Michael Hodge has thoroughly enjoyed running cross-country and distance events in track for Seymour High School.
Last spring, he ran the mile and 2-mile for the Owls.
“I’ll definitely try to be up there in the mile and 2-mile. This year will be my second year in high school track, so I’m definitely looking for big improvements,” the senior said.
“I definitely like the mile better. You want to go out with a strong pace, stay with the crowd and everything and try to keep that, but at the same time, you want to make sure that those last couple laps, you save something. You just can go out as a sprint because it’s not like a 400.”
Hodge began running track and cross-country in sixth grade. He has been running cross-country ever since and is starting his second year of high school track and field.
He said for most of last fall, he was the Owls’ No. 7 runner. He helped the team advance to semistate.
“Cross-country was always a challenge,” Hodge said. “I really enjoyed the team aspect of it. Even though it’s more of an individual sport, it’s nice to have a really good team that helps you push through some of those tough miles.”
Hodge said he worked hard in the summer to prepare for the season.
“Summer workouts were very important in cross-country,” he said. “We had workouts pretty much through all summer at 7:30 in the morning every day, and the workouts got you focused for the cross-country year.”
Hodge, who had a best time of 19:33, said he changed his racing style when running on flat courses and on hilly layouts.
“Bedford is definitely hilly, so that affects your time a little bit,” Hodge said. “One thing you just have to work on is to push through. Throughout the season, coach (Randy) Fife talked about using the hills to our advantage. You run up it, and then running down to try and pass people.”
He said his favorite away course was Brown County.
“I ran it so much in the sectional, regional and semistate,” Hodge said. “The highlight of my career was this year advancing to semistate.”
This spring in track, Hodge said he wants to have strong finishes in the conference and sectional and hopes to advance to state.
He takes his practices seriously.
“Practice is really important,” Hodge said. “You always have to try your best there, and if you do, you’ll see big improvements in the coming days. You have to have a good outlook and go after the runner in front of you and keep moving up. You can never stay stagnant.”
Hodge has enjoyed attending SHS.
“I have definitely enjoyed my time at SHS,” Hodge said. “Overall, I feel like I’ve had a good experience both academically and with sports.”
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Name: Michael Hodge
High school: Seymour
Parents: Dan and Renee Hodge
Sibling: Katie
Sports: Cross-country, four years; track and field, two years
Athletic highlights: 2018 cross-country semistate qualifier, academic all-state
Organizations: National Honor Society, choir, church youth group
Plans after high school: Attend college and major in aerospace engineering
Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite TV show: "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"
Favorite musician: Post Malone
Favorite movie: "Now You See Me"
Favorite team: Chicago Cubs
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