Coming off seasons packed with individual podium finishes, including top five athlete placements at state and multiple event wins at the Region 4-AAAA meet, the girls track team is continuing the season with confidence and determination.
Girls head coach Joshua Washington said he approached the start of the season with a deliberate focus on preparation. He emphasized the importance of getting his runners into solid shape long before the first meet.
“I want everyone to have a good backline of fitness as we continue further into the season against strong competitors,” Washington said. “What I mean by that is you build off of the foundation that you establish. A lot of them work on being fast, but I also want them to focus on their health in general and all the other aspects that go along with it—flexibility, agility and making sure their hydration and nutrition are where they need to be. Not just running.”
Washington’s focus on building a foundation of health and overall fitness doesn’t stop at physical conditioning. He believes the habits his athletes develop early in the season, how they show up, how they practice and how they take care of themselves, are just as important as their speed on the track.
“The things from last season that are shaping my approach for this season are the small things,” Washington says.”By getting to practice on time, doing the drills the correct way and really just giving all their effort is what I ask. Even if it’s an event they don’t like, we work on everything. I want to build them to be the best athletes I know they are.”
Sophomore transfer Lia Clarence has continued conditioning to train for the season with the same workouts since preseason. She said she has been impressed with how consistent the workouts are, and she feels accomplished after finishing them.
“The season has been going really well so far,” Clarence said. “The training is like two to three times a week and we mainly do speed work and plyometrics, which are really difficult workouts.”
Clarence believes the conditioning has helped her set goals for herself this season. Her main goal is to improve her personal record. She hopes to get more in shape as she continues doing the workouts in hopes that they will get easier.
“The running drills are definitely still the most difficult for me,” Clarence said. “But I hope they get easier as the season goes on so I can reach my goal of passing my personal record by the end of the season in the 400m and 800m or hopefully just get better at them.”
Freshman distance runner Lia Sinitere has also been building momentum throughout the season. She said her transition into track has been smooth thanks to consistent workouts and a strong base from cross country.
“This is my first year running track for Midtown, but I ran cross-country in the fall,” Sinitiere said. “The season has been going really well so far and I’ve kept my fitness from cross country, trained with Atlanta Track Club, and now I’m regular at midtown practices. I’ve already seen my improvements throughout the season and had lots of fun.”
Sinitiere competes in the 1600m, 800m, 3200 and the 4x800m relay, with mid distance events being her strongest. She said she has been focusing on strength and speed development, and that work has been helping her handle the demands of racing each week.
“One workout that’s helped me a lot is repeat intervals at goal pace,” Sinitere said.“Hitting splits consistently gives me a good sense of where I am and what I need to adjust.”
She set goals for her first track season at midtown, inducing breaking into the low 5:00s in the 1600, running under 2:20 in the 800, and even attempting the steeplechase.
“The girls team has been putting in a lot of focused work.” Sinitiere said, “Coach (Isaac) Seals has been pushing the distance team with structured workouts and recovery routines, and it’s already making a difference.”
As athletes like Clarence and Sinitiere push through the challenges of the season, Washington is focused on guiding that effort with clear expectation.
“A successful stretch of the season looks like it sets the tone quickly,” Washington said. “A good conditioning in terms of feeling better, faster, or more confident in an event they weren’t as good at. If they feel physically ready, mentally ready and put in the work—we will get the outcome we want.”
