Going the distance

There are many more miles that await Lisa Tashiro. More mileage for training and more races to discover who she really is as a runner.

In her first year running cross country, the Kaiser junior discovered the mileage isn’t as intimidating. She’s been hitting her goal time of running in the 19-minute range in the 3-mile races. Perhaps a bit surprising is how well she’s transitioned from being an average sprinter.

Tashiro started out as a freshman sprinter on the track team, moved to the distance events last spring, and took up cross country this fall to see how she would do at an even longer distance.

"I found out that I’m a distance runner last year (in track)," said Tashiro, who won last Saturday’s OIA girls title. "Before that, I was sprinting since my freshman year. I really didn’t want to run as much. In my sophomore year, I felt maybe I can run in distance. Cross country is a longer event and I wanted to see how I would do."

Tashiro won the OIA title in 19 minutes, 32.21 seconds, leading the entire way at hilly Central Oahu Regional Park and winning by almost 30 seconds. She won the OIA East title on Oct. 11 and has helped the Cougars capture the team titles at both races.

Tashiro was a sprinter and hurdler on the track team before the coaching staff noticed she had good endurance. Asked to describe Tashiro as a hurdler, Kaiser coach Dennis Swart said, "not necessarily anything spectacular."

As a distance runner, though, Tashiro has surprised everyone. At the OIA track championships in May, she placed second in the 3,000-meter run and fourth in the 1,500 to help the Cougars win the team title. At the state championships, she stayed with the lead pack in the 3,000 and finished fourth.

"She hung with the top girls, so we figured maybe this is what she really is, a distance runner," Swart said. "At states, she surprised a couple people because there wasn’t much known about her. She was running with the leaders with a couple laps to go."

And that’s where Tashiro differs from other runners. Some have been running for years, building up mileage during summer training, racing in the fall season, and racing again in track. Tashiro has accumulated fewer miles.

"She hasn’t put in a lot of miles in yet," Swart said. "Once she has the opportunity to put in more miles, to get stronger in that area, then we’ll see maybe a bit more of what her potential is."

Tashiro’s swimming background has helped with her conditioning and transition to distance running. She’s been competing with Kamehameha Swim Club for 3½ years as a sprinter. Several members of the cross country team are also swimmers.

"It helps me a lot because I have the endurance to keep going," Tashiro said. "And my lungs got stronger."

Tashiro said her legs have gotten stronger since track season and Swart has helped her stay focused and mentally strong.

Tashiro returns to Central Oahu Regional Park for Saturday morning’s Honolulu Marathon/HHSAA state championships. What looms ahead are the hills and loops of the race course and more miles to develop as a distance runner.

"I think I found out the longer it goes, the better it is for me," Tashiro said.