SE: Jackson Schroeder Feeling Like Himself Again, Running Well for K-State XC
Nov 12, 2019 | Cross Country, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Most of the time Jackson Schroeder has been at K-State, he hasn't felt like himself. His more common states: Fatigued or injured; or fatigued and injured.
Which made his first performance at the 2019 Big 12 Cross Country Championships all the more meaningful. Not only did Schroeder, a redshirt sophomore, simply get to race — a win in itself — he also posted a personal-best time (24:21.2) to finish a team-best 22nd. It was the fastest time by a K-State runner at the conference meet since 2004.
"It boosted my confidence like crazy," Schroeder said, as K-State will compete at the NCAA Midwest Regional on Friday in Stillwater, Oklahoma. "I wasn't really expecting to run quite that fast. I feel really good about where I'm at."
The past few years, that has rarely been the case.
Schroeder, a Manhattan native whose brother, Cooper, also runs for K-State, has suffered from Overtraining Syndrome since high school. While relatively uncommon, Schroeder explained the effects of Overtraining Syndrome as feeling constantly fatigued, which can lead to underperforming, athletically, and, in some cases, a desire to train harder to make up for it.
It can be a vicious circle.
"Feeling fatigued just doing normal stuff, like walking, riding a bike; sleep was difficult. There was a bunch of stuff," Schroeder said. "You just feel more fatigued than normal. Any sort of physical activity was just harder than what you know it should be."
And Schroeder knew he was capable of better. In 2014, he won the 6A KSHSAA cross country meet as a sophomore. He finished second as a junior. His senior year, he was unable to compete.
"My junior and senior year, I was up and down health-wise, feeling fatigued," he said. "I was kind of used to that (struggle)."
His challenges continued at K-State.
As a true freshman, he battled his Overtraining Syndrome early on. Once he felt like he had that handled, he suffered a stress reaction in one of his feet. Last season, he felt healthy going in but suffered another stress reaction after the second race. This time, the other foot. Season over.
"Super frustrating," Schroeder described it. "The biggest reason I came to K-State was to run for K-State and run for Coach Ryun (Godfrey). So, not being able to do it is tough."
Mentally, these setbacks took a toll on Schroeder. He said K-State Athletics Director of Mental Wellness/Sports Psychology Anne Weese has been a huge resource. He tried to stay positive, knowing there was always light at the end of the tunnel. He just needed to keep moving forward.
"Trying to have a positive attitude when things kind of suck is hard to do but I tried to focus on that and look to the future and know that, eventually, I'll be able to run again," he said. "I just tried to focus on that."
This summer, about halfway through, Schroeder said he started feeling himself again. It stemmed from a few changes.
"Overtraining is, basically, you're just not getting enough recovery," he said. "I've learned I have to really focus on recovery on these days if I'm feeling tired, learning that fitness comes from recovery, not the actual workout.
"Basically, just focusing on eating healthier, getting better sleep, just the little things that you can control. I did very slowly increase the training load. I didn't really hop right back into higher mileage, and I think that was a big difference, too."
Schroeder's first race back this season was the prestigious Under Armour Pre-Nationals Invitational, K-State's fourth competition of the season and the team's final tune-up before the conference meet. He finished 125th overall and second on the team.
"I was a little discouraged with my performance," Schroeder said of his first race. "I thought I was in better shape."
He was. It showed in his next outing, as he led his team in his first Big 12 race and recorded the program's highest individual finish at a conference meet in 15 years.
"I felt good that day," Schroeder said, with a smile. "I was really happy with it."
That's kind of how Schroeder described this season, as a whole. The struggle to get here only made him more thankful for it.
"Most the time I've been at Kansas State, I've been either injured or had an illness, so this season I've been super thankful to be healthy. Being able to perform well at Big 12s was just a bonus, honestly," he said. "I have a great amount of appreciation. That's definitely another thing I learned from being injured and sick, just how lucky we are to be healthy and how lucky we are to have the opportunity to run."
Most of the time Jackson Schroeder has been at K-State, he hasn't felt like himself. His more common states: Fatigued or injured; or fatigued and injured.
Which made his first performance at the 2019 Big 12 Cross Country Championships all the more meaningful. Not only did Schroeder, a redshirt sophomore, simply get to race — a win in itself — he also posted a personal-best time (24:21.2) to finish a team-best 22nd. It was the fastest time by a K-State runner at the conference meet since 2004.
"It boosted my confidence like crazy," Schroeder said, as K-State will compete at the NCAA Midwest Regional on Friday in Stillwater, Oklahoma. "I wasn't really expecting to run quite that fast. I feel really good about where I'm at."
The past few years, that has rarely been the case.
Schroeder, a Manhattan native whose brother, Cooper, also runs for K-State, has suffered from Overtraining Syndrome since high school. While relatively uncommon, Schroeder explained the effects of Overtraining Syndrome as feeling constantly fatigued, which can lead to underperforming, athletically, and, in some cases, a desire to train harder to make up for it.
It can be a vicious circle.
"Feeling fatigued just doing normal stuff, like walking, riding a bike; sleep was difficult. There was a bunch of stuff," Schroeder said. "You just feel more fatigued than normal. Any sort of physical activity was just harder than what you know it should be."
And Schroeder knew he was capable of better. In 2014, he won the 6A KSHSAA cross country meet as a sophomore. He finished second as a junior. His senior year, he was unable to compete.
"My junior and senior year, I was up and down health-wise, feeling fatigued," he said. "I was kind of used to that (struggle)."
His challenges continued at K-State.
As a true freshman, he battled his Overtraining Syndrome early on. Once he felt like he had that handled, he suffered a stress reaction in one of his feet. Last season, he felt healthy going in but suffered another stress reaction after the second race. This time, the other foot. Season over.
"Super frustrating," Schroeder described it. "The biggest reason I came to K-State was to run for K-State and run for Coach Ryun (Godfrey). So, not being able to do it is tough."
Mentally, these setbacks took a toll on Schroeder. He said K-State Athletics Director of Mental Wellness/Sports Psychology Anne Weese has been a huge resource. He tried to stay positive, knowing there was always light at the end of the tunnel. He just needed to keep moving forward.
"Trying to have a positive attitude when things kind of suck is hard to do but I tried to focus on that and look to the future and know that, eventually, I'll be able to run again," he said. "I just tried to focus on that."
This summer, about halfway through, Schroeder said he started feeling himself again. It stemmed from a few changes.
"Overtraining is, basically, you're just not getting enough recovery," he said. "I've learned I have to really focus on recovery on these days if I'm feeling tired, learning that fitness comes from recovery, not the actual workout.
"Basically, just focusing on eating healthier, getting better sleep, just the little things that you can control. I did very slowly increase the training load. I didn't really hop right back into higher mileage, and I think that was a big difference, too."
Schroeder's first race back this season was the prestigious Under Armour Pre-Nationals Invitational, K-State's fourth competition of the season and the team's final tune-up before the conference meet. He finished 125th overall and second on the team.
"I was a little discouraged with my performance," Schroeder said of his first race. "I thought I was in better shape."
He was. It showed in his next outing, as he led his team in his first Big 12 race and recorded the program's highest individual finish at a conference meet in 15 years.
"I felt good that day," Schroeder said, with a smile. "I was really happy with it."
That's kind of how Schroeder described this season, as a whole. The struggle to get here only made him more thankful for it.
"Most the time I've been at Kansas State, I've been either injured or had an illness, so this season I've been super thankful to be healthy. Being able to perform well at Big 12s was just a bonus, honestly," he said. "I have a great amount of appreciation. That's definitely another thing I learned from being injured and sick, just how lucky we are to be healthy and how lucky we are to have the opportunity to run."
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
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