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Leading up to a race, Madison Muller performs what she likes to call "niche superstitions."
She has to do her "little shake-out run," which is a simple short and easy jog. Then, Muller always has to have Caesar salad with chicken the night before raceday, a habit she picked up in middle school, when everyone else picked a pasta dish. After a "really, really early" bedtime, she does another shake-out run before donning the same jewelry, sports bra, and hairstyle.
And Muller plans to perform those same superstitions again as she races at one of the biggest meets of her career. Muller is competing in the one and two-mile events at the Under Armour Track & Field Nationals at IMG Academy, taking place from Friday, May 29, to Sunday, May 31. The meet features the top athletes in the nation who qualify based on their performance marks.
"We've been taking it a little bit harder these past few weeks," Muller said, later adding, "I've been lifting a little heavier. My workouts have been a little bit harder, a little bit more mileage...lots of recovery, lots of sleep, eating a lot of food."
Following the FHSAA Class 4A Track & Field State Championships on May 9, Muller has been preparing exclusively for the event following a dominant sophomore season.
Muller excelled in both cross country and track at Riverview. She won the Class 4A state championship race in 17:37.2, beating her closest competitor by 22.6 seconds. She also won a district title at the 4A-Region 3 meet. Muller was named The Herald-Tribune's Cross Country Runner of the Year.
At the Class 4A Track & Field State Championship, Muller placed second in the 3200-meter, running a 10:31.95. She also helped set a new school record in the 4x800 relay, placing third with a 9:10.01.
She plans to use lessons from this past season as she races at IMG.
"Obviously, this meet is going to be a lot bigger than some of the meets I've been racing in earlier in the season," Muller said. "I'm trying to go in with a different game plan, and kind of go in with a different mindset, and work on running my race a lot more."
Despite the success and school records, Muller still does a lot of self-reflection, understanding the things that didn't "work out for her."
Muller said she's hard on herself. So, she'll often debrief with her coaches and talk to her parents to better her mindset, something Muller said she's struggled with the last few weeks, especially, and throughout the past season. Muller relies on the people around her to help her not only do better next time, but also realize that what she's saying to herself is "not always the reality."
"I've learned that I need to focus on myself and not focus on everyone else around me," Muller said. "Don't try to run everyone else's race and just run my race, which I get caught up in, 'Oh, this person can kick, so I got to kick now,' or, 'This person's going out hard, so I have to go out with them.' You can't do that."
She's working to get out of her head when something doesn't go according to plan because "nothing's gonna go according to plan when you get into the race."
So, as her race approaches, Muller will prepare for the things she can. She'll eat a Caesar salad, put on the same clothes, and do her hair just right. Then, she wants to focus on her, trusting her performance and herself.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Riverview's Madison Muller set for national Under Armour track event at IMG
Continue reading...
She has to do her "little shake-out run," which is a simple short and easy jog. Then, Muller always has to have Caesar salad with chicken the night before raceday, a habit she picked up in middle school, when everyone else picked a pasta dish. After a "really, really early" bedtime, she does another shake-out run before donning the same jewelry, sports bra, and hairstyle.
And Muller plans to perform those same superstitions again as she races at one of the biggest meets of her career. Muller is competing in the one and two-mile events at the Under Armour Track & Field Nationals at IMG Academy, taking place from Friday, May 29, to Sunday, May 31. The meet features the top athletes in the nation who qualify based on their performance marks.
"We've been taking it a little bit harder these past few weeks," Muller said, later adding, "I've been lifting a little heavier. My workouts have been a little bit harder, a little bit more mileage...lots of recovery, lots of sleep, eating a lot of food."
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Following the FHSAA Class 4A Track & Field State Championships on May 9, Muller has been preparing exclusively for the event following a dominant sophomore season.
Muller excelled in both cross country and track at Riverview. She won the Class 4A state championship race in 17:37.2, beating her closest competitor by 22.6 seconds. She also won a district title at the 4A-Region 3 meet. Muller was named The Herald-Tribune's Cross Country Runner of the Year.
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At the Class 4A Track & Field State Championship, Muller placed second in the 3200-meter, running a 10:31.95. She also helped set a new school record in the 4x800 relay, placing third with a 9:10.01.
She plans to use lessons from this past season as she races at IMG.
"Obviously, this meet is going to be a lot bigger than some of the meets I've been racing in earlier in the season," Muller said. "I'm trying to go in with a different game plan, and kind of go in with a different mindset, and work on running my race a lot more."
Despite the success and school records, Muller still does a lot of self-reflection, understanding the things that didn't "work out for her."
Muller said she's hard on herself. So, she'll often debrief with her coaches and talk to her parents to better her mindset, something Muller said she's struggled with the last few weeks, especially, and throughout the past season. Muller relies on the people around her to help her not only do better next time, but also realize that what she's saying to herself is "not always the reality."
"I've learned that I need to focus on myself and not focus on everyone else around me," Muller said. "Don't try to run everyone else's race and just run my race, which I get caught up in, 'Oh, this person can kick, so I got to kick now,' or, 'This person's going out hard, so I have to go out with them.' You can't do that."
She's working to get out of her head when something doesn't go according to plan because "nothing's gonna go according to plan when you get into the race."
So, as her race approaches, Muller will prepare for the things she can. She'll eat a Caesar salad, put on the same clothes, and do her hair just right. Then, she wants to focus on her, trusting her performance and herself.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Riverview's Madison Muller set for national Under Armour track event at IMG
Continue reading...
