Some people call it crazy, runners know it as dedication. Every fall Friday morning at 5:45 a.m., senior cross country runner Lily Rollings arrives at the football field to begin her strict routine, preparing for the starting line the next day.
“My season has been really good. I put in a lot of work over the summer during training and I can definitely say that it’s been paying off. I feel really happy about the record and the course I ran it on was a good course to be able to do it,” Rollings said.
Rollings broke the previous 14 year 5k school record of 18:03.1 held by Allie Dalton. Her time of 17:47.83 shattered this record by more than 16 seconds. She ran this time in the Rick Weinheimer Invite at Columbus North competing against more than 300 runners.
“One of my main goals for high school was to be able to break the school record. Now that I did that, my next focus is on the State meet. I hope to be on the State podium at Laverne Gibson on Nov. 1,” she said.
The IHSAA Cross Country State Meet is a showcase of the qualifying runners’ hard work throughout the preseason and championship season. Indiana is the only state left that does not have divisions for championship season, making the State meet more difficult to qualify for. Tomorrow will be Rollings’ third appearance at the State meet. In the 2023 and 2024 seasons Rollings placed 41 and 31, respectively. Preparating for these meets begins long before Sectionals.
“I think that the most beneficial thing that has helped my training are long runs and fartleks, which are speed endurance workouts. It really builds endurance, and I can also integrate aspects of speed training within the endurance workout,” Rollings said.
Rather than preparing simply the night before the race, Rollings has a routine that lasts from Thursday up until the starting line on Saturday mornings. This kind of dedication has proven to pay off for her.
“My general routine starts on Thursday when I go to bed at a good time to prepare for the next day. Starting on Friday, I have morning practice where we do the same run every single time. I have the same thing to eat at lunch, and then after school, my strict routine starts,” Rollings said.
Rollings is a tri-sport athlete who participates in two sports in the fall, cross country and soccer. In soccer, Rollings is ranked second in goals per match, making her an essential part of the team. While she finds balance between the two sports during the week, once the weekend comes, Rollings is focused on the course.
“Once I get home on Friday, I always have my mom prepare the same food for me. She makes me spaghetti with meat sauce and breadsticks. I also drink a lot of water to make sure that I am hydrated. If I go to a team pasta dinner, I make sure that I still participate with the team, but also I will eat the same thing that I always do,” Rollings said.
After dinner, Rollings clears her mind by cleaning her space and laying out her race essentials for the next morning.
“I like to have a clean environment to wake up to so that I can have a good mindset the morning of the race. I lay out the same jersey, shorts, socks, and shoes that I wear every single week so that I have everything ready for the morning,” she said.
After her environment is clean, Rollings decompresses her mind and muscles.
“I take an epsom salt bath every evening which helps my muscles relax before I go to bed. After my bath, I stretch, roll out my legs, and use the massage gun on any sore muscles. I go to bed by 8 to make sure that I have eight to nine hours of sleep,” Rollings said.
Preparing for the State meet will look no different for Rollings.
“I will prepare the same way as always. Although there will be tougher competition to face, all of my pre-race prep will be the same. The meet will be different because it will be much faster. I will need to know my own pace so I can run my own race,” she said.
Rollings placed 2nd at the Sectional meet and 8th at the Shelbyville Regional, qualifying alongside 20 other runners to compete at the State meet tomorrow at Laverne Gibson in Terre Haute at 1 p.m.
