La Mirada High School

California State meet
Felix returns home with "All-State" honors

Felix becomes the 1st athlete from La Mirada High School
to Qualify for the State Championship Race

She finished 9th overall

Every coach preaches that the road to Fresno begins during the hot, dry days of summer when champions pile on miles of trails.

For Stephanie Felix, the road to the State meet began just after the first weekend in June when she competed in the California State Championship Track and Field meet. Memories of the 2005 Cross Country season and the disappointment she felt at CIF-SS Finals, motivated her to take her training to a new level. No longer content to simply complete a workout, Stephanie vowed that each workout and every mile she ran would take her to her goal: the State Meet. No more "junk miles," no more taking it easy (except on the pre-planned easy days!), and no more training without a purpose. The sting of coming close but not close enough was no longer an option for her.

By August she was up to 70 miles per week and feeling stronger. Strength training, core training, work the arms, finish those circuits, sit-ups, bridges, repeats, pool workouts, long runs, and tempo runs . . . day after day. Achieve the goal. Work the plan. There was no way she would fail.

When the races began in September, Stephanie was closing in on 500 miles. By now, every race was treated as a stepping stone toward the final goal. League races were looked upon as workouts; just another tempo run to add to the mix. She used Invitationals for harder workouts---Laguna Hills, Sunny Hills, Carbon Canyon, Clovis, Apache, and Mt. SAC. As one-by-one they were crossed off the list, these races earned a new course record, a PR, or a first place finish. Each one offered a new experience, a new lesson, and hope of future success. By the time the post-season began, Stephanie had lost only to the national champion, Jordan Hasay.

What is it that motivates an athlete to perform her best? For Stephanie it's the pure joy of giving her best at all times. At CIF-SS prelims she let it all out and led her team to their best finish ever. Only later would she realize that this race was her best of the season. A 17:19 on the difficult course and the fastest time of the day. But, her coaches wondered, had she peaked too early? Only time would tell.

CIF-SS Finals. This was the day she had waited for since last Fall. In her own words, it was "time to redeem" herself. The goal was simple: qualify for the state meet. Nothing else mattered, or so she thought. A tough race on a tough course, but she was confident. When it was over, Stephanie had earned a fourth place finish! She made it! Still, it wasn't good enough for her. She felt as if she had settled for less than her best. That small voice inside kept after her to push harder.

As they developed their strategy for the State Championship race and she reached the 900 mile level for the season, Stephanie insisted to her coach that there was only one goal: to be the first runner to cross the finish line. In order to do that, she would have to abandon the racing strategy that had been so successful for her all season. No more sitting back and letting the front pack do all the work. Steph believed that running a controlled race would allow the front pack to get too far ahead of her. No, if she wanted the first place medal she would have to push the pace; "control the pace and control the race" had been her mantra all season. Now was time to put it to use.

The road to to the state meet may begin in the summer, but the day before the state meet is the day every elite individual and team, their entire family, and all of their friends travel to Fresno. Stephanie met her coach at 7:30 am for an easy 2 mile jog and some drills. By 8:15 am she was in the shower. Steph, her parents and coach were out the door and on the road by 9:30 a.m.

The sign on the side of the van said it all: "From San Diego to Fresno - we're going to State!" From the time she left La Mirada, the cars and vans traveling to Woodward Park on Interstate 5 were filled with athletes and spectators; their destination was the same: the State Meet. "HONK IF YOU LOVE CROSS COUNTRY" was painted on the window of more than one vehicle.

There was a quick stop to eat in Bakersfield and a room filled from wall to wall with healthy looking runners doing their best to sneak in a few non-healthy calories while their coaches were preoccupied with other matters. Soon they were on the road again, joined by more athletes making the long trip to achieve their dreams.

"Woodward Park Exit." If they didn't know where to go, all they had to do was follow the long line of vehicles waiting to enter the park. And, if that wasn't enough, the line to purchase t-shirts and other souvenirs was so long, it took almost an hour to get to the front! Even though it was worth the wait, Stephanie was itching to get out of there and get on with the day. Tomorrow was all that mattered.

On November 25, Stephanie, who by now was a brand new aunt, celebrated the birth of Iris, her first niece, by getting up early and preparing for a race. She dedicated the race to the newborn baby girl. In the meantime there were more cars, more lines, more waiting. The long walk from the car to the starting area gave her time to relax and focus on the task at hand. Relax, focus, stay warm, breath. Warm-up time at 10:15 meant it was time to remove the sweat pants and go on a 15 minute jog alone around the park. Relax and breath. Okay, now pick up the pace. Stretch, drills, run, stay warm, and don't forget to breathe! Thank goodness for all her teammates from back home who kept calling to wish her well. Their voices helped to keep her focused.

"Ladies, take a step back behind the starting line." This was it. Time to race. The first mile progressed just as planned. Babcock and Sperry ran 1-2 to set the pace. Stephanie was in the next pack alternating between 3rd and 4th place with Alex Kosinski. It appeared the strategy would work. Around the back stretch and cresting the hill just before mile 2, Stephanie hung on to 4th place. Only a mile to go, she was almost there. Of course the group of 4 runners immediately behind her had a different perspective. With 800 meters to go in the race, Stephanie found herself in unknown territory. The four runners previously behind her were now running side-by-side with her. Oh well, she knew what to do. This was spot where she usually made a push to the finish. On any other day it would take her 2:30 to run the last 800 meters. A quick look at the watch told her she was at 15 minutes. Nice! All was well. Ready . . . set . . . go! Unfortunately, the legs didn't respond.

Any runner who has been in this position knows and dreads the feeling. The mind knows exactly what to do, but the legs say, "no." Since the beginning of the season, every workout had been carefully choreographed to prepare for just this prospect; her coach had repeated over and over to her, "never get passed in the last half mile." But, with 600 meters until the finish, Stephanie Felix was finished. Every fiber in her body struggled to catch the girls in front of her, every cell in her brain told her it was time to push. Instead, she fell back to 5th . . . 6th . . . 7th . . . 8th . . . 9th place. Kevyn Murphy, with a frenetic surge, closed the gap from behind and nearly caught Stephanie at the finish line. Stephanie's time: 18:09. All year she had worked toward this day and now, in what seemed like a blink of an eye, it was over.

Uncontrollable tears welled up and soon rolled down her cheeks as she escaped the staging area and headed for the safety of her "camp." As her parents and coaches searched vainly for her, Stephanie stood alone and exhausted . . . and wept tears of disappointment.

A long talk with her coach and his brother eased the pain somewhat. "You are not a failure," they told her. "But I gave up," she replied.

In reality, Stephanie made the decision to "go for it." Nobody could convince her not to. She could have taken the easy way out; she could have run a controlled race and been content to finish in the top 10. Instead, Stephanie Felix entered the race knowing she would leave nothing behind. She was determined to give everything she had in pursuit of that first place medal. She did . . . and in that, there is no failure.

Stephanie, we, the coaches and athletes of the La Mirada High School Cross Country team salute you for your hard work, your effort, and your courage. You have taken your team to a new level and we are forever grateful to you.