GENOA – After cramping up and finishing with one of her worst times in the 3,200-meter run this season, Hinckley-Big Rock girls track and field coach Greg Burks gave Izabella Cleaveland two options.
“The choice is to call it off for the day,” he said. “Or come back out and see if you feel better.”
H-BR’s freshman track star chose the latter option and completed two more races Saturday at the Genoa-Kingston Invitational.
For Cleaveland, quitting is never option, her coach said.
“That was very encouraging to see from her,” Burks said. “She truly is a runner.”
Cleaveland has shined this season for H-BR as the team’s featured distance runner. She’s been one of the Royals’ top performers and consistently scores points during each meet.
On Saturday, Cleaveland saw an opportunity to compare herself to other runners from bigger schools. Her excitement might have affected her preparation, which led to her cramping up in the 3,200.
Still, she’s shown the maturity of an upperclassman – a big reason why Burks raves about her future.
“It’s all about the day before,” Cleaveland said. “I didn’t have much sleep. That’s really bad. Hydration wise – I drank enough water. But you still need to have time between each bottle, because if you drink too much it can also mess up your muscles.”
Burks said Cleaveland has been a sponge and never stops learning. He helped teach her an important approach to her game.
“I always put your hardest. I’m a type of person who always wants to place in the top five,” she said. “But Burks shows it’s more about the personal records and accomplishing your goals rather than concentrating on other runners.
“His line is, ‘Do your time and don’t worry about others.'"
Cleaveland found her love for distance running midway through the season, according to Burks.
She's topped her personal record on a few occassions throughout the season. Her top time in the 3,200 is 13:21.71, while she clocked her best finish in the 1,600 at 6:09.61 and the 800 in 2:45.44.
However, Cleaveland still has a long way to go. Her best perfromances are still far from, but within reach of, the state qualifying times: 3,200 (12:12.84), 1,600 (5:35.43) and 800 (2:27.81). Burks is hopeful that with the proper training, Cleaveland can achieve those goals in the coming years.
"That’s what it boils down to," Burks said. "If you’re doing anything in track and field, you’ve got to do something beyond March 3 to May 15. We’ll see if she can get down and challenge herself."
Cleaveland believes she's ready for the challenge and she has her hopes set on even bigger goals moving forward.
"I'm going to train hard this summer," she said. "Each year you compare your times. It gives you a starting point. You always want to succeed and want to have new goals. As a freshman, I can achieve more.
"Hopefully I can run in college if I lower my times."