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Oaks Christian cross country runner Payton Godsey almost didn’t race in this year’s Garmin RunningLane XC Championships (RXC) in Huntsville, Alabama.
“Last year I had a not so great race there,” Godsey said. “I had a little bit of issues, like a little bit of a mental block and sleep issues leading up to that race.”
She finished unusually far back in the group — 157th. This year, she was the girls gold champion with a time of 17 minutes, 28.3 seconds on the 5,000-meter course.
She overcame mental blocks by reminding herself that running can be simple, but her coach thinks that having support around her was the difference-maker. Last year, Godsey raced at RXC by herself. This year, the entire Oaks Christian team qualified to run.
“Her decision to come back was, ‘I have some unfinished business there and I want to run with the team,’” Lions coach Wes Smith said. “Unless the whole team qualified for RXC, she wasn’t interested in it.”
On Dec. 3 she was on the starting line alongside her teammates, doling advice on how to best handle an unexpectedly water-logged course. It was humid and it rained the entire night before, creating sloppy, muddy conditions that many California runners aren’t familiar with.
Smith said that there’s certain training runners can do to prepare for mud, but mental strength is just as important.
“The main thing was just remembering that everyone was in the same situation as me,” Godsey said, “so the mud wasn’t going to affect me any more than its going to affect someone else.”
The Lions took off down the half-mile downhill stretch at the start of the course and relied on their strength to finish out the final 800 meters to finish the event in ninth place.
Afterwards, there was pizza and snacks back at the rental house.
Smith sees the entire Oaks Christian team improving with Godsey, just like what was seen in Alabama. The junior crowned herself the CIF Southern Section Division 4 champion on Nov. 19 in 16:54.2 then won the CIF State Division IV race in 17:00.1 in back-to-back weekends. The team finished second at the CIF State meet behind JSerra.
Next year, Smith thinks they could finish as high as first in the state.
“Sometimes individuals can be so good people can’t relate to them,” Smith said. “But in the group, everybody else elevates with her. As she gets better, and her concern about them getting better, that’s why I feel confident this crew will continue to move upward.”
Oaks Christian Girls’ Cross Country: Payton Godsey finishes in 1st place at the CIF SS DIVISION 4 CHAMPIONSHIPS!!! All our young ladies represented OCS well today! GO LIONS!!! pic.twitter.com/KKGZEkfKcF
— Oaks Christian Lions (@OaksChrstnLions) November 19, 2022
Her effect goes beyond the girls team. There’s mutual support with the boys team, and Godsey and even convinced Wes’s son, Ethan, to get back into cross country after 2 1/2 years without running.
Godsey is now transitioning to track and field season, in which she was first at the CIF Southern Section Division 4 finals, second at the CIF-SS Masters Meet and fifth at the CIF State championships in the 3200 last season.
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Before track she’ll have some downtime to go on runs on her own and enjoy them without worrying about pace, talking about whatever comes to mind with her teammates while knowing she’s back on course after winning at this year’s RXC.
“This whole time I was just thinking about not having any regrets,” Godsey said of the race. “Last year I definitely had a lot of regrets after the race, so this year I just wanted to leave it all out there and top off a really good season.”