If you have been looking on the leaderboards for our state you like have come across this runner's name, Micah Pratt. Despite running in a very non-traditional way, for a home-school, Micah is tearing it up out on cross country course. As only a sophomore he already boasts times well under 16:00 and that is why he is Virginia's Boy Hoka One Future Star.
Interview with Patriot Pacers(Va) sophomore Micah Pratt
First off congratulations on a great freshman running year. How does it feel to come into this sophomore season with more experience and all the success you had last year?
My freshman year was a great confidence booster for this year. I was able to see the results of hard training, and learn from my various mistakes made throughout my year as a freshman. I feel confident enough to try my mettle against the top runners in the state, and am looking forward to an amazing sophomore year.
Many people have seen your name in the rankings and see Patriot Pacers next to it. This can be sort of confusing since we have a Patriot high school in the state. Explain to us what Patriot Pacers is and how competing as a part of their team is different?
The Patriot Pacers is a homeschooled cross country team based in Lynchburg, VA. The team was founded in 2001, and became a part of the LHSAA (Lynchburg Homeschool Athletic Association) in 2013. All members must comply with the LHSAA standards and regulations. Our team’s mission is to promote healthy lifestyles while allowing competitive opportunities in a Christian sports setting.
Competing on the Patriot Pacers is different from competing on other teams in a variety of ways. The most prevalent difference is being unable to compete in many of the large cross country meets in Virginia, and not being allowed to take part in any track meets. My team also cannot compete in any state championships, so having the dream of becoming a state champion as an individual, or becoming state champions as a team is impossible at this time. This is because of regulations created by the VHSL. Finding stiff competition is quite difficult, but we have learned to work with what we have, and treasure any meet we are permitted to compete in.
What was your summer training like?
After having a terrible race in the freshman mile at New Balance Nationals, my summer training was a quest to pull myself together mentally and prepare physically for the upcoming cross country season. My coach worked on building my aerobic threshold throughout my summer training, and I averaged 50 or so miles each week. I also worked on strengthening my core, stretching, and learning about proper nutrition. My summer training ended with about a week of intense training in our annual XC Camp, which was completed with a race on the last day. This summer, unlike last summer, passed without me having some kind of minor running issue which kept me from my training.
Was there anything in particular that you focused on this summer leading into your sophomore year? Something you wanted to improve upon from last year or know that you could do better?
Over my freshman year, I realized the importance of majoring on the minors. Stretching, foam rolling, proper eating, proper sleeping, and core strengthening, are some of the minors that immediately come to mind. Unfortunately, most of my freshman year passed before I realized the importance of the minor parts of running, and many problems occurred from not focusing on these simple parts of running. I wasn’t going to repeat the same mistakes on my sophomore year, so I took special care to focus on majoring on the minors over my summer training. Now that the summer is over and my racing season has started, I realize that these “minor” parts of running actually play a huge part in one’s performance in a race.
If you had to chose, what one workout was your absolute hardest one to do? Why was it the hardest and what did you tell yourself to get it done?
The “Michigan Workout” during my past track season as a freshman was hands down the hardest workout I have ever completed. Now the workout was as follows: 1200m (3:50), a 220m float, a mile tempo, a 100m float, a 800m (2:24), a 200m float, a mile tempo, a 100m float, a 400m (64.9sec.), a 200m float, a mile tempo, a 100m float, and a mile all out (4:55). Including the warm up and cool down, the entire workout was around 10.3mi. The worst part about this workout was the mental part, for the workout seemed to take forever when you were doing it, and it looked terrifying with its length and no rest. To make matters worse, the workout was postponed each week for a couple weeks because of the weather, so my team and I had it hanging over our heads for quite a while.
I am not really sure how I got through this workout, but I did have a couple things which most high school runners don’t have. First, my coach runs with me in almost all of my workouts. This workout was no different. I had my coach with me encouraging me, and suffering with me for the entire workout. Additionally, he was able to pace me and help me dig when the workout got really tough. Second, I also have a college friend who trains with me, and he worked with me until we finally completed that monster workout together. When the training gets tough, I tell myself that to be a champion, you must train like a champion. Not only was the “Michigan Workout” the hardest workout I have ever run, it was also my favorite workout, after it was over.
After such a great freshman campaign and not having the ability to run for a VHSL state title, what are some of your goals for this season?
Since the dream of having a state title is currently not possible, my coach and I look to Foot Locker South. I have two goals for this cross country season. One of these goals is what my coach believes I will be able to do at the end of this season, and the other goal is what I wish I could do at the end of this season. My coach’s goal for me is to run around 15:20 in the 5k, and place in the top 30 at Foot Locker South in the seeded race. My wishful goal is to break 15:00 at Foot Locker South, and possibly qualify for Foot Locker Nationals in route. However, knowing that my coach has this amazing ability to guess the time I will run at the end of my season, I am pretty sure his goal is the one which will be accomplished. Whether I accomplish my goal, or my coach’s goal for me, I still give God the glory for every season and race.
How will you achieve these goals moving forward into the season? What meets will you be running at and why did you chose those meets?
I intend to achieve this season’s goals through: Dedication, perseverance, a teaspoon of talent, and a cup of God’s blessing. That is my formula for a champion’s season, and I hope to one day become a champion. I know I must do the work in practice, be patient throughout the season, and listen to my coach. I have a long season ahead of me, and I must pace myself in order to peak at Foot Locker when I will find out if I reached my goals or not.
I will be running at the Woodberry Forest Invitational, the Maymont X-Country Festival, the Big Cat Invitational, and our local meet Runnin’ with the Wolves. As I said earlier, my team cannot run in a lot of the larger meets, so I will not race against many of the state’s top runners until I peak at Foot Locker. My coach chose these meets in order to get the most competition for me as he could, and give me an opportunity to see how I compete with various competitors across the Commonwealth. Also, my coach wants to use these meets to improve my racing tactics.
Your experiences and training is very in common with someone running on a team that they have little competition around them. How do you push yourself to keep going and to achieve higher goals?
I have a great coach and a great team. In one area where someone is strong, someone else is weak, and we use that to our advantage. For example, my coach is much better than I am at tempo runs, so when he is running with me, I use him as a pacer and he pulls me through that workout; additionally, I am strong running short intervals, and I sometimes pull my coach through short interval workouts. Also, my college training partner is great at distance intervals (like mile repeats), and pulls both me and my coach through distance interval workouts. By using our various strengths and weaknesses, we all become stronger. That keeps me going when it gets tough, and it helps me make and achieve higher goals.
What is your favorite place to race at and why?
No doubt my favorite place to race at is the Foot Locker South course. I love this course because it is the place where my goals are achieved or left incomplete. I get my stiffest competition, and make all of my cross country PR’s on this course. Not to mention it is an extremely fast course to race on, and my time is generally around where I want it or faster.
Moving forward, what are your long term goals in the sport both competition wise and time wise?
It is easy for someone to say, “I want to run in the Olympics,” or something like that, but I know that is a tough, distant goal. As of right now, my competition goals are to qualify for Foot Locker Nationals at least twice, and become the cross country national champion on my senior year. My time goal is to break the Foot Locker South course record. How I run this season will cause my goals to change as I get older and more experienced, but I guess I must wait to see if I achieve my goal or my coach’s goal at Foot Locker South this year.
