Hurling through the final meters of her race during the recent Grant Robison Invitational on Thursday, Oct. 16, Jocelyn Schnurbusch had one goal – finishing in under 19 minutes.
The McNary High School senior stumbled over the finish line and looked to the trackside clock, which read 18 minutes and 54 seconds.
She had beaten the school’s record…for a second time.
“Coming down the home stretch, I saw the 18 on the clock, so I just started pushing even harder,” Schnurbusch said. “Crossing the finish line, I was really happy once I saw the time.”
Schnurbusch set the varsity school record for the girls’ 5000-meter race as a freshman. She finished the race in 19 minutes and 10 seconds at the 2022 district championships.
Ever since, Schnurbusch has tried to break her record. She said staying focused was the key.
“I just focus on really being positive to myself in races, which has definitely helped. And then also especially in the penultimate, which is the second to last part of the race, that’s the hardest part of the race,” she said.
Schnurbusch explained that during a race the week before, she became discouraged after getting passed by another runner. That caused her focus to collapse and slowed her pace.
Along with overcoming the mental battle, Schnurbusch has also suffered multiple foot fractures during her career. The doctors haven’t told her why her metatarsal bones suffer damage, but it forces her to utilize alternative training methods.
“I run four days and then cross-train the other two,” she said. “Like ellipticaling, jogging, swimming, biking, that type of stuff.”
Aquajogging is a training method where athletes run in water with a floatant belt that has become a staple of Schnurbusch’s routine.
Her father, Steve Schnurbusch, says family vacations are determined by proximity to an adequate training pool. On one vacation, he fashioned his daughter an aquajogging belt out of pool noodles and duct tape.
But vacation time is a rarity for Schnurbusch, even during summer break. Preparing for the season, she joined McNary’s summer weightlifting program, which challenged athletes to train in the weight room twice a week over the summer.
This season, she said Coach Kailey Doutt helped push her toward success. Doutth set the school record before Schnurbusch. The record breakers run together during practice.
“Having a girl runner to look up to who’s been in my shoes before is really cool,” Schnurbusch said.
Aside from breaking cross country records, Schnurbusch is a member of McNary’s choir and the National Honor Society. She also takes a load of advanced placement classes.
What’s her secret?
“Just staying on top of things, making sure to do my homework as soon as I get it and not procrastinating,” she said.
Her goals include finishing a race in under 18 minutes and 50 seconds this season, placing third at conference, and seeing the girls’ cross country team qualify for state.
“I just kind of remind myself of my goals and what I want to accomplish, and I just keep going,” she said.
The Central Valley Conference championship meet was scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 29, at Western Oregon University, past presstime. Those who qualify will compete in the state championship on Saturday, Nov. 8.
News tip? Contact reporter Riley Ellis: [email protected]
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