Amongst the organized chaos of the first track and field meet of the season at home against Sage Creek [72-52 win], Feb. 29, Franklin Pham (11) focused his attention on warming up for both of his events; the 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles. Pham had been on the track and field varsity team ever since his freshman year, and for this meet, Pham had placed second for all of his events.

“I have a routine every single track meet,” Pham said. “I do the same amount of stretches and the same type of stretches.”

Pham made sure that he wasted no time preparing himself for the long meet ahead. He said he tries to relax between his events by talking with his friends and cheering his teammates during their races. However, he knows that he still needs to make time to prepare by staying hydrated via electrolytes and plenty of water.

“The time between every event [is difficult] because you’re going to have to warm up and then compete and you don’t know how long it is until your next event,” Pham said. “If you’re not prepared, then you have to rush your warm-up to get ready for your race.”

However, despite the chaotic schedule that track and field athletes have, Pham said they center their attention on doing well in their specific event, taking what they have practiced during their training and applying it to their event. 

For sprinter Brian Lloyd (12), he said that when practicing, he and his teammates prepare physically for their races while also doing their best to prepare mentally as they know it is just as important as the physical. 

“One of the hardest things is not performing well in one race and then having to try again in another race, [and being able to] stay fresh in between races,”” Lloyd said.

For him, the hard work paid off in this season’s first meet.

“This meet, I had a PR in the 200 meters,” Lloyd said. “I also knew my hard work had paid off when I came back for the win in the 4×100 relay as the anchor.”

Pham agreed. When looking back at his performance this meet, he reflected on just how tough racing could be mentally.

“The mental part [of racing] is really tough, especially in one of my races: the 300-meter hurdles,” Pham said. “The first 200 meters are good, but the last 100 is really mentally tough [because] at that point, I want to give up [but] I have to just keep going and dig deep into my mental[ity].”

Even after getting through one race, for many runners that is not the end. They have to bounce back mentally and physically right after their race, which both Lloyd and Pham agreed is the hardest part about a track and field meet.

Despite these challenges, Pham said he appreciates the enjoyable moments that come thanks to his hard work.

“Whenever I finish a race, I know that I’ve gone through a lot of pain, and once I finish, I’m glad it’s over,” Pham said. “It’s still early in the season and I’ve already realized things I should work on, improve, and fix.”

For Lloyd, the hard work paid off in this season’s first meet.

“This meet, I had a PR in the 200 meters,” Lloyd said. “I also knew my hard work had paid off when I came back for the win in the 4×100 relay as the anchor.”