Former Xavier College Prep runner Jessica Tonn will be writing a weekly blog (schedule permitting) for Arizona Milesplit. While at Xavier Jessica won 2 Cross Country State Titles and 10 Track and Field State Titles winning the 1600 and the 3200 all four years. Jessica also qualified for Foot Locker Nationals all four years finishing with a top 10 finish her junior year.
Jessica holds the Arizona freshman (10:37.23) and sophomore (10:30.23) record in the 3200 and the sophomore record in the 1600 (4:50.42) which is also an Arizona All Time #2 mark. She also has the Arizona #3 all time mark of 10:25.85 in the 3200 and ran a 10:24.47 for 2 miles.
Check back weekly to read JTonn's Milesplit Blog!!
High School Track PR's : College Track PR's
1600: 4:50.42 1500: 4:23.64 (outdoor)
3200: 10:25.85 3,000: 9:10.16 (indoor)
800: 2:14.70 5,000: 15:54.90 (outdoor)
2 Mile: 10:24.57 10,000: 34:41.68 (outdoor)
BLOG POST #6
Balance
Hey, MileSplit! Sorry for being M.I.A for a few weeks; it has been a little hectic on my end with practice, applying for the Communication graduate program, and midterms… I hope you are all enjoying the slow transition into the spring weather and if you are reading from the east coast, hang in there; I’ve heard the weather has been pretty brutal!
This week I am here to talk about balance. Although we [runners] are terrific at balancing on our own two feet or even on one foot as our other is in the air, sometimes we aren’t the best at balancing all of the elements that comprise our lives. Sometimes I stop and think, “How in the world do I have any time for anything else when I am running 70 miles a week?” Let’s break this down a little bit… day in and day out we wake up, run, shower (hopefully), eat, go to class, go to more classes, eat, run again, shower AGAIN, go to the training room (ice, stretch, foam roll, etc.) eat, do homework and whatever time we have left over, go to bed and then repeat that five days a week. I recognize the fact that this isn’t exactly everyone’s schedule verbatim but you understand the point I am trying to illustrate – 24 hours just isn’t enough sometimes.
I have always commended, and secretly envied, the runners who would be content if they could just focus on running day in and day out. However, I have come to learn that I am the breed of runner who thrives off of having other stimuli in my life – family, friends, school, other hobbies, adventures etc. If you are a runner similar to me, then you know how difficult, but how extremely necessary at the same time, it is to balance everything (your running, some sort of social life, family, school, etc.). I honestly think that without all of the other elements in my life that exist off the cross country course or outside the track, I wouldn’t be able to thrive when I train and compete.
During the first few years of high school I really felt as though I was failing at this balancing act. I was so torn between wanting to run at a high level, maintaining a 4.0 GPA, and spending time with my friends on the weekend. During these years everything seems so important – your friends, going to dances, football games, etc., and I think that I let some of those priorities impede my running priorities. When I started to understand my potential as a late sophomore and early junior in high school, I really began to reprioritize the elements in my life so they would all compliment and support my running ambitions. Six days of the week, Monday through Saturday, I was a full time runner.
I was waking up at 4:15 six days a week in high school and honestly had no time for anything else as I was waking up so early and trying to get to bed early after finishing whatever homework I had each night. I would be able to spend one night a week with my friends, but of course I was home early or I didn’t even make it out the door because I was so tired from the early wake-up calls. My parents and coaches played a huge role in guiding me through making all of these decisions because they were always able to see the bigger picture. They saw that I loved running, but if I just committed to making running my first priority in high school it would take me places that simply being a student could not.
In college I pretty much had this whole balancing act thing under control from the beginning. Some of my closest and best friends were on the team so I have been lucky enough to not only put miles in with some of my greatest friends, but spend time with them outside of training and competing as well. Thus, I had friends that knew how demanding my lifestyle was because they were always right there next to me shedding the same amount of blood, sweat, and tears. We have held each other accountable on and off the track and this really helps each of us keep everything in perspective.
One of the hardest conflicts that come with being a student-athlete at the collegiate level is knowing that you can’t give 100% to both athletics and academics; it is just not physically or mentally possible. This was made even more difficult when I committed to being a student-athlete at one of the premier universities not only in the country, but also in the world. How can I attend Stanford and not put my whole heart into my classes and degree?
The key is not using the word “sacrifice.” I was never “sacrificing” my academics for my athletics. I am honest with myself in knowing that I couldn’t have possibly called myself a Stanford student if it weren’t for running. Running allows me to wear the Stanford “S” on my chest and I can only imagine where running will continue to take me. This means that I can’t stay up late finishing essays or problem sets, and when midterms and finals roll around, I can’t give away one or two hours of sleep to study. Yes, I would have a stronger GPA if I weren’t dedicating four or more hours each day to practice and recovery, but I couldn’t imagine being a normal college student, nor do I want to.
I find time to do other things that I love, and I believe that each athlete should do the same. I spend time with my family when they are able to make it into town, I get out on the weekends and spend time with friends, venture to San Francisco when I can, and I even have a low-key job on campus where I cook every weekend for 60 of my fellow classmates because I absolutely love cooking. However, when I am out having fun and doing all of these things I will always make decisions that will propel me forward in practice and races.
Find out what kind of runner you are and then prioritize accordingly. We are all different and are on different tracks with different finish lines [pun intended]; and this is a beautiful thing. It would be horrible if I were on the team with 15+ women who were the same person I am; we aren’t robots and we all have to find what works for each of us. When we aren’t in practice or race mode some of us love meeting up with friends outside the team, going shopping, snuggling up with a book and a cup of tea on a Friday night, going to other sporting events, hanging with our teammates, or even watching Food Network (yep, this one is me).
I think that when you become a member of a team you really begin to understand and appreciate the fact that everyone has different aspirations and approaches to the sport. Sometimes you begin to realize that running and competing in college is not for you, and that is okay. Everything you do should bring you joy, especially running. If you are going to put your body through that much physical duress each day, sometimes twice a day, it should be because you love every minute of every run, workout or race. Find out what means the most to you in life and if running is among the items at the top of the list, you’ll find out in your own way how to achieve that perfect balance just as you do when you’re putting one foot in front of the other.
As always, please feel free to e-mail me at jtonn92@stanford.edu!
- JTonn
