Summers in the Valley are no laughing matter. With temperatures soaring into triple digits around the RGV, most locals try to avoid the outdoors.
The RGV’s cross country runners, however, benefit from the South Texas heat as they prepare for the upcoming season.
“Heat training is like the poor man’s altitude,” McAllen Memorial sophomore Roehl Rodriguez said. “It prepares us for those harsher conditions. It prepares us for conditions we’re not used to seeing.”
“The good thing about running in this heat is you’ll be prepared for anything,” La Feria junior Liana Navarro said. “At regionals, when it’s hot, we’re already used to it. If it ends up being cold, that’s even better. The heat is good for getting experience for it all. It prepares us for whatever we make say at any meet.”
Valley distance runners have been hitting the ground running since early June, putting miles on their shoes in the blazing heat in preparation for August’s first meet of the year.
Running in the heat comes with extra precautions, however, with the possibility of dehydration or heat exhaustion rising if not being properly prepared both physically and mentally.
“You have to drink a lot of water and electrolytes,” McAllen Memorial senior Ayden Granados said. “Eating the right foods is the big thing for us. We’re all kind of learning to diet the right foods. But, mentality is one of the biggest key factors for us, trying to keep a good mentality. That’s going to make or break you.”
Still, running in the heat during the summer is crucial, McAllen Memorial senior Diego De Leon said, preparing them for the long runs and conditions faced throughout the year.
“The heat helps us get ahead of the other runners,” De Leon said. “The heat, it helps us for those later meets when it’s hot. Being in the heat and getting used to it, you don’t feel that bad at the end. Most people throw up after those meets. With us training in the heat, you don’t feel it as much.”
ON YOUR MARKS
Runners across the Valley get their first chance to showcase their offseason work Aug. 12, with the Edcouch-Elsa Invitational and the Rio Grande City Invitational slated to kick off the 2022 campaign.
Meets continue every week, leading up to the 2022 Rio Grande Valley Cross-Country Coaches Association’s Meet of Champions on Oct. 1.
Two weeks later, schools kick off championship season at their respective district championship meets, followed by the Region IV cross country championships Oct. 24-25 at Dr. Jack Dugan Soccer and Track Stadium in Corpus Christi.
The season concludes with the 2022 UIL state cross country championships Nov. 4-5 at Old Settler’s Park in Round Rock.
LEADING THE PACK
Nearly 60 area runners competed in last season’s UIL state cross country meet, with four individuals earning top-10 finishes.
Two of those runners are back and ready for the new year, leading a pack of talented RGV distance runners into the 2022 season.
Navarro is the top returning girls distance runner. The two-time 32-4A cross country champion finished seventh during the Class 4A state championship last year with a time of 11 minutes, 33.5 seconds.
The Lionettes’ junior is coming off a medal finish during the state track meet, taking home the bronze in the Class 4A girls 3,200-meter run in 11:10.09.
“Every year I feel more and more pressure from my previous years,” Navarro said. “This year, I want to focus on beating my times from last year and improving. Track season gives me more confidence going into this cross country season. I feel more motivated and confident I can do even better than the last two years.”
Meanwhile, Granados enters the year as arguably the top boys distance runner in the Valley, finishing eighth in Class 5A last year with a personal best time of 15:30.9.
Like Navarro, Granados is fresh off a medal performance at the state track meet, earning silver in the Class 5A 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs in May. He’s eyeing to raise the bar even further his senior year and end his career with a bang.
“I’m scared and nervous, I will say that,” Granados said. “But overall, I’m excited to see what happens. I know there are going to be a lot of people with the mindset I had my freshman year. When I saw these big names like Rogelio (Aguirre), Hector (Solis) and others, I wanted to be better than them. … I’m excited to see who’s going to be there to really challenge me and our team to be better, and see the start of the next generation and what’s to come.”
VALLEY’S BEST
Granados and Navarro are just two of several runners to watch this season.
Edinburg North’s San Juanita Leal splashed onto the scene as a sophomore, winning the 2021 Meet of Champions Girls Elite Division race to spark a run to the state cross country championships. Leal finished 23rd at state with a personal-best time of 18:31.
Mission Veterans Daniel Alamilla is eyeing another state meet berth, finishing 21st during his state debut in the Class 5A championship last year.
Other names to watch include Brownsville Veterans Memorial’s Naia Gracia, Pharr IDEA’s Naomi Cotero, Harlingen High’s Dominic Luna, La Feria’s Evan Torres, Brownsville IDEA Frontier’s Carlos Zavala and Santa Maria’s Juan Morales, all of whom qualified for the 2021 state cross country meet in their respective classes.
NEXT CHAPTER
Brenda Lozano’s past eight years were spent as the girls cross country and track and field coach at Edinburg Economedes. During that span, Lozano’s teams captured five district titles in cross country and three in track and field. She added an area title to her resumè last season, and sent numerous individuals to regionals and state in both sports.
This year, Lozano is taking on a new challenge, stepping away from Economedes to take over as the girls cross country and track head coach at Sharyland Pioneer.
“It was really tough for me to make that decision, but I felt like I needed a change, the kids, too,” Lozano said. “Change is good for everybody. … I needed to see what was out there, and challenge myself as a coach and see what I could do at a different school.”
Lozano takes over a program five years removed from its last district championship (2017) and three years removed from its last regional appearance (2019).
Still, she has high hopes for the future, with change noticeable during her first few weeks of practice. Seniors Alexis Villegas and Ketny Nicoleau and junior Nadine Molina are spearheading Lozano’s first season.
“These kids have shown the commitment and teamwork,” Lozano said. “We brought in some new things like band work and stretching exercises. They’ve worked so hard.
“The first thing to be successful is to get your mind strong and have the strong mindset to be in the competition during high-pressure situations. I see great things happening at Pioneer in both cross country and track. I love to see what’s going to happen this year.”
