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10/31/2024 12:00 AMFor Taylor Bliven, he is always searching for that next threshold in terms of mile times and overall race minutes. His constant motivation has paid off in spades with him notching a new top time on the biggest stage of the Shoreline Conference for North Branford cross country.
Taylor grew up on the mat with martial arts while he also played t-ball at a young age. Yet after encouragement from a teacher and parents seeing him run, he decided to try his hand at cross country. After missing the season’s first meet due to injury this fall, the junior bounced back with a remarkable performance at the Shoreline Conference Championship last month, achieving a new personal record of 21:20—surpassing his previous best of 21:33.
“Last year at Shorelines, I dropped four minutes from my time. Before the race, I felt really good; I slept well, ate well, and was hydrated,” says Taylor. “I was hopeful for a personal record and knew I could do it. I think I did the best I could have done because of how well I felt and prepared for the race. Hammonasset State Park is one of my favorite courses, and Shorelines is always a fun meet.”
Taylor treats his body like a temple with a steady regimen of training, nutrition, and plenty of fluids. It helps him to go the distance, along with a tried-and-true steady approach to pacing for the opening miles of a race before the big push.
“One thing that has helped me is getting to practice every day of the week unless I am sick. I also do core workouts daily and have improved my diet,” says Taylor. “I try to sprint at least the first 100 meters every race and stay at a seven-minute a mile pace. I kick my speed up a little bit as I go, and then I go fast at the end. I try to be around that six or seven-minute mark at each part of the race.”
No matter how many leg cramps he may endure, or how many times he may feel gassed, Taylor has the heart of a warrior and keeps pushing. He notes that he does so, because the personal feeling of accomplishment is worth the chase.
“My mental game has improved since last year. This year, I worked a lot harder and thought more about how I wanted to improve,” Taylor says. “I dropped four minutes during Shorelines and States last year, and whenever it gets tough out there, I just think about making those improvements and knowing I can do better.”
T-birds’ cross country Head Coach Megan Zander notes that while Taylor may be a team-of-one this fall as the lone boy, it is in name only. He fully embraces the program and the sport by doing everything he can to improve himself and bolster the spirit of his colleagues.
“Taylor has become a standout athlete this season. Despite the challenges of being the sole male runner, he has shown unwavering commitment at every practice, pushing himself to improve without complaint. With a natural talent evident in his smooth form and effortless gait, he makes running look easy while remaining humble and coachable,” says Zander. “Beyond his individual success, he fosters a supportive team environment–consistently uplifting his teammates and embodying the spirit of sportsmanship. With his hard work and determination, he not only inspires those around him, but he also sets a shining example of what it means to be a true athlete. He’s made such great progress this season and still has senior year next year to continue to improve and shine.”
The makeup of the squad this year mirrors the prior one, yet Taylor explains it works out in a positive way. It allowed him to click with each of his teammates on a more personal level.
“We had a small team with about seven people, and it was the same last year,” says Taylor. “But it really made it easier to get to know everyone on the team. We have gotten even closer through the year, and we are like one big family. It makes it so much easier to connect with one another.”
“For me, I want to keep improving my times and getting better than the last meet,” says Taylor. “For the team, I know they want to keep hitting personal records and medaling as well. They also want to qualify for state championship meets.”
Taking a moment to slow down and reflect on his attraction to competitive running, Taylor explains he loves the constant movement. It is not only the motion towards the finish line for any given race, it is also moving to a daily target to improve from the previous.
“With running, I like watching myself improve and knowing I can do better each time,” says Taylor. “Another thing I love is knowing that practicing will make me better. A really big goal of mine moving forward as well is that I want to hit a 20-minute time for a race, and that goal is a big thing keeping me going.”