Athlete of the Week: Angelina Grebe

Pine View sophomore Angelina Grebe joined the Sarasota High School cross-country team this year, and she is already proving to be a key competitor for the Lady Sailors. Grebe won the Sarasota Cross Country Championships Oct. 24, with a time of 19:16.12. This was Grebe’s first win in a cross-country race, and her time helped the Lady Sailors win the team title with 38 points.

How did you get into cross-country?
Last year, as a freshman, I did long-distance track for Sarasota High School. I would have done cross country last year, but I didn’t know about it. During long-distance track the other kids told me how much fun cross country was, so I figured it would be a good fit for me this year.

Do you participate in any other sports?
I do track — mostly the mile and two mile, and occasionally the 800-meter. My main event was the two mile.

Do you have a favorite event?
For cross country, all I’ve ever run is the 5K. Some cross-country teams do three-mile races, but we pretty much stick with 5Ks.

Is there anything upon which you are trying to improve?
I know cross country is about stamina, mostly, but I need to work on the parts where you have to do short sprints to sprint past competitors.

How quickly do you go through shoes?
I’ve had this pair since summer, so they have lasted for a good five months. Different people want shoes earlier than I would, but I figure if they aren’t hurting me, I can keep wearing them until I need a new pair.

How many miles a week do typically run?
We probably do six miles a day, but some days it is more, so probably 40 to 45 miles per week. It also depends on where we are in our training.

What was it like to win a cross-country meet?
It felt great because I knew all the training we had done the past few weeks had paid off. I felt like I had the ability in me to do it, but I proved to myself that I could.

What do you do if you get a cramp?
Luckily, I haven’t gotten that many cramps, but I did get one a few weeks ago and it is painful. You feel like you want to stop, but you just have to push through it and know it will eventually go away. A teammate told me if you push in an area under your ribs, it helps. I don’t do anything special. I just hope it goes away soon.

What is the longest you have ever run?
Sundays are our days for long runs. We run for a certain amount of time and not for distance. The longest time was 90 minutes, so if you average one mile every 10 minutes, it is nine miles. I haven’t done any marathons or anything, but I’d like to, maybe when I’m older.