Senior girls cross country captain Sophia Lara’s running journey began in elementary school. Initially focused on sprints with her club team, the Thousand Oaks Flyers, Lara decided to build up her stamina and tested out cross country her freshman year. However, the team that started as a way for her to fulfill PE credits quickly became like a second family to her.
“My favorite part is how collaborative the sport is, even though people don’t think so,” Lara said. “Having a support system every day through every workout is really nice because running is such a mental game, and to have people that can snap you out of the bad moments is really important for your own success.”
This year, Lara took on the role as one of the team captains. Her favorite part about being a leader on the team is helping younger runners find their way in the sport. Once brand-new to cross country herself, she has loved being a resource for new members to come to with all of their questions.
“To be able to ease those worries is really rewarding,” Lara said. “It also just shows me how far I’ve come in the past couple years, and how lucky I am to be able to pass knowledge onto girls that will continue running this sport even after I graduate.”
The team is constantly fostering an environment of connectedness and support, from practice all the way to the start line. One tradition in particular has never failed to help Lara get into the right headspace before every race: their pre-race huddle and chant.
“Having those last moments where we’re all together before we all get separated in the mess of a race is really reassuring to me,” Lara said.
While the team has traditions that have been passed down through generations of runners, Lara has also developed brand-new rituals that have become important to her pre-race routine.
“Recently, I started to have my best friend, Naomi, braid my hair in [two dutch braids into a ponytail],” Lara said. “Just before the race, it’s just a time for the two of us, and she’ll braid my hair real quick. It’s always done me good in a race, and that’s the hairstyle we stuck to since we started it.”
Throughout her four years on the team, one race stands out to her as her favorite memory. Her junior year, Lara ran her personal best time at the Woodbridge Invitational, a nation-wide meet held in Irvine famously known for its fast course.
“I ran the entire race with Naomi, and we were together the whole time. I felt really proud of myself and surprised myself so much,” Lara said. “I knew all the hard work had built up to that–all the injury and sickness and medical stuff that I had gone through just to reach that point–it was a really high point in my career.”
Like many others, Lara’s path to her peak was not linear, and to say that she persevered through hardships would be an understatement. Her sophomore year, she began experiencing discouraging setbacks in her athletic career, starting with a substantial hip injury. From there, new problems seemed to keep springing up.
“The start of my races would be really good, but once I got to the end, the coaches said it almost looked like I lost color in my face and that I was completely dying out,” Lara said. “We had no idea, and it was really discouraging as an athlete to work really hard and to not get that outcome that you think you’re getting.”
While taking a break from running, Lara took a blood test to learn more about what was behind her confusing performance in races. Her results came back with dangerously low levels of ferritin, a protein that stores iron in your blood. This discovery opened the eyes of Lara and the coaches to the detrimental effects of low iron in runners, and soon, they encouraged the other girls on the team to get tested, too..
“I like to say that I started the iron revolution on the cross country team,” Lara said. “The coaches eventually ended up getting more people tested for iron on our team, and now it’s a regular thing. When you join the team, you should be looking out for your iron.”
Despite finding the root of the problem, the recovery back to baseline was slow, making Lara impatient to return to the sport she loved. Luckily, things ended up working out.
“It was really frustrating to try and continue training and get through my season, but it ended up paying off really well,” Lara said. “My junior season was my best season of my high school career, and I could honestly feel the difference as well. It’s very nice to figure out what’s going on with you.”
With the discovery of her iron deficiency, Lara and the coaches decided a cross-training schedule would work best for her. Rather than running super long distances six days a week, Lara figured out a regime that maximizes her performance while also accommodating her extremely busy schedule.
“I always fill my day and my time up with anything,” Lara said. “I barely have enough time to breathe.”
When she isn’t running or studying, Lara is working her part-time job as a Starbucks barista or going to church. There, she helps prepare kids for the sacrament of Confirmation, goes to Bible study, manages the church’s social media account and is a peer minister for the youth group.
“Being a Catholic is a really huge part of my identity, and I take a lot of pride in it,” Lara said.
With the little free time she has, Lara loves to fill it with quality time with her loved ones.
“I really like intentional time with other people, like getting to hang out with people, going for a smoothie or a coffee or having a rewarding fit day,” Lara said. “I’m a very social person, and person-to-person connection is a really big thing for me. So whenever I get to do that alongside other fun things–like shopping or swimming or tanning–any of that is so my vibe.”
When going out for a lunch date with friends, her go-to place is Sweetgreen in the Westlake Promenade. Just down the street from her gym, it is a convenient and delicious option that has one of her favorite foods: a filling, hearty salad.
“I typically get their harvest bowl, and I add warm sweet potatoes because I really, really love sweet potatoes. I need extra all the time,” Lara said.
One of the most valuable things Lara has taken away from cross country is a new perspective that has helped her shift her definition of success–a mindset that can not only be applied to running and sports, but to all other aspects of life.
“I definitely realized this year that not every season is going to be your best season and that you can’t always have a good race,” Lara said. “A race could not go your way, but you can focus on things like [pacing the race evenly or passing someone at the end]. So, focus on little things to make yourself proud, because you won’t always be proud of your time.”
This article is part of a larger collection of stories covering the girls cross country seniors. Check out the other seniors in the sports section on our website.
