Distance running could be compared to a card game of solitaire. It’s a one-person game with no one to tag in, no one to pass to, no one to bail you out when you’re having a bad day or sub in when your innards are on fire.
But as the saying goes, “misery loves company,” which makes running cross country at El Dorado just a bit easier for Ainsley Colvin. The junior competed for the Lady Wildcats as an individual last year. This year, she’s running as part of a team.
“It’s very exciting to compete as a team,” said Colvin. “Just knowing I have multiple girls behind me is comforting. And if someone has a bad day, it’s not as detrimental because we have multiple people who could step up and help them out.”
El Dorado will compete in the 5A State Cross Country Championships Thursday at Hot Springs.
The Lady Wildcats, who had three senior high girls last season, have enjoyed a full roster this year, winning multiple meet titles. They finished third in the conference meet last week.
Still, at its core, cross country is an individual sport. Colvin had her best season. She finished second at Stuttgart, third at the Wildcat Invitational and fourth at the Lori McDougald Memorial at Moro Bay.
Last week Colvin earned All-Conference by placing 10th at the 5A-South meet with a time of 23:06.20.
“I think this season as a whole for me has been extremely rewarding,” she said. “It’s just been super fun and I’m proud of my performances. So far, our home meet was my best one yet and I had a big PR there so I felt great about that one.”
Colvin ran 22:14.92 on her home course. She ran 22:58.69 in the Lake Hamilton Invitational, which will be the state course.
“My goal for state is probably to get in the low to mid 22's. I had a 22:58 or somewhere around there a couple weeks ago when we ran there so I’m looking to do better than that.”
After opening the season with a 23:36.00 at the Bob Gravett Invitational, Colvin’s times have consistently improved. Her time at the conference meet wasn’t her best but sometimes it’s not about how fast you run but how hard you compete.
“(The) conference meet was honestly really hard. We’re used to it being cooler at this point in the season than it was (at conference), but I reminded myself and the other girls that the weather was the same for everyone so we couldn’t make excuses about that,” Colvin said.
“Getting top 10 and all-conference recognition was really exciting. That was my goal. I was really close to it last year and I knew I didn’t want to feel like that again so getting that top 10 was very rewarding.”
“Ainsley has always been consistent when it comes to running but this year she has been a little more consistent when it comes to recovery and taking care of nagging injuries,” said El Dorado coach John Koonce. “This has allowed her to continue to progress without having to take time off due to injury. She just missed out on all-conference last year so it was awesome to see her earn that honor this season.”
Winning medals and earning All-Conference are individual accolades in a solitary sport. The Lady Wildcats will be individuals running at the state meet. But they’ll be competing as a team.
“Getting to run with a team this year has just been the biggest blessing,” said Colvin. “Those girls are some of my best friends so it’s been really fun. And it’s much easier this year than last year because I have to remind myself that I’m running for them and not just myself so I have to push myself to do better so we can go after a team title or whatever our goal is. Also just having them there for me when I’m not feeling the best is amazing. I love being able to run with them.”