Lindsey McAllister’s Record-Breaking Cross Country Time

Courtesy+of+Instagram

Courtesy of Instagram

Nicole Jackson '17, Staff Writer

Lindsey McAllister, a senior at Marymount, has had a phenomenal first couple of weeks in her final cross country season. Co-captain of the team and varsity runner for four years, Lindsey has been very dedicated to running throughout high school. Last summer, Lindsey spent almost every morning, for 11 weeks, training with the Loyola cross country team. Through her double practice days, including mornings with the Loyola runners and evenings with the Marymount team, Lindsey has shaved almost 2 whole minutes off her previous running time.

Former record holder, Jamie Marvel, was a senior when she broke the former Marymount record with an 18 minute and 26 second 3-mile time. With strong dedication to the sport and persistence Lindsey broke this record at the first meet of this season, the Rose Meed invitational, finishing her 3 miles in 17 minutes and 11 seconds.

Being a fellow member of the Varsity team, I completely understand the stress she goes through on a weekly basis, such as balancing academics, athletics, and college prep. Speaking to Lindsey about her dedication, routine, and methods of handling the stress of school was very inspiring. I asked her the following questions:

Nicki: When did you realize you had the potential to run in college?

Lindsey: It wasn’t really until recently that running in college became a serious possibility. Last year, I started to consider it, but I really wasn’t fast enough to make it too realistic of a concern; however, this year, I worked really hard over the summer and improved hugely, so college running became a serious idea. Until a couple weeks ago when I raced for the first time this season, I had no idea how much I had improved or that it was enough to merit attention from college coaches.

Nicki: What pushes you every day to run faster?

Lindsey: The biggest thing motivating me is the desire to be the best version of myself that I can be and practice all the qualities I want to exhibit in all realms of my life: this means not giving up when it gets hard, showing commitment and dedication, and looking for my fullest potential. Also, if I am going to invest time and commitment into anything, I will give 100% because it isn’t worth it for me to do something and not give my best effort. Finally, my absolute love for running and being outside always helps, as does a team who pushes me.

Nicki: How do you manage practice and school?

Lindsey: Very strict time-management and a lot of self-discipline. I run twice every day and I know I need 8 hours of sleep to function, so this means I have to be very strategic about using the rest of my time. I always try and pay the utmost attention in class so I don’t waste time re-learning things later, I get a lot done during my free periods, and watch myself closely to make sure I don’t waste time. Recently, time has been very tight and I’ve been making sure to plan ahead really well and get a lot done over the weekends.

Nicki: What is your favorite part about cross country?

Lindsey: I love that I get the chance to run and push myself hard with the help of a team who wants to do the same thing and is a great group of people. The other runners are some of my closest friends, and that makes cross country so much more fun. One of my other favorite parts is how much you see your own hard work and determination pay off. It directly influences how you perform in a very obvious and measurable way, so it makes cross country very satisfying and rewarding.

Nicki: In what ways do your teammates push you to be better?

Lindsey: They help me so much and I could never do it without them. They keep me accountable for coming to practices and pushing myself, help keep my motivation going, and always support me both inside and outside of running. 

Nicki: What is the most influential quote you have heard from Lasan?

Lindsey: “Arms, Lindsey, arms!” Just kidding. “It’s all mental.” This quote is a little bit scary because cross country is such a mental sport. A race is kind of about hurting really badly and pushing harder anyway. It’s hard because you have to continually remake the decision to keep pushing, and sometimes you don’t succeed, and it always hurts. On the other hand, this is something I love about cross country because you have so much control over your own destiny. Hearing Lasan say this always reminds me to be mentally tough and not let a little pain overcome my mental strength.

Nicki: Why do you love cross country?

Lindsey: Like I said earlier, I love the people, pushing myself, and just running. Some days are just so beautiful and I feel so nice to be outside and running strong that I just can’t keep a smile off my face (sometimes other runners look at me strangely for this). I love that whenever I’m having a bad day, I know that I can look forward to cross country in the afternoon and that after a good run with my team, I will feel so much better.

We are all so proud of you Lindsey!

lindsey-with-team
Courtesy of Instagram