Athlete of the Week: Run, Haven, Run!

s Haven Jones is one athlete who has benefited early on from being physically active. In elementary school, Jones was constantly surrounded by other children who engaged in races on the playground. After lending herself to this kind of play, Jones eventually fell in love with a sport that allowed her mind to expand and her feet to get creative.  

Now a senior, Jones has transformed herself into an innovator, someone who works hard during all the activities that her coaches include in practice while supporting her teammates both on and off the field. As long as she continues to race, Jones hopes to carry on this inspiring message: “You must always strive for your best.”

Jones shares her secrets for motivation, success, and what it means to compete for Algonquin, all with Northborough Patch.

Tell us about your mental preparation before a race.

A lot of my preparation revolves around my teammates. My fellow 55-runner, Megan Davis, and I, have a bit of a routine that we do before every race. We run together, we jump up and down to get our legs moving. That’s how we pump ourselves up. Before the 4x200m relay, someone on our team always gives an inspirational speech followed by, a sequence of high-fives before we leave to go to our zones. But once I’m on the track, I just focus on how it will feel to finish the race  and try not to let the other competitors psych me out.  

What would you say is the most important factor to succeed?

If I had to choose, it would be personal drive. In my opinion, real achievement doesn’t come from racing the competition. It comes from yourself. I think success has a lot to do with how much you’re willing to push yourself regardless of who’s running next to you.

Do your coaches and teammates have anything to do with that?

Yes, definitely! Without my great teammates and coaches, I wouldn’t have the power to push myself to do my best every single race. Everyone on our team motivates each other and the coaches remind me and the team not to focus on how good the competition is, but instead to work on personal achievement. So in those ways, my team has been key to any success I’ve had.  

Anyone you look forward to meeting?

Well, I guess I’d like to meet Usain Bolt and ask him how he got so fast. Who knows, maybe I’d challenge him to a race! 

What running shoes would you wear against him?

I have a great pair of Asics Spikes. They were actually a birthday present from some of my really good friends last year. They’re really lightweight, so I feel so much faster at meets than I do at practice. 

I heard you’re also a terrific student. How do you manage your time between track and studying?

Academics are really my main focus. But, I’ve found that being part of a track team actually makes me a better student. Since we practice everyday and often have meets during the weekends, I’ve had to teach myself how to manage my time properly so I can get all my homework done. I guess you could say that track has made me a more efficient student. 

What is your advice on getting a good start at the beginning of a race?

When you get in the blocks, you just have to be ready to sprint out and get a good long first step as soon as the gun goes off. You don’t want to be behind from the very start of the race. Block starts really take a lot of technique - you have to learn how to keep your  back and head down, and your arms in as you accelerate.  The only real advice I could give is practice, practice, practice! 

You have a personal best this season (7.3 seconds in the 55m dash) - is that your most memorable achievement?

Although running a 7.3 is really exciting for me, I think my most memorable track achievement was making it to the State meet last year for the 55m (our 4x200m team made it, too). It was just so exciting to have the chance to run with the fastest girls in the state. I placed 10th last year, and I’m hoping to qualify for this year’s state meet - which is on Saturday, so I can see if I can improve on that.