The men’s and women’s cross-country team will race in the 2014 OVC Cross-Country Championship at Jacksonville State tomorrow.
Senior Abbie Oliver said the cross-country teams practice six times a week three of which they use for regular runs with different workouts on the Murray State track to help them prepare for their upcoming meet at Jacksonville State.
Oliver said the Racers go out to a farm owned by Murray State to do their more challenging runs called tempo-runs. The tempo-runs are some of the hardest workouts the team does to get prepared for each meet, she said.
The different tempo-run workouts the Racers have been doing are the 300-meter to a mile run which is where they run fast, and then slow down and then pick up the pace again.
The goal the Racers have set for the OVC championship race is to work well together, and hopefully transfer how well they work in practice together to Saturday.
“This is the strongest team I have been on in all my years at Murray State because I am a senior now,” Oliver said. “It is really exciting to go into the conference knowing that I am part of the best team since I have been at Murray State.”
“My personal goal is to be in the top four teams which is all conference and you get a medal for that and to run in the 17 as well which would be a great end to the season,” Oliver said.
Oliver said they are doing a lot to prepare for the game individually and as a team.
“I know personally I am staying hydrated, getting plenty of sleep and being on top of things outside of practice as well and I see other players doing the same thing,” Oliver said.
Head Coach Jenny Severns said the biggest goals for the cross-country team is to go in to the competition and soak up the experience.
“The OVC is always tough and the OVC gets stronger every year,” Severns said. “I know they are ready to race and I want for everybody to go in and enjoy the experience.”
Story by Heath Ringstaff, Staff writer