SE: As End of Season Nears, K-State XC Senior Emma Wren Reflects on Growth as Wildcat
Oct 23, 2018 | Cross Country, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Emma Wren goes through it all the time, thinking back on her freshman self. A senior for K-State's cross country team now, she can best sum up her reflection in two words.
"It's crazy," said Wren, with two cross country meets left in her career in Friday's Big 12 Championship in Ames, Iowa, followed by the NCAA Midwest Regional in Peoria, Illinois, on November 9.
As a freshman, Wren passed out before she could finish the NCAA Midwest Regional at Lawrence's Rim Rock Farm, a product of intense race anxiety. It forced her to finish the day in a hospital.
Wren returned to the Rim Rock course this season for the first time since that forgettable freshman day. This time, she finished. And not only did she finish, she placed sixth overall and second on her team.
"To approach that spot on the course (where I passed out), and (remember) how that happened… but I'm a different person today," she said. "Feeling strong on that course, finishing it and feeling good about what I put out there was really awesome. It was a good feeling, definitely a sense of accomplishment. I was telling Coach Ryun (Godfrey) going into that, 'I want redemption at KU.'"
Early in her freshman year, Wren said she was "so scared of getting injured" that she supplemented cross-training workouts, mostly in the pool, for some of her cross country regimen. A conversation after the season with Godfrey — "We need to spend less time in the pool and more time running," she remembers being told — and the guidance of former Wildcats Morgan Wedekind and Kayla Doll — "If you want to get faster, you need to run," Wren recalled hearing from them — helped her buy in.
"It meant getting slower in the pool, of course," Wren laughed, "but I definitely saw a big jump. Each year my mileage has built up a little bit more, and I've done the highest I've ever done this year. It's really cool to look at these weeks and walk away feeling good about, like, 'I just ran 83 miles last week,' and still feeling strong and excited to run fast."
Wren's transformation became even more tangible on February 23 and 24, last season's Big 12 Indoor Championship. Both days she accomplished a feat that she said was "for a long time, definitely something I never thought of myself as capable of doing." She scored in the 1,500-meter run, finishing sixth.
"My whole goal that season was for them to want to take me as an individual that meet," Wren said. "I wasn't thinking about scoring in it."
Now, she's thinking about how much she grew to get there.
She goes back to buying into the training and how she changed her mental approach to competing. She set small goals, like breaking the five-minute barrier in the mile or upping her mileage each summer. She tackled each toward bigger accomplishments, like scoring at a conference meet.
"I am really grateful for Coach Ryun, my teammates and my family," Wren said, "for believing in me these past four years to realize my potential."
Pondering her journey, she said, creates a mix of emotions. She's excited for what's to come, notably her final track and field seasons, yet sad for what's about to end, her time in a cross country uniform.
"It's definitely bittersweet. I'm going to really miss being part of that team and going to those meets," she said. "I'm definitely just going to enjoy it and finish strong. At this point, why not go for it? It's been a good ride. No regrets."
Emma Wren goes through it all the time, thinking back on her freshman self. A senior for K-State's cross country team now, she can best sum up her reflection in two words.
"It's crazy," said Wren, with two cross country meets left in her career in Friday's Big 12 Championship in Ames, Iowa, followed by the NCAA Midwest Regional in Peoria, Illinois, on November 9.
As a freshman, Wren passed out before she could finish the NCAA Midwest Regional at Lawrence's Rim Rock Farm, a product of intense race anxiety. It forced her to finish the day in a hospital.
Wren returned to the Rim Rock course this season for the first time since that forgettable freshman day. This time, she finished. And not only did she finish, she placed sixth overall and second on her team.
"To approach that spot on the course (where I passed out), and (remember) how that happened… but I'm a different person today," she said. "Feeling strong on that course, finishing it and feeling good about what I put out there was really awesome. It was a good feeling, definitely a sense of accomplishment. I was telling Coach Ryun (Godfrey) going into that, 'I want redemption at KU.'"
Early in her freshman year, Wren said she was "so scared of getting injured" that she supplemented cross-training workouts, mostly in the pool, for some of her cross country regimen. A conversation after the season with Godfrey — "We need to spend less time in the pool and more time running," she remembers being told — and the guidance of former Wildcats Morgan Wedekind and Kayla Doll — "If you want to get faster, you need to run," Wren recalled hearing from them — helped her buy in.
"It meant getting slower in the pool, of course," Wren laughed, "but I definitely saw a big jump. Each year my mileage has built up a little bit more, and I've done the highest I've ever done this year. It's really cool to look at these weeks and walk away feeling good about, like, 'I just ran 83 miles last week,' and still feeling strong and excited to run fast."
Wren's transformation became even more tangible on February 23 and 24, last season's Big 12 Indoor Championship. Both days she accomplished a feat that she said was "for a long time, definitely something I never thought of myself as capable of doing." She scored in the 1,500-meter run, finishing sixth.
"My whole goal that season was for them to want to take me as an individual that meet," Wren said. "I wasn't thinking about scoring in it."
Now, she's thinking about how much she grew to get there.
She goes back to buying into the training and how she changed her mental approach to competing. She set small goals, like breaking the five-minute barrier in the mile or upping her mileage each summer. She tackled each toward bigger accomplishments, like scoring at a conference meet.
"I am really grateful for Coach Ryun, my teammates and my family," Wren said, "for believing in me these past four years to realize my potential."
Pondering her journey, she said, creates a mix of emotions. She's excited for what's to come, notably her final track and field seasons, yet sad for what's about to end, her time in a cross country uniform.
"It's definitely bittersweet. I'm going to really miss being part of that team and going to those meets," she said. "I'm definitely just going to enjoy it and finish strong. At this point, why not go for it? It's been a good ride. No regrets."
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
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