Azad Jalali - Falmouth HS
My two recent meets will probably be the most memorable. At states I was happy just to have made it to the end of the season healthy and in-shape, and my long-anticipated PRs in the 8 and 4x4 were icing on the cake. That was also when I realized how much I’ll miss Maine running. I’m by no means a superstar runner, but T&F in Maine is so intimate that I would still find myself striking up conversation with parents and athletes who knew me and who I knew. That’s an incredible environment that I may never be part of again, but I’m glad I got to experience it. My other most memorable race was the 2013 Falmouth Chocolate Milk Mile, mostly so I can plug it for next year. Tell your friends!
Out of all of your high school accomplishments, which stands out the most? Managing to go a whole year without getting roped into running the 2 mile or 3200.
If you could do it all over again what would you change about your running career in high school? My training wasn’t perfect, nor were my races, but my real regret was not being able to relax during meets. I became caught up in PRing and memorizing Milesplit rankings and ended up a nervous wreck the day of any race, no matter how inconsequential it was. This season I’ve been a lot better about not stressing out about my races, and it’s made track WAY more fun.
What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome? It’s a tie between my combined 10 months of injury and the three minutes of puking I experienced on the fourth lap of the chocolate milk mile this year. Overcoming the former was really just a matter of reevaluating my priorities in running to become committed to the concept of running as a goal unto itself, rather than to hit certain times (2 minutes) or beat certain people (Spencer Brown). Ultimately it cost me a second or two at most in PRs, but taught me a lot of valuable lessons. Overcoming the latter was a matter of realizing I was about to come in last to a field of predominantly underclassmen and out-of-shape alumni. Ultimately it cost me a partially digested quesadilla that will be sorely missed. Yeah, it was definitely the CMM.
What will you miss the most? My teammates, my coaches, milesplit, that quesadilla: all of these things and more have made an impact on my
life that will never be forgotten. Even if I one day forget their names, I will never forget their lessons, their cheesy centers, the occasional uncooked piece of chicken you’d find in the midst of the creamy filling that you’d eat anyway because sometimes struggles like that have to be swallowed along with the good stuff. That’s a lesson I will never forget, O $2 Trader Joe’s Quesadilla. Farewell.
What advice you would give to younger athletes? I’d answer this in the same vein as my answer to what I’d change if I could start over again. To any budding milesplit stalkers that are reading this, heed my advice: staring at charts of PRs for hours on end IS a lot of fun, I know, but don’t let it consume you. If you’re ever standing on the line and thinking about anyone’s performance but yours, you done goofed.
What influence has your coach had with respect to your performance and overall life goals? Mr. Paul and Jorma are amazing coaches and people. It would do them a disservice for me to try to distill every lesson they’ve provided into one paragraph. What I will say is that the greatest lesson they taught me is that it really is possible to enjoy running for its own sake well into adulthood, an idea that will be relevant for the better part of my life, well beyond the end of my track and field career.
What are your college plans? I’ll be attending Case Western Reserve University to major in engineering and run middle distance, probably focusing on the 400 and 800.
Who would you like to say thank you to? Jorma and Mr. Paul, I wish I could have another 4 years with them; all of my teammates from over the years except for Bryce Murdick, for being awesome dudes all the time; Bryce Murdick, for being an okay dude most of the time; whoever composed I’ll Make a Man Out Of You for reasons that need not be elaborated on; and everyone who has contributed to https://me.milesplit.com, especially Derek, for helping maintain one of the best online track communities that any state can lay claim to.
Personal Bests
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1,000 Meter Run 2:54.40
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1,600 Meter Run 4:44.28
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Two Mile Run 10:57.35
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Three Mile Run 18:05.00
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400 Meter Dash 53.25
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5,000 Meter Run 17:50.81
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800 Meter Run 2:00.69
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One Mile Run 4:43.20
