BLOG 12: Muir puts heartbreak behind her; earns All-American honor

By Sandy Gholston

Ferris State University sophomore distance runner Tina Muir and teammate Mikinzie Stuart signify their fourth-place, All-American finishes at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field National Championships in San Angelo, Texas

BIG RAPIDS – The sting of missing out on All-American honors during indoor track and field nationals both pained and motivated Ferris runner Tina Muir.

Muir, just a sophomore, carried with her the memories of the indoor track and field season through all her workouts and to San Angelo, Texas for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Her focus paid off as Muir finsihed fourth in the 5,000-meter run, clocking a time of 16:56.92, to become an All-American – erasing the demons that haunted her since the indoor national championships.

“Indoor for me was heartbreaking. I had raced so well all season and to have a bad race at the most important meet was devastating. But, it gave me that extra drive during practice to push harder so that it would not happen again,” Muir said. “To achieve All-American, in outdoor track, is a great honor on its own, but I would never have dreamed I would come in the top five.

Added Muir, “because of a silly mistake in indoor nationals, I became more determined to achieve All-American status in outdoor to make up for it. I definitely feel as though I have proved to myself and others that I am not just a cross-country runner (she earned All-American honors during the fall of 2008 in the sport) who struggles through track, but (that) I am able to compete at a level that is on par with my long term goals.”

Muir made sure not to put too much pressure on herself. She wanted to be sure to enjoy the experience of competing at the outdoor national championships – perhaps alleviating some pressure she put on herself.

“Nationals were a lot of fun and even though it was tiring having to run prelims and finals, it was exciting to compete among the best knowing that you had to be prepared for anything or you may not even get into the finals,” said Muir, a native of St. Albans in the United Kingdom. “To know where you stand in (Division II) is a great feeling and after working so hard and dedicating my life to the sport, I definitely feel it paid off.”

Coming toward the finish, in the 5,000 finals, Muir knew she had run a strong race. But, the results were better even than she had anticipated.

“As I crossed over the finish line I was convinced I had achieved fifth place and I was ecstatic with this result. But, when I was told that I came in fourth I was amazed,” Muir said. “A year ago, I did not even make the provisional time to qualify for nationals and just one short year later to come in fourth in the final is incredible. As Mikinzie (Stuart, her track and field teammate) had already achieved a fourth-place finish in the 1,500-meter run, the atmosphere between us and our coach (Steve Picucci) was electric.”

Muir, who has a bright running future ahead of her, will not soon forget that feeling.

“It is the best feeling in the world when you are able to achieve your goals and fuel that determination to set your goals even higher,” she said.

If you have any questions, ideas or comments feel free to contact Sandy Gholston at sgholston2@netzero.com