Many people are staying in shape during this time off from school, but some runners are taking it to the next level. Sophomore Grace Pemberton has trained almost every day to stay in shape for the next cross country season. Although she was bummed when she learned that the track season was canceled, she decided to see the positive and achieve her goals by herself.
“I was sad when track got canceled, but I am grateful that I am only a sophomore and I still have two more seasons,” Pemberton said. “Since track was canceled I am now training for cross country.”
Pemberton runs four to seven miles a day and around 30 miles a week. This unusual time has given her the opportunity to focus her daily routine on running. “I look forward to running because it gives me something to do when I am bored,” Pemberton said. “It gives me a routine, and it helps when Mr. Bryce Brunswig posts optional workouts for us.”

Sophomore Kale Ryan was training for his first track season, but under the circumstances, he is now training for his first cross country season. Ryan runs five days a week and runs about 20 to 30 miles in preparation for the cross country season in the fall. It is important for him to run frequently because he does not want to lose the progress he made this year.
“When I found out that track got canceled, I was not too disappointed because it was just my first season,” Ryan said. “The impact did not hit me as hard as others like the seniors because it was their last season.”
Some of the places the Pemberton runs are Lincoln Place, Chalco and around Gretna. Before she went into lockdown, she would run with some of her cross country buddies sophomore Anna Speer and senior Kayla Adams. Just like Pemberton, Ryan has also been running with fellow sophomores Ethan Menning, Evan Liewer and Kale Edmonds.

“At the start of quarantine I ran routinely with a few other runners from the team, but now we have split up,” Ryan said. “Even though we might not run together every day, we still get together randomly to run.”
Since this is a time where we cannot control any of the decisions that the government makes, running is something that the athletes can control, like when or how they run. Pemberton says it gives her a sense of routine that they can follow and communicate with other runners.
“Running represents something that is controllable and is something that we can still do,” cross country and track coach Mr. Bryce Brunswig said. “We can still have a routine of going for a run or doing running workouts several times a week. This kind of routine and control over our lives is something that we need in our lives.”