Isaac Krueger: Running through life
By Sam Hays
Many don’t understand the full extent of running for a team. It’s often seen as a personal hobby that people dread participating in because of how hard running is. However, it’s much deeper than that. Owasso High School senior Isaac Krueger has found himself woven into the middle of this blissful yet grueling sport.
Photo of Isaac Krueger, taken by Douglas Baughman
But how did it all begin?
“I played soccer from when I was three until freshman year, so in elementary school and especially middle school, we would race before practice around the soccer complex for conditioning, and I was pretty good and enjoyed the challenge,.” Krueger explains.
Krueger was able to discover that he had a natural talent for running.
“In elementary school, I loved Track and Field day every year, and I would run 5ks with my family every now and then, too. Then I joined Striders going into 7th grade and fell in love with everything about running and the culture surrounding it.”
Pushing your body to the absolute limit and not seeing instant results is what Krueger loves about running.
“The interesting thing about the sport of running is that it is all on you. There's a direct correlation with how much work you put in and how good or great you become. Through my years of running, I've fallen in love with this process of delayed gratification,.” Krueger states.
This type of philosophy can be applied to all things in life. Most of the time, people won't see results immediately. It takes patience and the ability to foretell the result. Krueger knows that through his hard work at practice, he will see it all come together at the end of the season when it all matters.
Krueger explains, “Coach Collins really coaches the mindset just as much as the actual running and fitness part of cross and track because mental strength is just as important, if not even more important, than physical strength.”
Photo of Isaac Krueger, taken by Douglas Baughman
Krueger explains, “Coach Collins really coaches the mindset just as much as the actual running and fitness part of cross and track because mental strength is just as important, if not even more important, than physical strength.”
Krueger takes this to heart in whatever he puts his mind to. It’s pretty tough to run all by yourself. Luckily, he’s not alone. The teammates that come with running are an essential part of Cross country.
“Team culture is huge in cross country because every day is a grind that mentally and physically drains you. If everyone came in every day alone and took all the pain and struggle on themselves, it would be miserable,” exclaims Krueger.
The team is what made Krueger who he is today. And he, in return, makes his team better , like a fantastic teammate should. He knows how hard it is to get up at 5:20 AM on a Monday morning and show up to run, but these challenges don’t stop him from being the best he can possibly be. In whatever Krueger puts his mind to, he knows he will succeed by taking the steps necessary to consistently improve as he approaches his goal.