Win with Nguyen
Junior Phillip Nguyen shares his cross country experience
Junior Phillip Nguyen pushes through the end of his race.
Imagine running multiple miles everyday, training just to shave a few seconds off of your mile time. This is what junior Phillip Nguyen does during the entire cross country season.
Nguyen has run varsity for the El Modena cross country team since his freshman year. “The team is what makes me want to do cross country.” Everyday, they inspire him to run faster, think smarter, and push harder.
He prefers running 1600 meters at races and ten miles for practice. To him, it’s an average distance, which contributes to his overall success. At Woodbridge High School on September 15, he ran his favorite race: “It was a flat course and we ran late at night, so it was really cool.”
“My goals for the season are to make it to CIF, and to improve [by] getting as fast as I can. The people on the team help and push each other. I love it.”
Cross country switches between long distance and speed runs to improve stamina during their practices. Before race day, Nguyen says they go on an easy run to prepare for the race.
A typical race day is stressful.“I get very anxious and nervous. But after the race, it’s so much fun. You get that feeling of accomplishment once you finish it. Then, you get to be able to cheer on your teammates.”
According to Nguyen, the cross country team is very close. They have frequent team bonding activities. “We try before every race to have a team dinner. We order pizza and just hang out and together.”
Nguyen plans to continue to race with the team throughout the rest of high school.He says, “It’s been an amazing experience. “I love our cross country team. We’re so much like a family.”
The season isn’t over yet. Make sure to catch Nguyen at varsity’s next cross country race.
