Milesplit Arizona Cross Country Journals
Our third runner is Jessica Tonn from Xavier College Prep and as announcer Ron Smith said at the George Young Invite last weekend, "You couldn't ask for a nicer person!" Jessica has collected 10 state championship titles along with multiple invitational wins. She will be trying for her 4th trip to Foot Locker Nationals in December and will leave high school as one of the states most decorated athletes.
Jessica Tonn
(Sr., Xavier College Prep)
Journal Entry #4 (November 23, 2009)
Hey guys! Well, a lot has happened in the few weeks that I haven’t blogged! We had our 5A1 State meet two weekends ago, then I took my official visit to the University of Oregon, and this weekend my team and I competed in the Nike Southwest Region Meet.
STATE:
I can’t believe state has already come and gone! It’s such a weird feeling knowing that that was my last state cross country meet in Arizona, but it was definitely a great way to end my Arizona cross country career. I went into state with a “losing is not an option” attitude. Winning was my big goal, but going after the course record was at the back of my mind as well. My plan was to go out conservative in the first mile and be around 5:30, I remember going out in 5:35 and I felt good, but knew I needed to pick it up for to hit my 2 mile goal time which was around 11:15. I was right on my two mile mark, and I knew I needed to do it on my own and keep pushing myself to get that record! The last mile of the Cave Creek course is always the toughest, simply because there are little spectators and the back half of the course is quiet, so you really have to dig down and find a way to push yourself. I used the biker as a rabbit and that really helped keep my pace up. Coming down the home stretch I knew that I was right there, the crowd was amazing and I came across the finish line giving everything I had! I think that was the first time I wasn’t able to stand up right after a race (haha), but I ended up getting the course record by 0.10 seconds, I was ecstatic! I was even happier for our team; we worked so hard all season and winning state made all of those 5am practices and early nights to bed worth everything. Sarah Fakler, Daylee Burr, Katie Penney, Christian Andreen, Breanna Perrone, and Makenna Gaffney all had the races of their lives, and couldn’t have race any better than they did. Great season Gators J and great job to all the athletes, way to represent Arizona!
UofO VISIT:
For my second official visit I traveled to Eugene, Oregon, a.k.a “Track Town USA.” I have never been to Oregon and I was looking forward to experiencing something new, not to mention, I was super excited to reunite with my long lost best friend Sarah Penney! When I landed it was 5:30 and already pitch dark, and raining, so of course being a true Arizonian, I was quick to judge! I didn’t think I could ever last in a cold environment like that, little did I know that those were the last rain drops that I would see for my entire trip! The first morning of my visit I had breakfast with the coaches and the other recruit, Laura Roesler from North Dakota (talk about cold!). Then we took a tour of the campus and the incredible athletic facilities, had class with Jordan Hasay, and finally met up with the team for a run! I ran with Sarah and a couple of her team mates around campus, and later that evening I went out to dinner with Laura, Melanie Thompson, Sarah, and Taylor Wallace joined us until she left for her team dinner. The next morning I was lucky enough to watch The NCAA Region race, which was awesome, and made me even more excited for college! Then Sarah and I took a nice long 80 minute run through some gorgeous parks and along Pre’s trail. That night we went to the ASU/ Oregon game, and we were able to walk through the tunnel with the players and watch the start of the game on the field, way cool! The rest of the night Sarah and the rest of her team mates and I just hung out and had some fun. I was sad to leave the next morning, but I had such a blast, and am happy that I am one step closer to that final college decision!
NIKE SOUTHWEST:
This past weekend we competed in the Nike Southwest Regional race. It was held at Kiwanis Park in Tempe. I went into this Nike race a little fatigued from coming off of my Oregon visit and a tough week of calculus (haha), so I knew that the race was going to be a tough one for me! This race was a hard because I didn’t really have a clear picture of the course, and mentally I wasn’t as strong as I usually am! The race went out pretty fast and there was a solid pack of 5 of us up front, and throughout the first and second miles we got spread out. There were 5 hills that kept the course honest, and definitely challenging! The last mile I was battling for 4th and held my place through the finish. In the end it just wasn’t my day, but we all have those kind of races right?! I have bigger goals down the road and now it’s time to start to put the finialized touches on my training and start getting pumped for Footlocker West, and hopefully I can make it to Foot Locker Nationals for a fourth time! Good luck everyone in your post season training/races, and hopefully I will see you guys at Mount Sac for Foot Locker West J
JT
Journal Entry #3 (November 3, 2009)
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HELLO MILESPLIT! I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween! :) I would also like to copy Steve and thank Margot Kelly for everything she has done for us runners this year! She makes this whole experience that much more fun, and you can really tell how much fun she has, even when she’s luggin that big camera around at every meet! Since my last blog I have run the Mount Sac Invitational and my Region meet, and I have State coming up this Saturday!
MT. SAC:
Going to Mount Sac is always a great experience. It's a great course, there is great competition, and the atmosphere is something you just can't find anywhere else! Because this meet is one of the biggest meets on the west coast, I can't help but get a little nervous! When I prepare for a meet like Mount Sac, I try not to think about it too much during the week before. To be honest, I completely block it from my mind, I like to spend time with friends, focus on school, maybe do a little homework here and there (haha), basically anything to keep my mind of the race! I agree that thinking about your race is a good thing, especially visualizing yourself running great, but thinking about it too much, and wasting energy being nervous isn’t a good thing, at least not for me! I usually start to think about the race the day before, we usually have fun team dinners to keep everyone calm and discuss some strategy as well! My plan for Mount Sac was to go out more conservative the first mile, take it a little easier up the hills, so I could really work the last mile and down hills. Of course you really can’t plan how the race is going to go out, especially on this course! I went out a little too fast the first mile, and I knew it throughout the race. Molly Grabill was a great competitor and I knew she would give me a great race, she took it out and pulled away, I focused on staying relaxed and running my race, which ended up being a personal best of 17:03, which is a “pr” of 2 seconds, not exactly what I wanted, but I am always happy with a pr. I was so happy for my team…all of the girls raced so great! We won our race and got 6th over all for the day. I am looking forward to running this course again for Footlocker West!
REGION:
This past Thursday we competed in the 5A1 Region meet at Freestone Park in Gilbert. The goal for our team was to win, we knew Desert Vista is one of the best girls teams in AZ, so we had to be prepared for the race to be competitive. We wanted to go out conservative so we could finish strong as a team in the last mile. Sarah Fakler, Daylee Burr, and I worked together throughout the entire race, and the rest of the girls had an amazing race for the amount of hard work we did the week before! We ended up getting first at Region, this gives us motivation for State next weekend! GO GATORS!
COMING UP:
I am so excited for State this year! It is going to be a really bittersweet day for me though. I can’t believe I am already a senior, and this will be the last high school State Cross Country Meet I will run in AZ. But this definitely gives me that extra push and motivation that I will need to achieve what I want to out at Cave Creek Golf Course. My goal is to have a great race, do everything I can to help the team, and have FUN! I wish everyone good luck, and remember it’s the little things you do from here on out that will help you have a great race on Saturday! So go out there, race your hearts out, and have a blast! See you out there!
Jess
Entry #2 (October 15, 2009)
(Photo right: Jessica Tonn at the Queen Creek Twilight Meet)
Hello again! J Well it’s been a while since I have blogged, and I’ve run two races since my last post! One of which was the Queen Creek Twilight meet which was two weekends ago at Toka Sticks Golf Course. It was hosted by Queen Creek High School…and let me tell ya, Coaches Ellie and Shaun Hardt sure know how to throw a party! I don’t think those of us competing that night could have asked for a better set up: the course was flat, the weather was perfect (for Arizona), and the competition was great, not to mention the glow in the dark accessories and dance party! I went into this race with a really competitive attitude. I only focused on my race and what I needed to get done that night to reach my goals and help our team win. I knew girls like Rolonda Jumbo, Brianna Decker, Kylee Kieser, and last but certainly not least, my teammate Sarah Fakler would put up a great race! When the race started, and the fireworks went off (YES FIREWORKS), we all got out fast, but I fell into a comfortable rhythm and stayed relaxed. There was a group of about 5 girls up until the mile, and I believe I was about 5:06 at the mile mark. Then I just told myself I was running for a fast time at that point, so I used the golf carts as rabbits to pick up my pace. By the second mile I put a gap between the girls behind me and I came through in 10:34. From there I knew it was smooth sailing, I kept my pace and competitive edge. The crowd and atmosphere in the last mile really made the race fun. I want to make a shout out to Steve Magnuson, who yelled at me to find him after the race with about 800 to go, and I admit that was the only time I have ever looked back in a race, I think I might have actually said something to him too (haha), but of course I could count on my mother on the side lines to remind me I was running a race and had half a mile left! So I kicked it in, fireworks went off with 400 meters to go, and I came across the finish line in 16:32.2…my fastest time yet! (I believe the course was a little over 3 miles, but I’m not quite sure!). I was so happy, and even happier when my fellow Gator, Sarah Fakler, ONLY A FRESHMAN, came in second! Overall, we had a great night, and I couldn’t be more proud of the girls on our team. And, to see all of our hard work pay off makes everything worth it. Oh and congrats to Brian Schrader who did great that night! And to Steve for committing to UNC! Woohoo!
After The Twilight meet I became more confident. After the race Steve, Brian, and Sherod took off on their red eye flight for their UNC official college visit, which made me excited for my Duke visit! I went to North Carolina to take my official visit to Duke University this past weekend. Having been in North Carolina three times to compete in Nike Outdoor Nationals, I thought I had an idea of what to expect. But the truth is I really didn’t, especially this being my first real “college experience”. T he girls on the team were great! The first night I roomed with Kayla Hale and Ashley Brasovan in the freshman dorms, and I had a blast. The vibe between the younger girls on the team really made me comfortable and I felt like I could fit in there. That night we went out to dinner on campus and then met up with the boys’ team and they were equally fun! The following morning the other recruits and I had brunch with the coaches and had a tour of the campus and some trails in the Duke Forest, both of which are absolutely gorgeous! As I was walking around campus, I asked myself if I thought I can really picture myself there, and I definitely think I can. That night I had a chance to stay with Carly Seymour and Leslie Morrison, I loved them! The sophomore dorms were really nice. I also got a chance to attend a college class which was fun, do my track workout on the Duke track, and do a 45 minute run through the Duke Forest with the other recruits and a couple of the girls on the team. I could really get used to the green landscape, and great weather! The coaches, assistant Liz Wort (who attended Duke and ran under the head coach) and Kevin Jermyn were really great. I was afraid I would be nervous to talk and get to know both of them, but they were both great and I could tell they really enjoyed what they do and that they love Duke. This visit really opened my eyes and my mind. On the flight home I really realized, “Oh my gosh, am I really going to college…already?” This was both a “yikes” and an exciting moment. I’m excited to really get the college process underway, and come to a final decision! I have my Stanford and University of Oregon visits coming up in the next month. I can’t wait to let you know how they go! J Thanks for all the support everyone. Stay healthy, be sure to have FUN, and have a great rest of the season…see ya out on the course! Best wishes, JT.
Entry #1 Introduction (September 23, 2009)
Hello Milesplit! 
My name is Jessica Tonn and I am currently a senior at Xavier College Prep. in Phoenix, Arizona. I should probably start with a little background info about myself! I was born in Orange County, California, then moved to New Jersey where my brother was born, and last but not least Phoenix where I have lived for about fifteen years! When I was little, all the way up until 8th grade, I lived and breathed soccer, and this is not an understatement! I started playing soccer when I was 6 or 7 and played competitively for the Blackhawks and Sereno soccer clubs. It was in 6th grade when I really found out I could run, I started beating all of the boys in P.E. class, and then soon enough I joined an after school program, which led to me to join my first club team! In7th and 8th grade I began to realize how hard juggling soccer and running really was, so I quit soccer all together. I don’t regret quitting soccer but I miss it a lot, but then I realize that I couldn’t be where I am at today in my running career if I made that decision! So long story short… I became a full time RUNNER!
Well I guess that brings us to high school! I am currently training for my senior cross country season, and for those who don’t know me, cross is by far my favorite sport! I had a great summer of training. I took two weeks off after competing at Nike Outdoor Nationals, and then slowly got back into my normal mileage. After coming off of a track season where I was somewhat tired, I wanted to make sure I was smart about the mileage I chose to do, so I cut back this year and I have never felt better! I’m currently running anywhere from 45 to 50 miles a week, and I incorporate strength training, weights, core work, and I like to do some of my own little core routines! I had a great summer with my friends, family, and team! I spent two weeks in Del Mar, California with my best friend and then two weeks at Lake Tahoe with my family and the Xavier cross country team, and I started the whole college process which is really exciting so far. I am really excited about our team this year, the girls are amazing, and they all work so hard. It should be a great last year
We had our first meet, the Scottsdale Distance Classic, last weekend on the 5th of September and it went really well for us! The running conditions were perfect, it was overcast and raining, which is every cross country runner’s dream, I was definitely loving it. My favorite part of this meet was running with the guys, every year they combine the girls and boys races into one and it’s a great experience. I love having that motivation I get when I run with guys, and being able to apply that to my race was great. I felt really good throughout the entire race and ended up running 17:01 for 3 miles, so I was really happy! Our team also had a great outcome all together and we took the team title… I have another race coming up this weekend, I can’t wait to let you know how I do! Talk to you soon!
- Jess
