GRANTS, N.M. - For cross-country runners, every race brings new challenges and opportunities to improve. For Raydan Ray, consistency, recovery and learning from past performances have become important parts of his running journey. Despite dealing with an injury, he continues to look toward his goals for the season.
At his most recent meet, Raydan finished an uncharacteristic 55th place. Although he was unable to perform the way he had hoped because of an injury, he still felt good about his performance under the circumstances.
“I got like 50th, and I was hurt,” Ray said. “So, I mean, I felt good because I was hurt and I couldn't run what I wanted to.”
When asked what has helped him become one of the stronger runners on the team, Raydan explained that consistency and recovery have played an important role in his progress.
One meet that stands out to Raydan is the Academy Extravaganza. It’s a sort of warmup for the State Meet, which is run at the Albuquerque Academy course.
This year, that meet takes place on October 17, and Ray is already looking forward to it.
“I really like the Academy Extravaganza, just because it's kind of a bigger meet, and we get to kind of keep track of the other schools in our district. It's just really fun,” Ray said.
To keep improving, Ray looks back at previous races and considers what he can do differently. He pays attention to how he feels during races and uses those experiences to figure out where he can improve.
“I try to think about my previous performance and just what I can do to work towards that and how I felt while running,” Ray said. “If I felt too gassed, I would try to keep track of where I was and how far, and just try to watch myself.”
Looking ahead, one of Raydan's main goals for the rest of the season is to recover from his injury and set a personal record. He hopes to reach the time he achieved last year and possibly improve it.
“I have the goal to recover, since I'm still technically hurt, and just PR,” Ray said. “Last year I had a pretty fast time, so hopefully I can make that time and maybe drop a minute.”
When it comes to handling the pressure of racing, Ray tries to approach competitions the same way he approaches practice. However, he explained that the moments before the race begins can be the most challenging, especially when runners are trying to get a good position at the start.
“I try to just not think of it as a race, but just think of it as another practice,” he said. “You just gotta push yourself, same as practice. (But the start is one of) the hardest parts, trying to get a good position and just controlling yourself.”
Through consistency, recovery and learning from past performances, Raydan continues to work toward his goals. As the season progresses, he hopes to recover fully, improve his times and return to the level of performance he knows he can achieve.
Both Pirate teams will run in Gallup this weekend, after having a week off from their schedule.