The worst part of not being able to run last year for Emily Thomas was not the physical pain.
The worst part for the Camas High graduate was being unable to train with her Gonzaga University teammates, struggling to feel like part of the team while doing separate workouts to keep from aggravating her injured right foot and back.
“In workouts, when things get hard, I think back to how much harder it was to not run and have to watch my teammates working so hard,” she said. “Cross country is the type of sport where you create a family because we all struggle together, and to not be able to struggle with my teammates is what made my injury really hard.
“It was more the mental factor than the whole physical pain of it. There’s a point in every workout when it’s like, ‘This is really tough.’ It’s so helpful to me to think, ‘Hey, Emily — you get to run today.’ I’m a pretty lucky kid.”
Thomas was an all-Class 3A Greater St. Helens League player in basketball and softball. She said she ran cross country as a freshman to impress the basketball coach who was a cross country assistant, but played club softball the fall of her sophomore year.
Running again as a junior, Thomas was Clark County’s second-highest finisher at the 3A state cross country meet in Pasco. Energized by her performance, she worked hard at running to prepare for her senior season.
She prepared too hard, resulting in a pair of overuse injuries.
Thomas suffered a broken sesamoid bone in the ball of her right foot that ended her senior season in October. Running with that injury altered her form to the point that she also suffered a broken pars interarticularis — commonly called just pars for short — in her lowest vertebra.
“There’s not a lot of blood flow down there, so it’s one of those things that’s never going to heal,” she said of the sesamoid injury. “It will stop hurting as soon as I stop running, but because it’s been hurting, I started running kind of funny, and that threw my back off.
“That’s what happened. I have a broken pars in my back, and that’s what made my freshman year such a struggle — just dealing with that injury.”
She was able to play her other sports — “It was probably not advisable, but I played because it was my senior year,” she said. “I just couldn’t let it go my senior year.” — well enough to be named second-team all-league in both.
Thomas had drawn interest from college cross country coaches as a junior, but said she “wasn’t entirely convinced” that she could be a collegiate runner. What happened next was unexpected.
“I kind of gave up on it after I didn’t get to run at state my senior year,” she said. “I was pretty crushed. That’s what made it all the more surprising when (Gonzaga coach Pat Tyson) called me.”
Tyson was a University of Oregon teammate and roommate of distance legend Steve Prefontaine, and has been a successful coach at the high school and collegiate levels.
The fact that Tyson stuck with her in recruiting despite the injuries — and the support of her teammates — helped Thomas stick with her rehabilitation work after it became clear that she would be unable to compete as a true freshman.
“I tried to run the first race of the season, and I couldn’t stand up after it,” Thomas said. “I started cross-training throughout the season. He’s a fantastic coach and he’s really supportive, and he was able to help me stay optimistic about getting back in the game.”
Back in the game this season, Thomas was the team’s top finisher at the Erik Anderson Invitational on Sept. 25 in Spokane Valley, and a Top-10 finisher at the final regular-season meet, the Inland Northwest Challenge on Oct. 16 in Cheney.
Up next for the Bulldogs is the West Coast Conference Championship meet Saturday on the Crystal Springs Course in Belmont, Calif. The top four teams advance to the NCAA West Regional, hosted by Oregon at the Springfield Country Club on Nov. 13.
Saturday’s race is 6 kilometers (3.7 miles), longer than the 5 km (3.1 mi.) of high school races and many collegiate races.
That is fine with Thomas.
“It’s a lot more stamina-based, but that’s nice for me,” she said. “I’ve never had a lot of speed, but I’m good at endurance-type things. It’s actually more helpful to me to do longer distances.”
Of course, Thomas is just glad to be able to compete.
“I’m really excited to help out the team,” she said. “To be really honest with you, over the summer, I was still not feeling very good. My back was still hurting a bit. I still have pain every once in a while, but I’ve gotten a lot better about controlling it and smarter about when to cross train and when to slow down.
“I honestly wasn’t sure if I’d be healthy for the season, so the season is just a blessing for me. I’m excited to have the opportunity to go out and run every day.”
GNAC honors Porter
Western Washington senior distance runner Sarah Porter has been named Great Northwest Athletic Conference women’s cross country female athlete of the week. The Hockinson High School graduate won at the WWU Invitational for the third consecutive year, breaking her own course record with a time of 21 minutes over the 6 kilometers.
Klettke sets record
Lewis-Clark State College junior Kelsey Klettke ran the fastest 5-kilometer race in school history Saturday, winning the Warrior Invite at Hells Gate State Park near Lewiston, Idaho, in a time of 17 minutes, 23 seconds.
The Prairie High School graduate led the race from start to finish, winning by 31 seconds as the Warriors finished second to Carroll College in the team standings.
Next on the LCSC schedule is the Frontier Conference Championships, Nov. 5 in Great Falls, Mont.
NWC, GFU honor Bruins’ Young
George Fox University junior midfielder Cori Jo Young was named the Bruin Athletic Association Women’s Athlete of the Week and also received honorable mention as Northwest Conference women’s soccer offensive student-athlete of the week for Sept. 27-Oct. 3.
The Ridgefield High School graduate, who transferred from Spokane Valley Community College, scored both goals in the Bruins’ 2-1 win Oct. 2 at Lewis & Clark College.
Seattle Pacific wins soccer showdown
Skyview High School graduate Maddie Dickinson made seven saves as Seattle Pacific beat Western Washington 3-2 in double-overtime Saturday at Bellingham. The Falcons need one win in their last three games to clinch the Great Northwest Athletic Conference title.
Seattle Pacific’s roster also includes two freshmen from Heritage High School, defender Stephanie Harold and goalkeeper Natalie Harold.
Suggestions for College Notebook? Contact Kurt Zimmer at 360-735-4563 or by e-mail at kurt.zimmer@columbian.com
