Trail blazer

Canton junior Bianca Kubicki is working hard toward repeat trip to D1 state meet

   The often-times grueling sport of cross country has come easy to Canton junior Bianca Kubicki, who barely missed earning All-State honors last fall for the Chiefs.
  With another year of experience under her belt and another summer of intense training to build on, Kubicki is looking for better things in 2009.
  PlymouthCantonSports.com's Ed Wright spoke to the up-and-coming cross country star following a recent nine-mile run (Kubicki ran the nine miles, not Wright!)

ED WRIGHT: How do you persevere through the challenging training runs?

BIANCA KUBICKI: I think about how much better I'm going to be because of the long runs and during the really tough times, I sing a song in my head.

EW: What strategy do you use during races?

BK: I try to start out fast and keep my pace. Then over the last mile, I try to go even faster.

EW: What do you like about his year's Canton team?

BK: I think we're going to do well because a lot of us are at the same pace. We all try to run together.

EW: How much did you run this summer?

BK: I ran just about every day except for Sundays. That was my day off.

EW: How do you get motivated to run on the days you don't really feel like running?

BK: I think about the long road and how it's going to help me. Once I'm out there running, I'm fine.

EW: What's been the highlight of your career so far?

BK: Last year at the state meet when I finished 36th (the top 30 finishers are considered All-State). My goal this year is to break into the top 30 and to break my personal-best time of 18:54. I think I'm capable of 18:01 if I keep working hard.

EW: How long do you think you'll run beyond high school?

BK: I definitely want to run in college. A few schools are looking at me. I want to try to run a marathon when I'm in my late-20s. I never want to stop running. I think I'll probably do it until I die.

Ed Wright can be reached at [email protected] or (734) 453-1980.