Heart of a champion

Utah State cross country runner Trever Ball is preparing for what could be his last race. To get ready for it, he is paring back his practice routine.

After his worse-than-normal individual showing in the 2004 NCAA Regionals last year, Ball said he has some extra reason to perform up to his potential this weekend in this year’s NCAA Regionals.

“Practice tends to taper off since it’s the most important race of the season,” Ball said.

What seems like an oxymoron is really a form of clearing things out of the way for the Western Athletic Conference Cross Country Athlete of the Year.

With less running on his plate, other things can fill up the recesses of his racing mind, he said.

His favorite part of cross country racing and what he focuses on during a race is all mental.

From start to finish, there are a lot of things going through his mind, but if he can cut it down to how he is feeling, Ball said things go smoother.

By clearing concerns about the course, the competition or the weather out of the way, Ball can focus on running his best, he said.

“They’re one less thing to stress over,” Ball said. “I have more energy to focus on how my body feels.”

When he finishes a race, the best part begins, Ball said, especially if he won or ran well.

“The cool-down period is my favorite time,” Ball said. “Its a good time to contemplate how you performed. That’s where you know your fitness level and if you ran a good race.

“It’s a time to settle and look forward to the future.”

So far this year, Ball has a had a good time during his cool downs as he has finished in the top two in the smaller races he has run and in the top 15 in the more national invitationals he has run in.

The big race mentality has helped him to finish strong and well in the big meets.

The Notre Dame Invitational and the pre-nationals in September and October should help not only Ball, but the team, perform well this weekend in Provo at the NCAA Regionals.

“You can’t run big unless you run the big meets,” Ball said. “When you finish a big meet, you’ve just run against the whole country, which is the toughest race you could run in. Those races take the pressure off when you run in the conference championship because there are fewer people running against you than there were at the big meets.”

The big meets were important for preparation, but nothing is as important as the NCAA Regionals, Ball said.

After last year’s poor showing by Ball, the Ags also finished seventh in the regionals and missed out on a berth in the national meet. This year, Ball said he has a vengeance to take out in the Regionals.

“Personally, it was a negative race,” Ball said. “To get over that, I need to have a positive race.”

At the regional races, the individual finishes are important for the team as the separation between schools can come down to single digits.

So, for a team of seven runners, the fifth-place finisher matters as much as the first-place finisher.

This is why Ball’s finish last year left a sour taste in his mouth.

Northern Arizona finished two points ahead of the Aggies and the six teams ahead of Utah State in the rankings advanced to Nationals.

Using a form of the buddy system has helped push Ball this season, he said.

Clark Bryner and Ball have run together since they were in high school. In races, they tend to stick together until near the finish.

The two have finished within a minute of each other’s time in every race they have run this season.

With Ball’s four years of running for the Aggies, he has learned to clear his head and, he has become familiar with a lot of courses, including the one he’ll be running on at regionals this weekend.

Familiarity with the course is just another way Ball said he can focus on his body and his performance.

This way, Ball said he will have all the brain time he needs to think about how to take out his revenge on the field at the regionals this weekend.

-krn@cc.usu.edu