The Nicholls women’s cross-country team has two titles under their belt this season. Junior runner Jackie White has been one of the squad’s top performers. She took a few minutes during a workout to speak with the Nicholls Worth.
Q: How is your season going so far?
A: I am doing a lot better than I did last year. This is our first season under our new coach, and it has been a bit rocky because I’m so used to the last couple of seasons with coach Scott (Williamson). Coach Van Norman’s training is so different, but we work with her, and she works with us.
Q: What do you do to train?
A: We do lots of running. During the summer, coach sends us a huge packet, and we do a lot of mileage. In the summer, we run every single day, nothing too strenuous until July, when we will start doing more workout-wise. Then when we get back, we start workouts, mile repeats, half-mile repeats, and speed workouts when we get closer to the meets.
Q: Do you have a diet that you keep to?
A: Usually coach would like us to be on a diet. Over the last couple of years, I have started doing more diet-wise with greens and making sure I eat a lot of carbs. We burn so many calories doing all the running. Coach told us when she takes us out to eat before a meet that if we get anything with alfredo sauce on it, she is not paying for it because it is really bad for you. You definitely have to watch what you eat. She does not put a diet on us, but she expects us to eat right.
Q: People who run casually make it out to be this therapeutic experience. Do you feel that way?
A: Yes, definitely. Sometimes we will have something that has been bothering us like homework or a test, and we will come out here, and coach will tell us to run for 45 minutes. It is just the most exhilarating thing ever. I do like going out and doing a run in the evening or early in the morning.
Q: How does it work being with a team, but you focus mainly on your own individual performance?
A: Well a good example was this past weekend. We ran over at LSU, and me and Sarah Pressley stayed together the entire race. Our times were miraculously better at each mile point. We actually ran better than ever at the 5K point. Running with someone is a lot easier than running by yourself. Most people think you are just by yourself running, but it helps out a lot if you run with someone. You just feed off of each other.
Q: You are from Florida. How does Florida compare to Louisiana?
A: The humidity here is just ridiculous, but I have gotten use to it. When I go home for the summer, I can tell the difference. It is a lot less humid and breezy. Then I come back here, and the first practice I’m dying from the humidity. It is a lot flatter here.
Q: So that is not good for running?
A: I would rather have the elevation, yes. Especially during conference and regional meets, they are usually in Texas and seem to have the hills thrown in. I think that was our downfall last year because we were killing it all season, then in conference play, the hills came out of nowhere so we just kind of fell to the bottom.
Q: Often people try to say that track and field is not a real sport. How would you respond if someone told you that?
A: I hear it all the time. All you do is run in an oval. It is not easy at all. We train year round. When we are done with outdoor track, we go to indoor track. We do not get a break at all. Cross-country can prepare you for track, but when you get there, there is all this speed involved. You have to hit quarter miles in 70 seconds when you are used to hitting them in 90 seconds. It is not a contact sport, except when you get spiked accidently, so you do not have to be big and muscular. It is not easy though.