This week No. 10 Cara Harrison (Quince Orchard) took the time to respond to a Q & A about her running and her season. The Montgomery County senior has run against tough competition this season, often out of state. She ran her current PR of 18:33 at the Paul Short Run two weeks ago, and clocked a 19:13 to win the Peter Geraghty Invitational at the beginning of September.
Harrison now focuses her attention on the Montgomery County Championships this Friday, where she will race against many of the top runners in the state to try to stop Halsey Sinclair (Blair) from becoming a four-year county titlist...
MDRUNNERS: At the end of the regular season, you've established yourself as one of the
state's top runners. Some of the recognition you've been
receiving is based on who you have been beating: Northwest's
Emma Eckerstrom. How does she play into your racing?
CARA HARRISON: Emma is an awesome athlete and competitor. I feel like this year the racing among the top group of girls in Moco has made all of us better competitors and helped us reach a new level.
MDRUNNERS: You've been part of the top three at Quince Orchard since your freshman year on the team. How have things changed for you as a runner since then?
CARA HARRISON: My freshman and sophomore year there wasn't much pressure and I just went out and ran. My main goal was to run well but to also relax and have fun. Since my junior year, I have become a lot more focused and determined. Many things about training, which I hadn't understood in the past, just started to click.
MDRUNNERS: What part of the sport keeps you the most motivated, and what's your favorite part of being apart of Quince Orchard cross country?
CARA HARRISON: Running is awesome, and sometimes I feel like I'm addicted to it! The more time and effort that you put into running, the more you get out of it. I love my team and coaches, we're like a huge family. I never dread going to practice. Everyday I have fun, yet can stay focused and train hard for the season.
MDRUNNERS: You've also run with Blair's Halsey Sinclair since both of you were freshmen. Although she's taken the Montgomery County title for the last three years, they've been very close races the past two years. What thoughts have you given towards your last county championship?
CARA HARRISON: The Moco championship course at Gaithersburg HS is my all-time favorite course, and I'm really excited to race on it for a final time. Since its my senior year, I'm going to go into the race with confidence and hold nothing back. I want to be able to finish the race with no regrets.
MDRUNNERS: What does your pre-race routine generally consist of?
CARA HARRISON: The day before a race I usually go on a short, easy run followed by a few 100m striders on the track. The day of a race I have to eat a bagel with peanutbutter for breakfast :). I usually warm-up for a race two or three times, I have to keep moving or I get too nervous! I also go through a long stretching routine and do several striders before the race. Every race I run in my lucky socks- their pink with flying pigs :).
MDRUNNERS: 18:33! Your performance at Paul Short was, at the time, enough to earn you one of the top twenty 5K times in the nation. How did that course compare to the courses you've run in Maryland?
CARA HARRISON: The course was a lot more open and flat than other courses in Maryland. There were a lot of long straight aways and the whole course was on grass. The race was also a lot bigger than ones that I've run in the past. The start was crazy!
MDRUNNERS: What got you interested in cross country? Did you run before high school or did you pick it up when you became a freshman?
CARA HARRISON: I've been running since I was a little kid, since my dad is an avid runner. I tried all the other sports: soccer, basketball, tennis, ect., before highschool and I was horrible. I learned that I have no hand-eye coordination at all!
MDRUNNERS: What usually goes through your head when you're racing?
CARA HARRISON: In the past I would lose focus during a race, lately I have been able to remain focus and determined through the race. Before the race I usually set a goal for myself and then repeat that goal in my head throughout the whole race.
MDRUNNERS: Do you plan to continue competitive running in college? Any thoughts on where?
CARA HARRISON: I definetly plan on running in college. I applied early decision to Brown.
MDRUNNERS: Do you have any advice to give to aspiring runners?
CARA HARRISON: Running is something that does not always come easy and rarely leads to immediate success. One of the greatest traits to have as a runner is patience. It's taken me almost 4 years of hardwork, dedication and motivation to get to where I am now and I still have a lot of hard work and training to go. One of the most important things is to set goals for yourself. Without goals or aspirations its easy to lose focus. Set goals for the year, the season, an upcoming race, or even a workout. Once you reach one goal it becomes easy to reach any goal you want to achieve.