Beach Nov 2016

Chittenden cont. from page 37
and is also on the varsity squad.”
Melia feels cross country has
made her a better distance runner
during the spring track and field
season.
“Cross country translates well to
the track season,” Chittenden said.
“It’s a combination of physical and
mental toughness. It builds a strong
foundation for endurance. We average
running 40-50 miles per week,
much less than
in track. Mentally,
in cross
country you
could be competing
with a
field of 100-200
runners while
on the track,
there is a much
smaller number
of competitors.”
As much as
Chittenden enjoys
cross country,
it was on
the track where
she has experienced
her most
memorable moments
as a runner.
At the CIF-SS
Masters Meet
on May 27
Chittenden was
competing in
the 3200-meter
race needing a
time of 10:35 to
qualify for the
State Championships.
“During the
last lap, I knew
it would be
tough to make
the time,” Chittenden
said. “At
the 200m mark
I had 40 seconds
to make it
then a thought
entered my
mind. I said to
myself ‘Oh well,
the prom is the
same day as State so it won’t be so
bad.’ Suddenly, I sprinted the fastest
I ever have in my life. I looked at
the clock and saw my time was
10:32. I started crying.”
A few weeks earlier at the Bay
League championships, Chittenden
experience a magical moment with
teammate Alexis Johnson.
Senior Melia Chittenden won the first
Bay League cross country meet outdistancing
the nearest runner by more
than 11 seconds. Photo by Ray Vidal
“Alexis was trying to break 11
minutes and we were pushing each
other throughout the race,” Chittenden
recalled. “She finished second
at 10:59 just behind my 10:57.”
Chittenden said Williams-Smith
has been a major influence on her,
not just on the track but in life.
“Coach Renee is the best coach
I’ve ever had,” Chittenden said.
“She is such an inspiration being the
first girl to run
cross country
at Mira Costa
and then run at
Kansas State.
She teaches
you to run for
yourself and
for her. I hate
to let her
down. I’m almost
afraid to
run for another
coach when I
get to college.
It will be so
different.
“Also, when I
was a sophomore,
I admired
Natasha
Brunstein, She
wasn’t our
fastest runner
but was a very
intense, determined
person
who is now
running for
New York University.
She
helped shape
who I am
today.”
Chittenden
plans to compete
in college
but has yet to
decide on a
school, weighing
her many
options.
She has visited
Princeton
and Northwestern
and has offers
to visit the
University of Pennsylvania and UC
Berkeley.
“I plan to run in college but the
school has to have a top academic
program and a program where I
can study abroad,” Chittenden explained.
“I want to experience
everything I can in college.”
Boasting a weighted GPA of 4.2,
38 Easy Reader / Beach magazine • November 10, 2016