AZ Salute to Seniors | Delaney Miller



School: Basha High School
Name: Delaney Miller


Q: What does your training look like right now given the current situation?
A: Currently, I am running low mileage to stay in shape. I am getting in shape for cross country season when college hopefully starts in August.

Q: What are you doing to stay busy other than run right now?
A: I do a lot of cleaning and school work. I try to go for walks or bike rides with my family as much as possible.

Q: What was your most memorable race/moment?
A: My most memorable race was my first 4x800. It was at the Ben McIvor Invitational. I had never seen what a varsity meet looked like until then. It was the coolest thing ever! I ran with two seniors and a sophomore like me. I remember being so nervous at the starting line. But the moment that baton hit my hand everything went away. It was just me and the track. That was the first time I felt that the 4x800 was the race I wanted to compete in.

Q: What was the funniest thing that happened during your running career?
A: During cross country, I was feeling so well one day. I had the energy and the motivation to run well. This race was THE race to PR. As the race started, I ran into a problem. I needed to pee. Because I was so focused on keeping up with someone I chose to pace, I couldn't focus on holding it in. I ended up slowly peeing myself for two miles of the 5k. It's a huge joke with my teammates but I was slightly embarrassed when it happened. But hey, anything for a big PR right?

Q: Who would you consider your biggest competition over your four years?
A: My biggest competition was probably myself. I liked to get in my head from time to time. Especially on the starting line. Sometimes during training, I would get lazy or tired. The biggest thing was trying to snap out of those moments. Sometimes, just finding the right motivation was all I needed but there were a few rough patches.

Q: What was your greatest accomplishment?
A: My greatest accomplishment was becoming the team captain for cross country. Yes, every step of running is all done by yourself. But let's be honest, it wouldn't be worth it without the team. I loved being able to teach and love these kids. Watching them grow and succeed throughout the season was such a blessing. They are my forever family because we pushed through so much together. The team is why I run, so being chosen as team captain is the best thing that could have happened to me.

Division 1, Section 1 Girls Cross Country Section Meet (2019) - Delaney took 28th

Q: If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high school?
A: I would change the fact that I did not start as a freshman. I feel as though I missed out on a lot of potential training because I did not start running until I was a sophomore. Just getting out there more.

Q: What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome?
A: The most difficult obstacle was the heat. Surprisingly, I have such a hard time being in the heat. I have had heatstroke after a race before. It was really scary. I have adapted to it over the years but it has always been hard to run in the heat. Pushing through the heat workouts and trying to train in the hotter parts of the day are what worked best for acclimation. I found that increasing my water intake combats the problem as well.

Q: What will you miss the most?
A: I will miss the team bonding that happens at the meets. I absolutely loved being able to wander around to cheer on. I will miss just laughing until I hurt because we have time before our events. I will miss hearing my team yell at me while I run two laps or being in that crowd yelling for someone else. I will miss the talks we have while warming up. Or the food we share to keep us full. I will miss the feeling of seeing the work pay off. I will miss the feeling of landing on the mat the see the bar still standing. I will miss the feeling of when the javelin leaves my hand. I will miss the feel of pure exhaustion after my race. This is a life I built for myself. I wish I got a proper goodbye. I'm thankful that I got one last varsity meet in. I got to compete in my four events. I will miss the bonding that goes on between each event. Thank you, track, for being everything I needed from high school.

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