Cross country and track runner, Adrian Fuentes, is his own motivator. He is determined to grow and become an amazing runner so that others are able to look up to him.

Adrian runs in the fall and track in the spring. Although he has a lot going on, he doesn’t find it difficult to balance out school, sports, hobbies, friends, and family. The main thing he looks forward to is getting to see how much his speed has improved by comparing his first track meet to his most recent one.

“I take part in the 800-meter dash. I like this race because it’s in between short distance and long distance so I get to use all of my conditioning I get from cross country and also run a little faster than usual,” Adrian said.

Adrian’s favorite thing about track and cross country is the people. He enjoys surrounding himself with people who uplift him and encourage him to grow as a person and as a runner.  Adrian looks forward to going to practice every day because he gets to see his friends who not only push him to be a better runner but who also relieve his stress and take anything negative off of his mind.

“Usually, there isn’t any drama between anyone in cross country, maybe in track but so far, everyone is getting along and we even encourage each other to run faster each practice,” Adrian said.

Adrian realized it’s a privilege to go on a bus to track meets with his friends every week. He didn’t make the team in the 7th grade, so instead of letting the negativity get to him, he worked extra hard and made the team the next year.

“Not everyone gets to participate so if you make the team, cherish the time you get to be there and make the best out of it even if you didn’t have a good race,” said Adrian. “I’ve been involved in track and cross country since 8th grade and I never take a single moment for granted, whether it’s good or bad.”

Adrian is nourishing and taking care of his body making sure it’s getting everything he needs to maintain health. He always tries to recover his body after he does a hard workout, this way, he makes sure his body is at 100% before he runs so that he can be as fast as he can in time for his meets.

“The one person I am pushing for is me. I want to run so that I can be the best version of myself possible. No one else is going to put in the work for me. So if no one does it, I’ll do it for myself.”