VIENNA, VA -- Many talented runners who have years and years of running under their belt, yet still are unable to fulfill the dream of advancing to the Foot Locker National Cross Country Championships. Potomac Senior's Cara Kiernan only needed just one season to realise this goal as she will be competing in this Saturday's Foot Locker Nationals cross country race at Balboa Park in San Diego as Virginia's sole representative in the girls' race. Absolutely no one, including herself, could have imagined she would be here when started her first cross country season this fall...as a senior.
Kiernan was a late hook into the sport of running. "I started running in the spring of my junior year when a track friend convinced me to come out for the team. I had played lacrosse since sixth grade, but I always liked running and cutting on the field than actually getting the ball, which kind of tipped me off that I was in the wrong sport." Kiernan also saw this same enjoyment for running in her other sport, tennis. "I liked the two mile runs we did before practice so much better than the actual drills." It had finally clicked in Kiernan's mind that running was her niche and it was time for her to see what she could do on the track.
Kiernan was an instant success. She had a strong inaugrual track season as it concluded with a dominating win in the 1600 meter run at the Independent School State Meet. There Kiernan tied her season best of 5:16 as she won by seven seconds over St. Catherine's Katie Doswell. Her initial track season was impressive, but by no means showed any implications of the cross country season she would have in store. "Track season was better than I could have ever imagined, so going into cross country I knew it would be hard for any sport to live up to that." An under estimation to of herself to say the least, she blew her track performances as well as the other runners out of the water with her sensational cross country season.
However, the first year cross country runner Kiernan maintained modest goals initially as the season got underway. Goals of which a junior varsity runner might have, not of an eventual Foot Locker finalist. "I actually started running cross country to stay in shape for track. As the season progressed and I started improving pretty quickly, my goal was to have every meet be a new personal record." The rate at which Kiernan was improving though, was too fast for her goals to keep up. "This actually happened to me in most meets [running personal records], so then I decided I wanted to cut my first meet time by two and a half minutes, which I ended up doing."
Kiernan took her first major victory in late September at the Bull Run Invitational on one of the toughest courses in the nation at Hereford High School's (MD) three mile course with a time of 19:52, which Kiernan acknowledged as one of the first times she really pushed herself to that extra limit. "The course was incredibly hard and the entire race I was challenging one other girl for first place. I have never pushed myself as hard as I did in that race. So even when I finished in first, I just was so glad that I didn't give up." From that race on, Kiernan was giving it her all in all of her races and the result was success. Kiernan won her second independent school state title, but her first of course in cross country, with a 19:20 clocking on another challenging course at Woodberry Forest as she soundly defeated pre-race favorites Ginna Ellis of Norfolk Academy and Katie Doswell of St. Catherine's. Despite the impressive win, only those in private school ranks had began to take notice of Kierna, while the rest of the state remained in the dark of how really good the Potomac Senior truly was. However, Kiernan has relished in the underdog role this fall. "It was great to not have to worry about expectations or pressure, and even better to surprise everyone. And plus, it's fun to be the wild card sometimes." Kiernan began to loose the title of underdog and instead started to be looking more like the top dog in the state when she broke the Fork Union three mile course record at the MileStat.com Invitational in her 17:52 win. While the win made it seem as Kiernan now had a chance at getting in the top eight at Foot Locker South in Charlotte, it looked to be a slim one as Virginia girls had been shut out from sending a girl to nationals for the past two years.
That fact did not deter Kiernan one bit in her race at Charlotte. She had an excellent start and was with top chase pack behind race leader Rachael Forish of Texas early on and stayed there. "At first, I had to keep telling myself to keep pushing, especially after that first mile." Around the lake through 3000 meters, Kiernan was looking strong and in position to have the race of her life. "I kept telling myself to stay relaxed, keep moving, and not to worry about where the other girls were. I tried to stay with the top group through the first two miles and then work my way up for the rest of the course. I just remember thinking stay fast, relaxed, and I can do it." She was definitely doing just that as stayed right with that pack of national qualifier hopefuls through the last mile and that is when she got a second wind of adrenaline. "Oh my gosh, is that really the first girl up there? That was my thought with about 1200 meters left to go." The group of girls vying for a ticket to nationals then all started to really pick it up as the entered the lake with about 600 left as they entered the final stretch with about 100 to 150 meters to go, Kiernan put on a mad sprint to the finish line as she left behind quite a few to finish an astonishing third in the race with a new personal best of 18:05. Kiernan was full of smiles and energy after punching her ticket to nationals. "Complete surprise! I was so happy to have finished, and so excited to be going to San Diego. It was really more than I could have ever dreamed at the beginning of the season."
With a third place finish at the Foot Locker South regional meet to show for herself, Kiernan could place very well in national race tomorrow if she runs anything like she did in Charlotte. Kiernan is keeping a good attitude heading into the meet regardless of how she does though. "[Goals are] to do my best, have fun, and soak in the experience." If she keeps up the trend she's been doing all season by improving every race out, she could bust out a big one in San Diego.
As for the rest of her senior year, the newly addicted runner Kiernan is eager to continue to improve and succeed in her new love of running. Despite the fact her school doesn not have an indoor track program, Kiernan is driven to continue to train hard to prepare for a great spring track season. "Potomac doesn't have indoor track, but my coach Mike Schroer and I plan on working out everyday after school during the winter. He coaches the weight training and conditioning group during the winter, but he's still happy to coach my teammate Charlotte Lawson and I for indoor track in the winter. We'll do workouts as if we're in the regular season and then compete in a few indoor meets as individuals since the school doesn't have an official team."
In outdoor track, she plans to compete at the Penn Relays, but other than that her schedule is pretty open for now. As for what event she feels strongest at, she isn't quite sure. "I don't know yet, it keeps changing! It used to be the mile in track season, but now it might be the 5K or even the 2 mile next spring. I guess that's what I like about cross country and track...your best event can always change or evolve into a different strength."
Kiernan has set for herself some pretty challenging, yet attainable goals for this spring. "To go under five minutes for the mile, break a 10:15 or 10:20 two mile, and to really enjoy my last season at Potomac School." If Kiernan were to run these times, there would surely be a load of colleges knocking at her door if they already haven't started. Kiernan hinted at that she may have already made her decision, but will not reveal it just yet. "Ask me monday, I hear back then!"
Much of Kiernan's dedication and eagerness to run could be contributed to her "newness" to the sport, but she still has her days where she has to push herself to get out the door to run. "The days when it's cold and rainy and you hate getting out there, but when you finally do, you feel like a champion. I just think of those days when I'm all alone on the road or track, and I know that's what makes a runner a champion." While Kiernan could look at just beginning to run as a senior as a disadvantage to the other runners who have years of experience, she looks at it in a different perspective in thinking of it as an advantage. "One of the main advantages is that I have lots of room for improvement. I've just started so I'm always thrilled and surprised with every race. I get really excited about our races and our team, and I'm not burned out from many years of training." Certainly no burnout is expected from this girl in the future, she is going nowhere but up to the top.