JEFFERSON CITY • The life of a distance runner is never easy.
Logging mile after mile, day after day, regardless of the weather.
But runners expect a payout for all that work. The miles laid down over winding blacktops in the heat of August are supposed to equal faster cross country times in the fall. Similarly, the workouts in the frigid months are supposed to pay out during track season.
Unfortunately for Herculaneum sophomore Kaitlyn Fischer, the reward of all those offseason miles did not seem to be materializing this spring.
After overcoming a painful hip injury at the start of the track season, Fischer could not generate the times she had grown accustomed to running.
"My mile (1,600-meter) times weren't where they were supposed to be," she said. "It's frustrating. I got tested for iron, and they said I didn't have high enough iron which was why my miles weren't good, but my two miles were good. I've been taking this nasty medicine, and I have iron pills. It's been better."
In the three weeks since diagnosis, Fischer finally started to feel like her old self -- enough so that she was able to capture both the 1,600- and 3,200-meter titles at last week's Class 2 state track meet.
Fischer's two wins produced the Blackcats' only points at the state meet. Herculaneum qualified 400-, 800- and 1,600-meter relay teams, but none of those broke the top eight. The 400 relay turned in the best showing, finishing 11th.
Fischer is the second Jefferson County runner in the last several years to turn in a distance double in title races at the state meet. Alyssa Allison of Festus won the 800 and 1,600 races in 2007, the 1,600 and 3,200 in 2008 and the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 in 2009.
Even with the state wins, Fischer said her times still weren't quite what she wanted. She won the 1,600 in 5 minutes, 12.23 seconds and the 3,200 in 11:32.81. Neither time approached the personal records -- 5:05.84 and 11:08.24 -- she ran last spring as a freshman when she won Class 3 titles in both events.
Fischer admits that too much of her focus often turns to the numbers she posts.
"I put a lot of pressure on myself," she said. "I probably shouldn't; I'm trying to stop doing that. I'm trying to make my times better and better, and whenever I don't get the times I want I get upset. I've been trying not to do that as much because it's going to get me down.
"(Saturday) my times weren't the best, but I won, so I shouldn't be upset at all. So I think I'm OK with it."
Fischer sat just off the pace in the 1,600, waiting until the third lap to make a move to the front of the pack. She created a little separation over the final 400 meters until Samantha Brolaski of Mark Twain pulled even with Fischer with 100 meters remaining.
"This girl came up next to me, and I was like, ‘Aahh, I have to go now,'" Fischer said. "I guess I wasn't expecting it. I had raced her in sectionals, and I beat her by 10 seconds so I didn't see it coming. I'm glad she was there because I got a better time."
Fischer's kick left little doubt that she had shifted into cruise to try and reserve some energy for her second race.
In the 3,200, Fischer again let someone else do the dirty work through the first half of the race. Fischer was content to bide her time within striking distance of Courtney Rogers of Lutheran St. Charles.
"I didn't think I was going to have anybody because I had the fastest time by 30 seconds," Fischer said. "Then Courtney Rogers came up and led six laps. I was trying to stay calm because I knew she was going to try to take off. When we had 800 meters left, I was like, ‘OK, I have to go now.' I probably should have kicked harder too then. I just haven't been lately, I don't know why."
With two laps left, Fischer took over the lead, and she used an all-out sprint to close out the race and ensure no challengers crept up on her this time.
"Every time I would come up to her she would sprint a little further ahead," Fischer said. "I wanted to wait to make sure I knew for sure I could get a lead on her and she wouldn't come back on me. They can come back any time, and you have to make sure you're ahead just enough."
Fischer's attention immediately shifted to next fall's cross country season. She placed third at the Class 2 state cross country meet last November -- Rogers won the race -- and she was second as a freshman.
But before training can switch over, maybe Fischer will actually take some time off and enjoy the moment.
"Last year I took two days off," sher said. "This year I'll probably take more off because of my iron, and I don't want it to get low."
