The second or third mile of a cross country race is a very specific type of pain.

Unlike team sports with timeouts and huddles, cross country athletes can’t take breaks. To excel in brutal courses like Crystal Springs, the Saint Francis girls cross country team masters three fundamental pillars: compartmentalizing pain, positive self-talk, and separating the sport from their daily lives.

Each runner handles isolation differently, with Cora Ritger (’28) breaking up the race into manageable sections. She likes to focus on “getting to the next landmark,” whether it be a tree or the top of a hill, so “the pain feels temporary.” Juliet Stoelker (’28), on the other hand, approaches the wall with a competitive edge, turning the stretch into a mental game. “I like to be a gamer and figure out which girls I need to stick with or attack and get up to the position I need to get to,” Stoelker said. “I know somewhere on the course they are hurting just as much as me and we are in this together.”

The individual grit begins at the starting line where pre-race anxiety can paralyze a runner. Ritger reminds herself that she “has done harder things and that it will be all over soon.” Juliet, meanwhile, reframes the concept of jitters entirely: “Nerves are just your insides clapping for you… adrenaline pumping through your heart.”

During the grueling silence of a race, both rely on mental anchors: Ritger leans on her faith with the phrase “through God all things are possible,” and Stoelker hums upbeat songs like “Titanium” or “Fireball” to maintain a motivational rhythm.

Balancing those exhausting miles with the rigorous academic pressure of a Saint Francis school day demands strict mental boundaries. Stoelker avoids “cross contamination” by switching gears between school and practice. Ritger also treats each part of her day as a mental break from the rest, compartmentalizing each task in her routine.

When asked how she keeps negative performances from affecting her self-worth, Stoelker said, “I am a runner as well as a daughter, sister, swimmer, basketball player, singer, and friend. I will not let one race on one day change who I am as a person because I am so much more than just a runner.” Ultimately, as cross-country athletes constantly chasing a personal record, these girls know that endurance isn’t just about how long your legs can carry you, but how your mind toughens up to weather the storm.