or Derek Bolser, who both graduated last year, and will continue their running careers at the collegiate level. I normally do all of my training in Gainesville, but I just got back from the Warrior running camp in Babson Park. I loved the camp, and the hills there were really beneficial to my training. I would definitely recommend the camp to every runner at any level if they get the chance to attend.
Overall my team and I have had a great summer thanks to Coach Beth and we are excited for the start of cross country season!
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