by Guy Greene and
Audra Meiklejohn
Daily Lobo
Compiled of pure homegrown talent, cross country head coach Matt Henry has assembled a skilled running team of women and men.
With only 11 days remaining before its opening meet, the cross country team is more fit and focused than ever before.
The team, which consists of 17 men and 15 women, has been meeting at 6:30 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays to run on Johnson field before classes.
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On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Friday mornings, the team likes to spice up its workout.
"Sometimes they run at the Bosque, sometimes they run up in the hills," assistant coach Lori Nolte said. "They are responsible for working out one day a weekend by themselves."
After the long distance runs, the Lobos go through an intense interval workout.
Nolte said the team members run about 8-10 miles per day.
"The amount of energy they burn is unreal," she said. "It's not like the average public."
The coaches do not monitor the athlete's diets, however, due to the team's extensive workouts, coaches try to make sure the athletes are not on diets of any kind.
The Food and Drug Administration advises the average person to consume about 2,000 calories per day. Nolte said runners and swimmers burn more calories than other athletes and said they should consume over 3,000 calories per day.
Not only is nutrition a concern for endurance runners, but they are also at a high risk of injury.
Injuries become a larger factor when you're running on uneven rocks and dirt, rather than track-turf. Unfortunately, the Lobos have already been hindered by injuries.
"We're missing two key girls in senior Amanda Swann and junior Karina Hill-Hurtado," head coach Matt Henry said.
With last year's NCAA 3rd place finisher and UNM team leader Matt Gonzales redshirting due to personal reasons, further injuries could be devastating for the team.
"It's a good choice on a personal level for him," Nolte said of Gonzales. "It also gives him an extra year of school on scholarship."
Although it will be challenging, the team has had to beat adversity before.
Last year junior Cameron Clarke took second place in a national meet at Standford, only to go down for the rest of the season due to an injury.
"We have to stay healthy this year," Clarke said. "But everyone's working hard and if we stay healthy all the way to the end, we should be alright."
Henry believes this year is about twisting fate.
"We have a great group of elite athletes here," he said. "As long as we can change our luck a little, and stay away from those injuries, we can perform at a very high level."
The Lobos' season will begin on Saturday, Sept. 13 at the UNM North Golf Course.
