Morgan Claire Rose, Kirk Long Distance is Her Game


Name: Morgan Claire Rose, Kirk Academy

Personal bests:  3200-10:42 1600-4:59 800-2:16 5K(xc)-17:50

Academic interests: Anatomy and Physiology, Calculus

Hobbies: running, basketball, tennis, triathlons, and hanging with friends

Favorite quote: "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." -Steve Prefontaine

How did you get involved in the sport? I've enjoyed running starting at a young age because my dad was a triathlete, so it was natural for me to compete in the sport once I was old enough.

What is your favorite race and why?1600; I just feel like the 1600 has always been "my race."  It's the perfect distance, and it is usually the race I focus on the most.

How do you look at being ranked as one of the top in the state in the your event? It is awesome to see how I have worked my way up over several years with consistency and hard work in training.

Do you have a specific motivation? My dad. During my junior high years, I watched my dad wake up early every morning to train for his upcoming Ironman races.  He always made time to fit his workouts into his busy schedule whether that meant waking up at 5:00am or completing his workout at 9:00pm.  I do not know if he realizes how much his dedication and discipline impacted me at the time, but it has continued to motivate me over the years as I now do the same as him.

What has been your biggest challenge in the sport? My mind.  Mentally, it is so tough to step on the track and put on a great performance every race with no competition.  It is so easy to tell myself to slow down when the pain kicks in knowing there is nobody around to push me, but I have always had to deal with it.  It has done nothing but make me mentally stronger over the past few years.

What do you hope to achieve in the future? I am interested in pursuing a career in the medical field.

What do you hope to achieve the rest of the season and at State? Meet the time goals I have set for myself this year and break the MAIS state records in all of my individual events.

Walk us through a race/event for you (from pre race until post race). I usually like to jog around anywhere from 6-12min depending on the race, and then I stretch and really focus on my race for about 5-10min.  About 5min before the race starts, I do 2-3 50yd pickups and then put on my spikes.  After my race, I am really tired of course, so I walk around for a bit, chug water, and then put on my training shoes.  Depending on the amount of races I have to compete in during one day determines how much I cool down, so that could be anywhere from 1-3 miles.

What goes through your mind? I try not to focus on how much pain I am in, but I like to think of my races as a game when I am running around the track.  I know what my time should be after each lap, so I focus on each lap trying to hit my mark as closely as possible. 

Do you play other sports? How does track help you with other sports and vice versa? basketball, tennis, and triathlons; running helps me with endurance in all of my other sports, and sprints on the basketball court along with footwork on the tennis court help me with speed in running.

How and when did you start training for track and field this season? Because I had the opportunity to play in the state and overall finals in basketball, I did not start serious training for track until middle of March.  Although it has been tough and frustrating getting into the shape I want to be in at a later time, I do not regret any of my decisions as far as training because my basketball team won an overall title for the first time in 30 years.

What do you enjoy the most about the your team? Kirk Academy has become a distance powerhouse for the MAIS, and I love how supportive we are of each other.  They know how to take care of business on the track and still make the practices and meets fun.

What team goals does your team have? win state! Our 3200m relay team's goal is to finish this year with the fastest time in the whole state.

What do you feel you have learned from your coaches, teammates and the sport? determination, dedication, and discipline

What would like to see happen in the future in the sport? I hope to be a top runner for the Ole Miss Rebels in the near future and work my way up from there.

If there is one thing in the world you could do, what would it be and why? Competing at the national/world level in distance running or triathlons