Former Xavier College Prep runner Jessica Tonn will be continue writing blogs periodically for Arizona Milesplit during her final collegiate year. 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 #3 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 periodically 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 3000: 9:10.16 (indoor)
800: 2:14.70 5K: 15:32.26 (outdoor)
2 Mile: 10:24.57 10K: 34:41.68 (outdoor)
BLOG POST #7
Hello Milesplitters!
I know it has been quite some time since I last posted, but I hope you all have had (or are still having) a great summer!
Summer time is one of my favorite training blocks of the year: waking up early and running into multiple sunrises, gnarly tan lines, following the Europe racing circuit for motivation, base-building tempo and hill workouts, and the underrated afternoon naps. I love summer training because it is all about accountability – you know that wherever your teammates are, they are following the same training plan and are on the same mission as you.
Let’s back track a little bit, though. The last time my blog popped up on MileSplit was in the middle of February. I was still sitting on the sidelines watching my teammates compete during the indoor track season. Fast-forward to March and it was finally time for me to toe the line with my teammates.
My outdoor track season, like any typical season, came with highs and lows. The highs were pretty high and the lows weren’t too low. Fortunately, I had my partner in crime, Aisling Cuffe (deemed “Ling” or “Lingy” by myself and other members of the team), by my side through it all! Although she is a year younger than I am, she certainly doesn’t train or race like that is the case. Aisling is always excited and always consistent. As training partners we couldn’t mesh any better, she is the Ying to my Yang in many more ways than one!
She has been caught in post-race interviews multiple times saying that practice is what she looks forward to the most each day and I promise you she isn’t lying! She just loves every moment of the process no matter how small or big those moments may be. Having her this season was what really made it fun for me!
Anyways, Payton Jordon Invitational was most certainly a pivotal moment for me in regard to racing. I went into this race knowing that Aisling was bound for something special, which meant I was too. However, even though we follow the same training plan, we usually have different racing plans. Because we were both entered in the fastest heat, I really had to focus running my own race and let Ling do her thing. We both had our best races and even ran our fastest times, landing us on the all-time Stanford list for the 5k. 00Aisling ran 15:11 and I came across in 15:32.
This was awesome not only because we PRed on our home track, but also because we both executed our own race plans and continued to move up and compete throughout the race. As expected, Aisling stuck herself right in the lead pack from the gun and my plan was to go out more on the conservative side and keep moving forward as the race progressed. This seemed to be a common theme for most of the races that followed!
Some other highs definitely included winning my first Pac-12 title in the 10k and ending the season in Sacramento competing at the USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Ending on a high note was definitely nice after not competing as well as I expected at NCAAs. Honestly, I just didn’t compete like I had been all season. I didn’t run scared, but I didn’t run tough. So, I decided to just go for it and declare in the 5k at the USATF Outdoor Championships. Aisling and I continued plugging away well after NCAAs and into late June.
The experience at USAs was surreal. I remember sitting in the warm-up area surrounded by amazing professional and collegiate athletes having to pinch myself every so often to remind myself that I was one of them! It was kind of like the calm before a big storm – I wasn’t anxious, just excited. I was calm, collected, and just taking in the experience while it lasted.
I usually don’t care who’s on the starting line next to me, and I usually don’t even let myself look to find out; but this was a special occasion. I took a casual look back behind me to my left and then one to my right to find some of the best female distance runners that the US has to offer – way too cool. The gun goes off and just like Payton Jordan, Aisling sticks her nose in the front and I follow behind towards the back of the pack. This race is tough - honest from the gun. I race hard to a 9th place finishing in 15:48 and Aisling battled down the home stretch to become the second collegiate in the race. We reunited in the media tent and were all smiles as our season came to an end, because this was one to remember!
As the season concluded and summer approached I reflected upon the progress I have personally made in addition to how far we have come as a team. As we head into the remaining weeks of summer and cross country season I am once again the team cheerleader as I have no remaining eligibility in cross country. I will plan to put some hard miles in throughout the fall and enter in a few races (…to be determined where) while cheering on my teammates old and new!
Former Xavier College Prep runner Jessica Tonn will be continue writing blogs periodically for Arizona Milesplit during her final collegiate year. 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.
