Jordyn Colter has decided to be more smart than tough, and she’s definitely tough.
Don’t be fooled. Cherry Creek’s superlative distance runner stands all of 5-foot-1 and weighs about 80 pounds, but has displayed the speed and endurance of the elite throughout her young career. With a 4.0 grade-point average, it’s time to use her smarts.
“I need to know where to draw the line,” she said.
If Colter didn’t know as of this past Friday, she knew a day later, when she finished fourth nationally at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships in San Diego. This is a young lady who dominated Colorado’s girls cross country competition as a freshman, winning the Class 5A race, then owning the field again last fall.
However, when leading the state meet in Colorado Springs in October, she suddenly became ill and had to stop and be helped from the course. She was taken to a hospital.
“She looked so strong in the race, so it was kind of a shock,” said coach Holly Lane.
“I collapsed,” Colter said. “I was really low in sodium and my potassium level was really, really low. And my white cell blood count was high.”
Ultimately, tests for assorted potential problems were negative. Relieved, Colter moved forward knowing she had to do a better job fueling herself before a race.
“Before state, I thought I was eating good, but I was not putting enough into my body,” Colter said. “But now, I’m watching what I eat and drinking a lot more Gatorade.”
Colter, who ran San Diego’s 5K course in 17 minutes, 30 seconds, and could have challenged in assorted boys races this past fall, said she’s usually a 45-mile-per-week trainer. She plans to be smart there too.
Read more: Cherry Creek star Jordyn Colter smarter about the way she runs, trains – The Denver Post
