“In running there really is no off season”, says Whitney Rich, a junior on Bingham’s Cross Country Team. “When Cross Country ends we get right into track training and even before the end of track we’re already back into cross country training. So it’s really a year round sport.”
This last season Rich was able to take third in state, which was a really standout moment for her where she could see all of her hard work paying off. She also competed in the Bobfront Invitational, and placed third while competing against nationally ranked girls. Her personal best in the mile is 5.05, and for her 5K, a 17.40.
Whitney keeps a strict routine and diet in order to stay in shape. She tries not to eat a few hours before warming up for a race, she stays away from processed foods or anything with added or refined sugar, and eats only whole foods and fresh fruits and vegetables. It was hard at first to limit herself like that, but she doesn’t even miss the foods she gave up. Whitney is up every morning and at the school by 5:30 to work out with the team and every day after school she stays after for practice. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are hard workout days consisting of hill work and interval training, and Tuesdays and Thursdays are recovery days that involve long, slow, easy runs to let their body catch up. After big races and harder weeks, she likes to bike or swim to keep herself in shape.
She has worked hard to get where she is now, and credits it to her dedication and a few key people in her life. Her dad, an avid runner and has been pushing her ever since she was in second grade. Her older sister ran cross country in high school, winning a few state titles in the process which has inspired Rich to run like she does now. Whitney first began competing while running on Marv Jensen’s cross country team, during middle school.
She’ll tell you endlessly how much she loves to run, “I love the way it makes me feel, I like the whole runners high, and it’s definitely a big factor into it. I like getting the fresh air, and it helps me when there’s a lot going on in my life, to just kind of get away and enjoy it.” Morning runs and trail runs are some of her favorite because she can just be out in the mountains and observe the beautiful scenery.