Shortly before 6 a.m. each day, roughly a half-hour before she starts getting ready for school, Fremont cross country standout J.J. Escalera is doing what she calls "a basic core workout."
That means one minute of elbow lifts on a plank, leg lifts, four sets of 25 push-ups, form curls with 10-pound weights, then four repetitions of one-minute wall squats with 30-second intervals of rest.
"It gets my endorphins going for the day,'' Escalera said. "It also helps me in school."
When it comes to training for cross country, there's more than just running involved.
