Kelsey Potts' season went from good to great thanks to a breakthrough performance at Foot Locker Northeast, placing in the top ten to qualify for the finals. In the final, Potts finished 17th, missing All American honors by two places. Potts will enter 2015 as one of the favorites for the AAA state title and the senior took a few minutes to update her on her preparations for the new season!
How has your summer training been going? When did you start? How many miles/week? Can you attach a week’s worth of training?
I started training on July 1 with my team. We met every morning and ran a mix of long runs, pace runs, repeats, and hills. My team is currently in the two-week period of two-a-days where we have practice at 8 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon. I also do strength training three times a week, which consists of cardio, weights, and core training.
What meets will you be competing in this season? Which meet are you looking forward to the most and why?
I will be competing in every dual meet for my team in order to achieve my team’s goal of winning the section once again. I am also competing in many of the larger invitationals, such as Legends and Foundation. And I will be running WPIALS and States, as well as Foot Locker Northeast hoping to make it back to Foot Locker Finals.
Foot Locker Northeast was the perfect time for a big performance in a huge race. What about that performance was different from some other big meets where you may have struggled to compete at your highest level?
Foot Locker Northeast was definitely different than any other race I’ve ever competed in because I ran against girls from all over the Northeast, not just from the state of Pennsylvania. I also went into the race with no expectations, and I knew that I had nothing to lose.
You were two places away from becoming an All American at the Foot Locker Finals. How has that race prepared you for your final season?
Foot Locker Finals was a great experience for me. The race in particular proved to me that my strategy works and that I need to trust my training. In the beginning of the race, I was almost dead last, but by the end I made it to 17th place. It showed me that no one is going to win by the fist mile, and that I have to keep pushing throughout the entire race.
Now that you are a senior, expectations will be high to try and win state gold. What is it going to take for you to be the first across the finish line on November 7?
Since this is my senior year, I am going to treat every race like it is my last. I only have one season left, so I want to prove to myself that I can be one of the top girls in the State. I am going to try my hardest in every race, and take risks where I haven’t before.
You also have a solid team competing with you this season? How good do you think your team can be? What are the goals of the team?
I think that my team could be great this year. Right now we have three strong seniors, including me, coming back. We are hoping that some of the underclassmen will step up to take places 4th through 7th in order to help us place at WPIALS and return to States.
Who do you consider to be your toughest competition this season? What makes them so tough to beat?
Even though Madeleine is running unattached this season, I still consider her to be my toughest competition. She has always pushed me to be the best runner that I can be because she always picks up the pace and takes risks. She pushes me to my limit in every race.
Will you be making a 2nd run at Foot Locker Northeast and Foot Locker Finals glory?
I will be making a 2nd run at Foot Locker Northeast and hopefully Foot Locker Finals. It was such a great experience and I hope that I can return this year to show how I’ve improved from last year.
