Senior Michelle Vu hopes to continue running for as long as she can, even when her hair starts to turn gray.

“I strive to be those really old women you see absolutely ripping it on marathons,” Vu said. “They are literally leaving people in their dust and they’re having a great time.”

If this becomes the case, then running will have played a major role in almost the entirety of Vu’s life.

“I got into running when I was running laps around my preschool playground like a madman,” Vu said.
”My dad was like, ‘oh, maybe she likes running.’ So, for my eighth birthday, my gift was joining the United Track and Field youth club.”

With 10 years of running experience, Vu has certainly made a lot of memories. This year, Vu raced all of her races as one of the top seven girls who make varsity, setting personal bests in many of her races. Through all of the wins, she is grateful that she can always count on her teammates to bring the energy.

“My favorite part is seeing those really big smiles the other girls have when they do something that’s either stupid or something that’s a huge accomplishment, and sometimes it’s a little bit of both,” Vu said. “Jumping around after we won Cool Breeze, that was amazing. I love seeing all of their smiles and all of their laughs.”

Another one of Vu’s favorite memories is the team’s annual trip up to Mammoth Lakes for summer conditioning in the altitude. There, the team participates in various bonding activities, with the talent show being a particular favorite for Vu. She loves that it allows the team to pivot from running for a bit and focus on building connections. 

“Being around the team is really great,” Vu said. “I honestly spend more time with the team than my family.”

Beside running, Vu has another hobby that has been with her for just as long: art. When she has enough time, she loves to paint and use her art as a gift to others. In fact, she used her skills to design the girls team’s post-season uniforms.

“I just think art is one of those things that’s very similar to running, where you get to process your thoughts when you’re bored on long runs,” Vu said.

While Vu has definitely had a lot of ups, she has also experienced some downs in her running career. Along with others, Vu has dealt with plantar fasciitis, a painful inflammation in the heel, and low iron levels, a prevalent issue among female runners.

“My doctor told me as a nine year old that I just wasn’t built for running,” Vu said. “One time Coach White made a joke, because I kept complaining about different injuries. He was like, ‘you’re just a random wheel of injuries. You spin it each day, and then you have a different injury.’”

With so many setbacks affecting her training, Vu had to find ways to overcome the challenges. She ignored the doctor who told her that she wasn’t meant to run and took matters into her own hands, taking iron supplements, fueling with the high volume of nutritious food needed for distance running and taking care of her body outside of practice. Luckily, since starting these practices, Vu hasn’t experienced any new injuries and has also devoted more time to one of her other favorite hobbies.

“I do like to cook and bake a bit. With learning how to eat and what to eat as an athlete, cooking my own meals is really helpful with that,” Vu said. “I’ve got a major sweet tooth, so my favorite recipes are definitely from baking.”

With her passion for art and cooking, creative, hands-on projects are definitely dear to Vu. She loves anything art-related, from visiting museums to listening to movie soundtracks to relaxing with a good TV show or movie in her free time.

“My favorite movie is ‘La La Land,’ hands down. The art is great, the acting is great, the music is great,” Vu said. “My favorite TV show is ‘How I Met Your Mother,’ because my brother introduced me to it when I was teeny tiny, so it’s like a comfort show.”

One of the biggest mottos that Vu lives by daily she actually learned while playing the piano: don’t let anything make you stop loving the things you love. Struggling to enjoy playing in competitions, her teacher told her that if she didn’t actually enjoy what she was doing, there was no point in doing it because then it would just ruin her love for piano for the rest of her life. Now, Vu applies this to all of her activities, finding a balance between achievement and enjoyment to ensure she will always appreciate the things she loves.

Luckily, Vu seems to have struck that balance with cross country, truly finding attachment to not only the sport, but especially the people that come with it.

“I just think cross country is one of the best sports on campus team-wise. I know it gets kind of tedious because we’re just running, but you get to know so many great people, and I’m really, really glad I got to have this experience.”

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.