While most teenagers are still in bed, Ashley Brasovan, from West Palm Beach, Florida, awakes early each morning to run up to 50 miles each week. She especially enjoys long runs of 10-12 miles. Brasovan’s talent and dedication have set the Wellington High School junior apart since her 7th grade gym teacher noticed her knack for running. Earlier this month in San Diego, California, Brasovan won the high school girls 2007 Foot Locker National Cross Country Championship meet, with a time of 17:20. After winning the Florida State cross country title this fall, Brasovan knew she had a good shot at Foot Locker. “I really was going for top five,” she said. Brasovan’s strategy for the race was to hold back for the first mile, and build speed gradually. Her plan worked when she closed in on and passed the lead pack. Foot Locker 2005 champion Jordan Hasay was a constant threat, but she slowed down after a fast 5:18 first mile to finish third in 17:31. The 2006 champion, Kathy Kroeger, placed second with a time of 17:28. Next year, all three girls will return as seniors to contend for the Foot Locker title. Brasovan also hopes to reclaim her 4A Florida state win and break her personal records. She holds personal best times of 16:37 for 5000-meters, 10:13.45 for 3200-meters and 4:55.97 in the 1600. Brasovan is currently gearing up for the 2008 track season. She said the spring weather gets her in the mood for track. However, the Florida heat does not always provide an ideal training environment. “It’s really humid and always hot out,” Brasovan described. The flat Florida terrain is not conducive to her hill training either, so Brasovan often has to travel hours away just to find hills. Fortunately, she described her hometown as being very fitness-oriented. She also gets a lot of support from her active family. Brasovan’s sister plays lacrosse and her parents play tennis. The family took a cruise this holiday break, and they made sure it had plenty of exercise facilities. Brasovan plans to run in college, but is still waiting to visit several campuses before she chooses a school. She already knows she wants to study health and nutrition. As a runner, Brasovan appreciates the value of a healthy diet. She said eating disorders are a problem among many high school runners, but anyone who is sick cannot have lasting success. “I eat a lot of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, fish, chicken and red meat. I try to get enough iron,” she explained. “It’s not worth it to starve.” Although Brasovan has potential for a professional running career in the future, she would like to pursue a career related to health and nutrition instead. She enjoys the sport, but may not compete after college. “I’d like to run for fun,” she said. Brasovan spends time with other interests as well. Despite her prominence in the running world, she likes to hang out with friends and live a somewhat typical life of a high school student. “I like to go to the beach and go shopping,” Brasovan said. Brasovan advises everyone to keep running fun and not get too serious with it. She said it’s important to stay healthy, enjoy the sport and find ways to stay motivated. *Photo from www.footlockercc.com