This week we talk with Principia College cross country runner Nina Martinez and her impressive start to the 2026 season. She also discusses her love of running and how she brings her orchestra skills into her training for athletics.

WHAT CHANGES DID YOU MAKE THIS OFF-SEASON TO HAVE SUCH A GOOD START TO THE 2026 SEASON
I mean, there's so many different factors that change in life, so it's hard to pinpoint just one. But I always try to do some injury prevention by like stretching. I joined Dance Pride last semester and so we did a lot of stretches with like you know, like so exercises where you use the band and then you just like point your toe and stuff like that. And so it really targets
the little muscles that usually get like no attention and training plans. So I think that might have helped. And then I think two summers ago I did run hell on gravel, which is a marathon
like in the middle of summer. And so it really helps to prepare you to run in the heat. And just the training that goes into that, I think that help to increase my endurance. But like, obviously I don't want to be marathon training to prepare for a cross-country season. And so I think last season was not as strong for me because, you know, I was not in the right mindset of like just jogging for hours rather than like really racing. And so I think, yeah, I just having built that endurance as a base and then continuing to grow from there as like, like doing more speed work really helps.


SUPPORT LEADS TO SUCCESS
And I'm just so grateful to my coaches, like they always are there for me if I need to, like, talk about something or like figure out, like,how can I make this work for me? And I think just staying active in all areas of life, like swimming, rock climbing, it really helps to just put that joy to movement. And I love my teammates. Like being there with friends and people that, like I can trust is really nice. And I think I've been able to go all out a little bit more this semester because my first two years at college, I was nervous about running around on my own because I'm kind of most of the time I'm in that middle group where it's like, I'm not like fast enough to keep up with the fast group, and I'm not slow enough to, like, stick with the rest of the group. And so I usually end up running by myself. And so I was nervous about, like, running on my own, because what if a dog chases me? What do I do? And so now I know, like the security's number. So I can just call them. And that extra layer of like reassurance, like, okay, so I have someone to call on along with my coaches and just the whole support system I have here at Principia means a lot to me. And so I think another thing is just being excited and like going all out rather than like trying to like, I don't want to be too anxious rather than refusing to feel any feeling like just really working with my nerves and like saying like, not feel anything nerves and being like, yeah, I'm nervous, but it's excitement. I can use this to run faster.

COMPETING INDIVIDUALLY, BUT AS A TEAM
So I think a lot of the time, like, I want to run with my teammates. And so like, I like don't always focus on my pace. Although I think like if a coach tells me, hey, you got to run this pace, that's what I shoot for. It's like, okay, I don't want to go any slower than that. I can go faster than that. But like, if I'm below 7:15, like, I got to kick it up a notch. All right. But I think that aspect of cross-country where it's like, yes, it's and like you're competing with yourself, but you're there as a team. And so how I interpret that is like, okay, I really want to cheer on my teammates. I want to like, be able to run with them when I can. And, yeah, I guess I, I don't really think about conference too much because like, my goal with cross-country is to, like, make it a lifelong sport rather than just trying to, like, go out for gold, like I want it to be incorporated into my lifestyle. So I guess I don't know, like conference is huge. I think it's great when we get to go, but not like and I'll be all like, I'm going to be super mad or upset if I don't get it. If I don't get it, that's fine. I can try again next year and cheer
on the teammates who did get it.

PREPARING FOR DIFFERENT DISTANCES
I just think, okay, I'll have to like, push a little more for longer on this race. And so when I get to 3.2 miles, I'm not thinking, oh, the finish is around the corner. No, I have to be like,
okay, there's still like half a mile left. There's still like, I still have to have a little bit left to kick it at the end and, and push the pace. So I guess, like, still like trying to keep, like a fast pace, and then like, making sure I have energy to go faster at the end. Yeah. I don't know how to explain it, but I think, yeah, it's just like, I follow the training plan my coaches give me and they set me up really well.

GETTING STARTED IN RUNNING
Yeah, so I started running in middle school in sixth grade. Joined because my mom wanted me to be an athlete. And I was like, well, I feel like there's a lot more injuries in these other sports. Like with basketball being on the court, it's like hard on your shins or it's like all that, like pounding goes straight to your joints. But with cross-country, it's great because you run in the grass. It's kind of like free room, like you get to like, have this big range of, like where you can run to if you want, like when you're training. And so I think that aspect is great. And then, yeah, I just always really admired like, runners. So I was like, these are the people I want to be around. Like this. This is who my role model is. So that's like what I'm working towards to develop in myself. And so, yeah. And middle school, I thought cross-country was a great choice. It went hand in hand with like my schedule with being an orchestra and band and like all the classes I wanted to take, like there's room for all. When I was a runner and. Yeah. So I think that's sixth grade, seventh grade, eighth grade. I didn't do it freshman year of high school because of COVID, and I was like, nobody on that team got it, or anything. But I was concerned, so I didn't do it freshman year. But I did join back in sophomore year and junior, senior, freshman and sophomore year. So I think this is my ninth year as a junior in college.

BEING A VIOLINIST
I love performing in an orchestra. I feel like being together. Like I get to be very, like, fully present, like, attentive to what the group is doing. And, like, you get to practice using those, like, small social cues to, like, see, okay, are they about to play like, you know, have they like taken their breath to like start and like it's just so expressive and it's a great outlet for like, I don't know if I'm getting frustrated. Like sometimes I get frustrated with the music, but sometimes it's like kind of an escape for like or an outlet for if I like, feel something I can like really dig in or,or I can kind of like play it like, you know, like relax. Like I put the energy that I have into it, like, and my mom's an orchestra teacher. And so just like as a kid,I always like hanging around her. And I see all these, like, high schoolers where it's like, oh, they're so cool. They play an instrument. I want to do that too. And so I got to start on that like a little baby violin, a little five year old. It sounded horrible, but it's okay because it's a kid's cute. But I definitely got to, like, develop as a musician. And it's something that you have to develop. It doesn't come right away. And so I think running is very similar to that where it's like it's kind of like gradual progress and sometimes there's like little dips where, yeah, I did not run very well. I, I ended up walking and like you can kind of review like okay, well what did well go well and what did it go. Well. And so yeah, I just. Yeah. And I think it takes a lot of attention because you stay you have to stay focused on the course. Something I do, I used to do, like, as a beginner, like my, my old coach, Mrs.Janda. Like, she always tell me to stop smiling. And I'd always say thank you. Like, after someone cheered for me, I'd be like, oh, thank you. But I was, like, paying too much attention to, like, other people while I was trying to run, and I think something that does help is just staying focused on the course and not, you know, like trying to receive everything that people are, like, telling me, like, well, I'm trying to run like like it's nice and I do appreciate it, but yeah, being able to maintain focus is important in both orchestra and running.