PA Salute to Seniors: Alex Tomasko (Mechanicsburg)

My most memorable race was at Paul Short this past XC season. Honestly, coming into the race, I wasn't feeling 100% into it from a mental standpoint. Usually, when I come into a competition like that, I fall apart and don't run to my full potential. But this race was different. At first, nothing was going right for me leading up to the gun-- I could barely get some sleep that night/morning, the warm-up was rushed, I was feeling overly anxious, and I totally forgot to eat my Shot Bloks prior to the race as well. My normal routine that kept me calm and collective was off balance when I "toed" the line. I put the latter in quotes because I was doing a core stretch when the official was about to shoot the gun (for whatever reason, Lehigh doesn't give you any warning of the gun going off). I stood up right away with the urging of my teammates and ran my race. Luckily, I felt amazing during the race despite a slower start. It was a rainy day, which is always my favorite, and my legs were on a rhythm. I ended up getting a personal best of 15:37, which was very relieving to finally defeat my mind and just simply race. The team bondage (especially the stay at a local motel) before and after the race was memorable as well, which contributed to an overall successful meet. 

No doubt this year at every invitational. Yahya Soliman touched on this already I believe... with the Affolders coming into Carlisle, times dropped significantly. Each race was epic in that we'd see times that were never before seen at these meets, which was fun to be a part of, since it got statewide and even national attention. I mean seriously, right from the gun, the race atmosphere was different than I've seen and known the years prior. The Carlisle Puma Challenge comes to mind here, with about 20 runners going sub-16. I think it will be a while until we see what was done in cross country this year in District 3.

What meant a lot to me was breaking the mile school record in 4:21, and winning the Footlocker Freshman race in Van Cortlandt Park. But what stands out to me the most is that I kept up with running, and I didn't let my mind defeat me. Starting sophomore year, and leading up to even senior year, I was dealing with many personal problems and anxieties that had almost crumbled me. During my sophomore track season, I thought about quitting running altogether. However, I got the necessary guidance from numerous people, and I didn't give up. I ended up turning my running into a positive-- using it as a means to cope with my anxieties and such-- which allowed me to finally run more freely. This in turn led me to becoming the runner I had the potential to be in the first place, after having such a successful season. Times and placements can definitely be accomplishments, but what I had done above was more important, especially because I would've never been the runner I am now without having that mental breakthrough. 

I wish I could mentally train more, because I feel like my mind was still holding me back a little. But that's part of running, not only do you have to physically train to reach your potential, but you have to make sure you don't forget the mental aspect to it. So, no excuses. It's something that I need to vastly improve in for the rest of my running career to come. 

Like I had explained above, the most difficult obstacles were my mind and my personal problems that I had to deal with, which had hindered my running for some time.

I will miss the friendships that were made during my running tenure at Mechanicsburg, and I will miss running with my teammates nearly every day of the school year. Also, I will miss the great courses I have competed on, like Lehigh's (Paul Short) and Kutztown's (PTXC).

This is cliché, but don't stress yourself out over times and placements. Understand the bigger picture that the sport is indeed supposed to be competitive, but it is more important to have fun with it. Just work hard and have a stress free mentality before races, and the times and places you want will come to you. Also, don't set unrealistic goals, this most likely will stress you out before races. Just know if you put in the work, and if you follow the guidance of your coach and even teammates, that you will improve. I know from personal experience.  

My coaches had set training plans, and had numerous one-on-one discussions with me that had allowed me to succeed and stay inspired for races. This led to great performances. In regard to life-goals, Coach Hey (my XC coach), had whole-heartedly talked with me on numerous occasions that gave me bigger and better perspectives. 

I will be running XC/Track at Penn State Main, while looking to major in International Politics.  

Shout out to my parents, my brother, and my whole family for supporting me throughout my high school career. Shout out to all of my Mechanicsburg friends for supporting me as well, and being there for me. To my Mechanicsburg XC and Track teammates (especially to those in our Instagram group chat) thank you for all of the memories. To all the great people I have came across in the District 3 running realm, (especially the Cumberland Valley squad), thanks for cheering me and my team on during races, and for palling around with us. And last but not least, thank you Andrew Sulon and Morgan Cupp for being the best teammates anyone could ask for. I will truly miss training with you guys on a daily basis. You guys pushed me and helped mold me into the runner I am today. The trio will live forever in Mechanicsburg's history books. Coach Hey,  Mellinger, Cremo, Rebuck,  and D'Annibale -- thank you all for your guidance.