Latest / The Red Banner Race Report / Serenity Larson, University of Saint Mary

Transcript

Serenity Larson, University of Saint Mary · The Red Banner Race Report

• 0:02
  SPEAKER_01: Hello and welcome back to the Red Banner Race Report Podcast.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_01: I'm your host, Maren, and this is where we dive into the mindset, miles, and moments of NAIA cross-country and track and field.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_01: Today's guest, Serenity Larson, came to the University of St.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_01: Mary's after a decorated junior college career at Hutchinson Community College, where she was a four-time NJCAA All-American.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_01: As a junior last season, Serenity finished fifth at the KCAC Championships with a time of 2246 for the 6K, then 121st at NAI Nationals with a time of 2307.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_01: She was named the NAIA Cross-Country Interact and Field Performer of the Week on August 30th for her victory at the Spire Sunset Showdown on her home course by almost a minute, leading her team to a victory as well.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_01: This last weekend, Serenity was the top NAI finisher at the Women's Roy Greek Invitational, placing 20th overall in a new school record of 2044 and making it her PR by almost two minutes.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_01: She is only the second runner in St.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_01: Mary's program history to dip under the 21-minute barrier in the 6K.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_01: Well, uh, welcome to the pod.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_01: I'm glad that we could finally connect.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, me too.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: Sorry about last week.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: It was a chaotic week.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: Well, that is the life of a collegiate athlete and student, but actually, I think it worked out that we had to postpone it because man, you ripped one out this weekend.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: I I did.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_01: Holy Spirit.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_01: Well, uh, I'd say you made a pretty big statement with that.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_01: So, I mean, did you go into that race feeling like something big was gonna happen, or did that catch you by surprise?
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: No, I still I'm still processing it.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: I think um I really just went into the race with an open mind.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it was our first 6k cold weather, uh mostly flat course, and I was just like, I hope I can run good.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: I I have no idea.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_01: I'd say you did.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I went back and I looked up the race.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_01: They had the recording of the race on A net, Athletic.net.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: And so I watched the winner come in and then I, you know, watched till you finished.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_01: And you, I think it was you, you looked at the clock and were like, What?
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I I ran past my coach at like the 5k mark.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: And keep in mind, I think my my PR last year was like 18, maybe 47, 37, and he reads out like 1720 something, and I'm like, What?
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: And then um, I was like, Well, I might as well just go for our 6k record, and I was like 400 meters out from the finish, and I was like, Man, I think I'm gonna hit it.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_01: Uh yeah, yeah.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_01: So you're in a 5K PR and a 6K PR all in the same race.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_01: Well, okay, so let me let me just read this for people that are gonna listen that may not know all the context.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_01: But you came as a junior to St.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_01: Mary's, right?
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, after after running for community college, and then so last year your 6k PR was 2246, is that right?
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_01: Or 23s somewhere in there?
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: I think it was 22.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, 22.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, and then you just ran a 2044.
• 3:38
  unknown: Yeah.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_01: So what do you think has been the factors that have turned around your season so quickly?
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_01: Because we're only still in September.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_01: So there's a lot of season left.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: So a lot of people don't know, but after JUCO, um, I took a gap year.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: I I needed time off from I mean, I I completely had stopped running.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: I thought I was done running, and I I'd call it dropping out of school.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: I was working full-time as like a CNA, and I just randomly decided, you know, I think I want to go back.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: And St.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: Mary's quickly uh took me in, and I I really spent most of my last year just trying to get back into shape.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: And um, this was like my I mean, going back to St.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: Mary's, I was just like I was working 60 hour weeks and I was running my lage like every single day.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: And um, I just had a whole new mindset when I came back.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, you know, I'm just gonna like fully dedicate myself um to this program.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: And last summer I we did like a new uh training and like training program, and I really dedicated myself like every single day, like nowadays off.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: And I was pretty antsy getting started this season because I had no idea like where I would be at.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: That's how most of the girls were too, and as you can see, that work has um really, really paid off.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and I like the quote that you sent me.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um, that it was it's a long-term goal.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: You're not gonna see instant gratification.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's working every day, and wow, it's paying off.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_01: You're getting a lot of national attention.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I I mean, there's a lot of people talking about you, like um NAI Cross Country Track and Field Central, their account.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_01: They were like, ooh, this girl's one to watch.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_01: And then, you know, you've been getting these accolades runner of the week and everything.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_01: So this is exciting, right?
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah, very exciting.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_01: Well, let's go back a little bit.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_01: You did have a really solid Duco career.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_01: You were an all-American there.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so how did your experience running in a different atmosphere before coming to the NAIA how do you think that helped shape you as a runner and then kind of prepare you for what was next?
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, well, I I am very grateful I went to Hutch.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, my first year, I think it was a very strong year.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I mean, we were by somehow like national champions of like the four-bite for the indoor track season, and you know, it has like your emotions running high.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: And I think I just hit um kind of like a stump in my like a plateau in my running career.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: And um I think I just lacked like maturity with my mileage.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: I wasn't really like, you know, committing.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: I I was kind of like half in, half out, and I think because of that, and I saw the effects of that my sophomore year, um, I matured greatly from that experience.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: And um, I learned like self-discipline as an athlete.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: And um, I wouldn't, you know, while I regret how that happened, I kind of am grateful because now I just am like so disciplined with my runs and you know, I have I have more determination now.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, taught you how to be uh a persevering athlete and yeah, to push through for sure.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_01: Well, what helped you pick St.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_01: Mary's?
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, what made it special and helps you decide that that was where you wanted to continue running?
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: Funny story.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, our a coach, our recruiting coach, Coach Ryan, he had been talking to me since my like, I don't know, june or third year of high school.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: And I told him several times, like, oh, I don't know if I want to go NAIA, I don't want to stay in Kansas.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: And then um I contacted my JUCO coach when I wanted to go back into running, and I was like, Hey, do you know any colleges that would have um scholarship money?
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: And he referred me over to St.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: Mary's and they took me in in like a heartbeat.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: They were like, Oh yeah, like we got money for you, you know, come here.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: And um, I I love their program.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: It is everything I've been looking for.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um very positive, you know, very positive environment.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: We're very team-oriented.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: We don't have team leaders.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like we like to say everyone can be a leader in their own special way.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_00: Like we encourage our freshmen to lead in their own ways too, you know, even though they might be new, every practice.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: It's like someone can lead by having good energy, or you know, being uplifting, or even sometimes in our warm-up or cooldowns, we let them take take the lead.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: So that's cool.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_01: I like that.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_01: Sharing the wealth.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_01: Well, you run a 5k in JUCO, and then the NAI, when I was a runner, it was still a 5K, but you know, years ago they switched to the 6K to match the NCAA championships.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_01: So, um, what did you have to do to kind of mentally and physically prepare yourself for that extra K?
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I just talked to our incoming freshmen before our last race, they were scared out of their minds.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I told them, you know, we run interval workouts that are longer than a 1K, and we do that so many times in a week.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, look at it as time.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: Like I had to tell myself it, it's more of like the time.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's an extra three to four minutes, and it'll fly by.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_00: And as long as I don't fixate on it, I'll be okay.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_00: And I can tell you, I was very nervous for my six my first 6k, but it flew by faster than what I thought it would.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think you just have to mentally prep yourself.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_01: It's a little bit further, but don't overthink it.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, don't let it um make you too scared.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_01: So you made it to the NAI National Championships last fall, and I mean, all things considered, it'd be a pretty strong guess to say you'd make it there again this year.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, so what are your biggest takeaways from being there last fall?
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_01: And then what do you hope to do as your goals there this year?
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um last year it was a little weird.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_00: I had ran um, that was the first time I had gotten all American at JUCO was on that course, actually.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: And so going there, I was like, wow, I made it, you know, I'm at Nationals.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, that was my first time flying, actually, was going there, and I I ended up getting sick.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_00: And that race, I just I wasn't really in it, you know.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: I was just trying to be there for my team, and we still placed fairly well at um at nationals.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_00: But my takeaway from that race was kind of just, you know, I'm experiencing this, I'm here, I'm here with my team, and like next year I want to come back and I want to like, I want to like do something, you know.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um definitely have a better race than than last year.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but that really fueled like my offseason training in both winter and in the summer.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_01: So I've heard from a lot of athletes that that race kind of caught them by surprise because they thought, oh, it'll be nice weather and it's not super hot.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_01: And then the humidity, I think, played a much bigger role than I mean, you couldn't really feel it at first, and then it it definitely seemed to play out that way in the races.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_01: So um, and if you've never flown before, that's something new, right?
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's kind of taxing on your body.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_01: I actually earned my first plane ticket ever to nationals as well when I was a freshman.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_01: So I that was my goal.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I want to fly in an airplane.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_01: That was in the days before 9-11, and so you walked right onto the plane, and anybody who came to take you to the airport or pick you up could come right to the door.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_01: It was so weird to think about.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: Like, imagine that.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_01: There was no door between you and the pilot, it's just so many different things, but yeah.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_01: Well, if you were gonna give advice to somebody who maybe is on their trajectory through JUCO or high school and you know, coming into college, what is a piece of advice that you wish someone had given you earlier in your running career?
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, I in my honest opinion, I wish I just joined the NAIA, specifically St.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_00: Mary's, like straight out of high school.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think it's definitely grown in depth since I was um younger in high school.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, we go to a lot of huge meets, and at those meets, we will place well above, you know, some smaller D1s or even some D2s.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_00: And in my head, I had thought like, you know, it's D1 or D2 or nothing, but really it there is no difference.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: Like we compete at a pretty competitive level, and um, I wish I could just tell those incomers like it's worth it, it's worth going N-A-I-A.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think there's a lot of benefits people don't realize.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_01: And I think they're starting to see it now with how hard it is to get onto a D1 team.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_01: And I mean, you're basically like if you're in D1, a lot of those schools are churning out Olympians.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, that's what they're doing.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_01: So it's it's it's crazy to look at the times and how things have changed.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I definitely think at Roy Greoc uh we made a statement there.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: We I think they announced that we were like the only NAIA team there, and we were chatting with uh one of the guys that was helping us get started up on the starting line, and he was like, Oh, I I ran an NAIA 50 years ago, and back then we were better than than D1.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: And we told them, like, you know, it's it's growing again.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I I would consider it too.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_01: So Yeah, I I've heard people say um it's like D4.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_01: Like, no, it's like D2.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_01: There's there's people in the NAI that can compete with the fastest people in the NCAA in various events, or you know, we have we have talent, we just don't have as much of it.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_01: It's just a a a smaller pool.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I I definitely think it's starting to um be something the public eye has more view of now than maybe in previous years.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_01: But definitely well, uh what's your favorite workout?
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_01: Are you more like a track repeat person or do you like longer running or like a tempo run?
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_00: I I used to love my long runs.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: I still do, but I definitely have grown to love track repeats, like longer interval workouts.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_01: So what would you like to do in the spring for track?
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_01: Like what would be your ideal event?
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um 1k repeats.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: I love like ladders.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um we do a lot of workouts at like threshold too.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_01: So are you like a thousand meter indoor racer or are you more like a 3k runner?
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_01: Like what would you like to do?
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um I love my 5k.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_00: I love the 5k more.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_00: I the 3K, I'm trying to love it.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_01: Would you try the steeple chase?
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_00: Oh man, I did that one time in high school and never again.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_00: I did not enjoy that.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: It was at WSU and it was freezing outside.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_01: Well, you never know.
• 15:05
  unknown: Right.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_01: Well, what is your go-to pre-race meal the night before a big race?
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what do you usually eat that kind of helps you feel like ready or fueled?
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I do different variations of protein and pasta.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: So sometimes I'll make, you know, homemade pasta with some beef or something with chicken.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I love pesto, so like pesto alfredo.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, yeah, me too.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a pesto fan.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, what's your what's your current favorite shoe choice that you're running in?
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_00: Uh glitter and 22s.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_00: Those are my my go-to.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_01: And do you have a certain song that you like to listen to on like a running playlist or maybe a warm-up song?
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I have a rotation, but I think one of my favorites is good times by Sheik.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_01: Are you a um like get hyped up before a race or are you more I need to calm and center myself and take deep breaths?
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_00: I I think it's a mix.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_00: I I've noticed that when I listen to a lot of like rap, my heart rate gets way too high and like my nerves flutter.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_00: So um I don't know, a lot of like funk.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's upbeat, but it's also kind of mellow.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: So that's a it's a good mixture.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, a good balance.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_01: So what is next on your schedule?
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_01: What's your next race?
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I believe this Friday we go to Gans Creek.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, okay.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, the national meet was there a couple years ago.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it was.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's uh that's a pretty pretty good course.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_01: That's uh it's I would say it's more real cross-country than some other ones, but I think it's pretty fun to watch too.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_01: It's good for spectators.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I'm I'm really excited.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_01: All right.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_01: So my last question for you is if you could run with anyone, and it could be somebody that is from the past in history, and they can be alive or not, and you could go run anywhere in the world.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_01: Who are you running with and where are you going to go?
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think Emily Sisson.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, okay.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_00: I would go run at the Redwood National Uh Park in California because I've just always wanted to go there, and then I know they have trails there.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_00: So we we have a girl from California and she's always boasting about the air quality over there.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_01: Well, the Redwoods would be spectacular too, because I don't think anyone can really put that into perspective until they stand next to a tree that's that big.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_01: That's a great choice.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's on my bucket list to go there one day.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_01: So well, it's been a pretty crazy start to your senior year, and it's not even October yet.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_01: So definitely we'll be keeping an eye on what's next for you.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_01: And I can't wait to see what happens.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be exciting, and I wish you the best.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks so much for tuning in to the Red Banner Race Report.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_01: I can't wait to feature more cross-country and track and field athletes from the NAIA, so stay tuned because it just might be you.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_01: If you enjoyed today's podcast, please share, subscribe, and leave a review.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_01: You can find the Red Banner Race Report podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and other major media players.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_01: You can also ask your smart speaker to play the podcast.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_01: If you have an idea for a great topic or guest you'd like to hear about, feel free to contact me through the show notes or reach out on Instagram.