No. 103, Revisited [Runners]

James RogersLeave a comment
Photo by James Rogers
Photo by James Rogers

“What advice would you give to a high school runner who’s considering running in college?”

“You have to have that mindset that you’re not going to be the best on the team. You might have been the best on your high school team, but you’ve got to go in with the mindset that it’s going to to be a lot harder—the mileage, the intensity, everything is going to be tougher. But you have to have that mindset that, Let’s just push through it. My freshman year might be a tough year, but it’ll be worth it sophomore, junior, senior year. You’ll put in that work, put in that mileage, and it’ll be rewarding by the end of your career. … One thing to look for in a college program is having a good group. I was in the mid-distance group, and one thing that I experienced and was blessed with at both Hope and Grand Valley was the sense of unity within our workout groups. We all were great friends—basically brothers—but when it came to workouts, we were pushing each other and wanted to get after it and get the most out of that workout.”

No. 103 [Runners]

James RogersLeave a comment
Photo by James Rogers
Photo by James Rogers

“The summer before my senior year [at Hope College], I found out that I had a torn labrum in my right hip. It wasn’t going to be getting any better. It was going to be worse the more and more I ran on it. I had thought that my senior year was in the books. I had a great junior year and was coming off an All-American season. At that point I was like, Well, at least I was able to have that [All-American season] in my career. So I had a hip surgery that fall, but I never really threw my season out of the way. So I kept working and tried to rehab, and all of a sudden, the season comes up and I’m doing well. I would definitely say the hip surgery was the darkest spot in my season, but I was able to overcome it. … After finishing fourth at nationals [in the 800] my junior year, I had it in my mind that I’m going to win the national title next year, I want to be first. But then, when I found out about my hip surgery, it changed my perception on that, and that goal had to change. So my goal ended up being, OK, let’s see if I can run this season. Then it turned into, OK, let’s see if I can make it to nationals. OK, maybe let’s see if I can make the top eight [in the 800] again. My intentions and goals had to change a little bit. [Finishing fourth again] was a relief. It was definitely a relief, because I was like, Oh man, this has been a rough season, but I made it, and it was a great experience. It was a relieving feeling, but an accomplished feeling as well.”