Her success in running has not been by accident. Through support around her, motivation and mental toughness, Lenore Moreno, a kinesiology major, found the formula to shoot herself to the top of her craft.
The second-year cross country athlete competes in a sport where there is always someone either in front or behind her, but regardless of her position she knows exactly what to do to push herself to the limit.
Moreno runs for both the Mt. SAC cross country and track-and-field teams, two physically demanding sports where every second counts and even when pain sets in, slowing down can be costly.
“The biggest challenge is to be able to push yourself even when you’re hurting,” women’s cross country head coach Doug Todd said. “I think you have to go into it ready to say, ‘ok I’m going to hurt for a while. I’m going to be uncomfortable for a while, but I have to keep running and I have to push anyway.’”
Moreno has learned just that and has assumed the role of team-leader for the Mounties cross country team this semester. She has consistently finished in the top 5 in her races this season and that very consistency is a key that Todd said has helped lead to her success.
“I don’t think a lot of athletes realize how important it is to show up every day for good things to happen, and she shows up every day,” Todd said. “Unless the bone’s stickin’ through the skin, she’s coming to practice.”
Todd said Moreno has a tremendous work ethic and the progress she makes every day will add up and helps make her stronger. He called it a “long constant fight” every day that she strives to try to get better. She shows up every day to work hard and it is a concept that sounds simple, but not everyone can do it, he said.
""They can’t help but emulate her work ethic, Todd said. “Everybody out here wants to be good-wants to get better. Then they see a talented athlete like her and they see her working hard every single day. I think that’s got to rub off.”
Moreno said she finds motivation within her team and does not want to let them down. She said that while running, she thinks about how her teammates are running as well and are feeling the same pain she feels and she has to stay strong for them.
“If anyone ever needs something she’ll be there for you,” teammate Pamela Hernandez, sociology major said. “By her pushing herself, it makes everyone want to push themselves too.”
She also thinks of people who inspire her like former Los Angeles Angels player David Eckstein and legendary runner Steve Prefontaine.
She said Eckstein inspires her because he did not let his size hold him back and also the fact that he has been able to accomplish so much. She said Prefontaine’s life has been such an inspiration that she watches his life story before every meet.
She thinks of all these things during races because having a good frame of mind is important to keep going, she said. Her mentality has helped her in life whether it is in running or in school and knows it will help her in life in the future.
“Without being mentally strong, you can’t really do anything,” she said. “You’re always going to be down on yourself and you’re not going to want to get up and do something.”
Although Moreno finds ways to use everything around her as motivation, the main key to her success can be tracked back to the support she has received from home.
Her influence in sports came from her two older brothers who played baseball and ran, respectively.
She played softball from the time she was four years old up until high school where she decided she loved running more passionately than softball. She said that watching her brothers work hard drove her to work hard as well.
Moreno said her love for running started in middle school after watching her brother compete in meets at the high school level.
“I just liked how it takes a lot of effort to go out there and do all of that,” Moreno said. “I’m usually up for challenges and I was like, ‘I want to try it.’”
Her parents have been the cores of support for her as she said they have always been supportive of her and her brothers’ activity in sports. Coach Todd said he has seen Lenore’s parents at every single meet, home and away no matter how far the meet has been.
“They always cheer for me,” Moreno said. “It’s really good to have that when you run because it pushes you. Makes you go faster.”
Moreno added that her father now runs as well and has gone as far as to read up on books to help coach her.
Moreno is still looking into different schools and has looked into Cal State San Marcos where she hopes to run for U.S. track-and-field Hall of Famer Steve Scott who is the head coach there. She plans to focus on her kinesiology career as she plans to be a physical therapist.
Moreno has already shown that she can keep up with university level runners as in the first race of the season. She placed 34th overall in the Fullerton Invitational where she competed against 212 other competitors from not only community colleges, but a majority of the runners from the university level.
Even as she follows her goal to be a physical therapist, she says she will always be running because she loves it and it will always take stress away.
“I’ll be like one of those old people running on the street,” Moreno said laughing.
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