Veteran runner a leader on and off the course
Janelle Vincent has personal best at CIS National Championships
Sheri Lamb, Staff
Photo by David Lipnowski
For Janelle Vincent, going for a daily run is like what eating breakfast is to other people; it’s something she just does.
“It becomes part of your day and when I miss a run it’s almost like missing a meal,” said Vincent.
The 24-year-old just returned from Halifax, NS, where she was competing in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) championships on Nov. 12 for the Bison cross-country team. Vincent helped lead the Bison women’s team to a 14th place finish by running a personal best (18.35) in the 5-kilometre race, where she finished 50th.
“Everything fell into place for me this weekend and I ran really well,” said Vincent. “I didn’t have any big expectations for myself going in because it was my first time there; I just wanted to go out and have some fun and it ended up being great.”
Vincent’s previous personal best at 5 km came a year ago at the University of Saskatchewan Open, where she ran 19.27.
She enjoys the social atmosphere in the culture of the sport and credits Bison coaches Claude Berube and Guy Schultz for her own and the team’s successes.
“It helps a lot when you have a positive training atmosphere,” said Vincent.
As one of the veterans on the women’s team, Vincent knows part of her job is to help her younger teammates relax before and after a race, even if it’s just having a simple talk with them.
This is Vincent’s fourth year as a member of the Bison team, but she began her running career way back in junior high school. After graduating from College Louis Riel six years ago, Vincent decided to take a break from running to concentrate on school.
The ambitious runner already has one degree in Exercise and Sport Science and is currently enrolled in 27 credit hours of courses towards a second degree in Human Ecology.
Not bad for a student who had never been to a school where everything was taught in English before arriving at the U of M. Vincent admits it took some getting used to, hearing the professors conduct the classes in English and reading textbooks written in English.
“I the beginning I had to translate everything into French, but the transition didn’t take very long,” said Vincent.
During winter term last year, Vincent packed up her things to study at the University of Calgary, training with the U of C Athletic Club to keep in shape.
With the cross-country season wrapped up, Vincent is starting to train for the indoor track and field season, which starts Nov. 25 at U of M with an Inter-squad game. Vincent competes in the endurance races of 1,500 and 3,000 metres today, although she used to run in shorter races in past years.
“I’m preferring the longer distances now, especially cross-country,” said Vincent. “I find it’s easier to carry over the longer runs to the indoor season.”
Vincent’s coach Berube says she’s been taking her training a lot more seriously the past two or three years, which has helped her become one of the leaders on the Bison team.
“She’s a kid who has shown what hard work can do,” said Berube.
The best part about running for Vincent is the time it allows her to be alone with her thoughts, giving her an opportunity to analyze other things in her life.
“Running gives me time to reflect on things and gets me into the zone,” she said.
