By MARK MOLINA | Staff Writer
For being a sophomore, Raymondville hurdler Miranda Hernandez has had quite the 2019 season.
The Lady Bearkats sophomore has had a couple of impressive outing this season, and against some of the top competition in the area.
Hernandez’s biggest day came at the Harlingen Relays on Feb. 23, when she placed first in the 300-meter hurdles in 48.95 seconds and third in the 100 hurdles with a time of 18.07.
At the Roberto Garza Relays, Hernandez also took gold in the 300 hurdles (49.23), was second in the 100 hurdles (17.64) and third in the high jump (4 feet, 4 inches).
The Valley Morning Star caught up with Hernandez recently and got to know the Lady ’Kats hurdler a bit more.
Q: When and why did you decide you wanted to take up track & field?
Hernandez: When I was in the seventh grade I decided to try sports, and I ran cross country and I liked the adrenaline of the run. That’s when I really fell in love with running, so when track season came around I decided to run and I just fell in love with the races.
Q: I see you compete in a couple of events. What would you say is your favorite event and why?
Hernandez: My favorite event is the hurdles. I just like the feeling of running and jumping over the hurdle. It gives you a certain type of rush when you clear each hurdle and get closer to the end.
Q: What’s the hardest part about being a track & field athlete, and how do you feel you approach whatever it is?
Hernandez: The hardest part for me is the pressure I put on myself. I don’t like to disappoint people, and I feel if I don’t do well I will disappoint. I deal with it by constantly getting reminded, whether it’s by myself or my coach, that every race I run is not about winning, it’s about bettering myself, as my coach would put it. I need to run my race.
Q: What’s your favorite memory of your track career?
Hernandez: My favorite memory was when my friends and I were warming up, blasting the radio and singing songs out loud. People were staring, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying ourselves.
Q: Do you play any other sports? If so, what are they and does being in track help you when it comes to competing in them?
Hernandez: I play volleyball and basketball, and also run cross country. Track helps keep me in running shape after those sports have ended, so when I come to complete the following year, I still have the speed and endurance to continue to run in cross country and basketball.
Q: On meet days, what does your typical routine look like?
Hernandez: I always have to have a water with me and my headphones on at almost all times in the day on meet days. I like to distract myself from school and the meet, which is a bad thing, but I really don’t like to think about it, so I just listen to music to get all my nerves out before the meet even starts. Eventually, all my nerves come back at the starting line.
Q: Who would you say is one of the toughest athletes you’ve had to compete against, and in what event?
Hernandez: I would have to say Los Fresnos, they are a tough school to compete against; their runners are very fast.
Q: What meet do you look forward to the most and why?
Hernandez: I always look forward to the Albert Tijerina relays. It’s the meet where a lot of my friends and some family are able to attend, and see me run and compete in a sport where I put forth my very best.
Q: Tell the readers something they may not know about you.
Hernandez: I am, in all honesty, very lazy and love to just stay in bed if I could. That’s all I would do. But I have to get up and put in work in order to get better, and better my time in track and maybe make a career out of it.
Q: What’s your favorite movie or show and why?
Hernandez: I don’t really have a favorite movie because I watch a lot of them.
Q: What’s your favorite food and why?
Hernandez: My favorite food is spaghetti. I honestly could eat that every day.
Q: If you could have dinner with one person, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
Hernandez: I wouldn’t have just one person I would like to eat dinner with, (it would include) anyone who has been there to support me and help me get to where I am.