No time outs, no substitutions, no half time, just running.

The Oracle sat down with this year’s varsity cross country captains, seniors Leyla Namazie, Rachel Pike and Kaia Turowski,  to learn more about hard work and their season so far.

Why do you enjoy cross country?

Leyla Namazie [LN]: I really like it because it combines two things I really like: being with people and not being with people. Sometimes I want to get away, [which] I can do by going running on my own, but you can also be with the team. We all go through the same pain. It’s really hard to run as long as you can, as fast as you can, but when you all go through it together you have this unspoken bond. We all get it. There’s a feeling of camaraderie.

Kaia Turowski [KT]: I really like the team aspect. You form a sisterhood, and it’s a great leadership opportunity, being a co-captain. I really like giving advice to the younger runners — they’re always way too nervous between meets. It’s nice to comfort them.

Rachel Pike [RP]: To be honest, I started running cross country because I wanted to get in better shape, which it has done for me. Another motivation was the coaches; they’re why I like running and keep running. They make it fun, even though it can be [hard].

How is the season going so far?

KT: We had a meet on Tuesday, [September 20] at Johnny Carson Park. Coach [Amelia] Mathis had goals for us. One was to beat as many people as we could to send the message that we’re here to win. Even though we’re a [small] team, we have a lot of power. We ended up finishing in third, which is really impressive. We beat as many girls as we could and all did our best.

LN: Compared to last year and previous seasons, we’re definitely off to a better start. It’s visible in the way we train and our attitudes. Last year we just did whatever, but this year we’re much more focused. It’s going to contribute a lot to how well we do.

RP: This year we have lots of potential on the team. We have a lot of room to grow, but like Leyla said, we’ve started at a higher point this year. That means, looking forward, we can go pretty far.

What is your typical practice routine?

LN: Usually, we start off with a mile or mile and a half warm up. We do some stretches. We always play music. [Sometimes] our workouts [are] distance runs: a five or four mile run.

RP: Some days we focus on strength and speed by doing sprints around the driveway of Archer or a fast one mile. It helps with how you start and finish a race and endurance in general.

LN: [It teaches you to] hold a fast pace for longer periods of time.

What do you hope to accomplish as a team this season?

KT: I really everyone to do their best and [qualify] for Mt. SAC — they make cuts based on time. I know we can all do it! I want everyone to meet their personal goals, whether it’s the ones they make in their head while running or the ones Coach Mathis screams at us.

RP: Cross country isn’t my main sport, and I know that’s true for other people on the team too. I want people to feel like they care about [cross country] just as much as their other sports. I also want a tight team dynamic, which is what we’re trying to work on as captains — bonding and things like that. [Cross country] is a team sport, but it’s also really individual. It helps when there’s a solid team behind you cheering you on.

LN: I really want the team to feel accomplished. That might not always be in the form of getting first in league, although that would be nice. In the end I just want people to realize running is something that’s really fun. It may be hard and awful sometimes, but in the end it’s super rewarding.