Before the 2020 track and field season came to a screeching halt, Carlisle sophomore, Ainsley Erzen, had been torching indoor tracks in Iowa and beyond. While winning races from 200-1500, her true dominance came through in the 800. Erzen went 2 for 2 with dominant wins in the Arkansas HS Invitational and Dickinson Relays. She ran times of 2:13 and 2:15 with nearly 3-second margins of victory in each. Both races had at least 5 runners with personal bests under 2:15 and multiple Division I NCAA signees. As one of the top-10 sophomore middle-distance runners in the nation, it appeared she was poised for a breakout spring. And then….well, you know. I had the opportunity to ask Erzen a few questions about how she is coping with the current situation.
Question 1: What do you miss most about the current suspension of our season?
Answer 1: I miss the team aspect of training. Not just talking with my friends and being social, but also being able to hold each other accountable and make each other better. There are just little things like coaches and teammates cracking jokes during the middle of a hard workout that you don’t even really notice until you don’t have it anymore. Although there’s nothing good about the current situation we’re in, it’s definitely going to help me appreciate everyday moments and opportunities a lot more.
Question 2: What is your favorite workout to do on your own on or away from the track?
Answer 2: My favorite workout to do when I have to train by myself is a progression run. I like the idea of just running for 25 minutes or so, not worrying about the paces or distance. Just running. And then being able to hammer the way back knowing that all I have to do is get back to where I started.
Question 3: What advice do you have for anyone out there struggling to stay motivated?
Answer 3: I think with how crazy the world has been the past week especially, running has been a really nice constant for me in my life. Even on days when I haven’t necessarily felt like running this week it still provides a little bit of normal amongst all the chaos.