A state of mind (06/01/07)

"Physically I know I can do it," said Amanda Johnson. "Mentally, it just all depends on how much I want to that day."

In a race like this, the mind can often be as important as the body.

Johnson, a Jay County junior, will compete in the 800-meter run at the IHSAA Track and Field State Finals Saturday at Indiana University in Bloomington.

It is expected to be a grueling race. Consider the following:

In the 800 (half-mile), which is scheduled to start at 7:45 p.m., the difference between taking fourth or finishing without a state medal is likely to be less than half a second.

The margin between placing among the top nine and on the state podium or finishing in the bottom third should be about 1.6 seconds.

Going into the race the No. 4 and 20 seeds in the field of 27 are separated by just 2.09 seconds.

"Really what I've talked about with her more than anything is (assistant) coach (Les) Bantz has her ready to run the race," said JCHS coach Brian McEvoy prior to practice Thursday. "The question isn't physically can she do it, but we're really talking about the mental approach of it."

Johnson was a surprise state qualifier a year ago, seeded sixth in the regional where only the top three get to advance. She needed to cut an enormous amount of time to even have a chance to move on.

But the sophomore did just that, hacking nearly 10 seconds from her previous top time and shattering the JCHS record at 2:17.89. She went on to a 25th-place finish at the state meet, and now she hopes the experience of a year ago will help her in Saturday's race.

"I need to go in it with more confidence," said Johnson. "When you go in there it can kind of psyche you out. It's a lot of people, and it's a bigger meet. If I just look at it as kind of just another race then I should be all right.

"I just think having a year under my belt will be the biggest thing. I wasn't expecting it at all last year. This year I'll know the way they run it."

Johnson and McEvoy both said the biggest difference between this race and any other of the season is the speed of the first lap.

In earning her second straight sectional title this year, Johnson ran a time of 2:23.9.

At the regional meet at Lawrence North she finished in a runner-up time of 2:19.33, and five girls broke the 2:20 barrier.

The state field features 20 runners with seed times of 2:20 or better, including state favorite and defending champion Katherine Klump of South Dearborn at 2:12.55.

"We know the race will be ran much different than the races are ran in this area," said McEvoy. "We know the first 400 is going to be almost a dead sprint. ... and we know they're all going to gut it out those last 200 meters. They're going to run that first lap as a 400 and they're going to gut out the rest."

Johnson said she wants to stay around the middle of the pack through the first lap much like she did at the regional meet, where she again was seeded sixth this year. She was 11th out of 14 at the 200-meter mark of the regional race before starting to pick runners off at the end of the opening lap.

By the time she reached the 500-meter mark she was in second place. She surged to the lead and held it for about 200 meters before being caught on the home stretch by Bishop Chatard's Christine Kirby and finishing second.

Johnson said there was a lot of pressure for that regional race, feeling she was expected to go to state after earning a berth a year earlier. Now she said she feels lucky to have an opportunity to return to Bloomington a second time, something most runners don't get to do even once.

"I just hope she takes it in and enjoys it," said McEvoy. "That's what I want the most. If she enjoys it, she's going to be fine."

Johnson, whose school record time would be good for the fifth seed, said she thinks she is capable of a top-five finish. Overall, the race marks another chance for her to gauge her talents against the best in the state.

"I want to get on the podium," said Johnson. "That's my main goal. And to get one of my best times.

"(I want to) prove to myself that I'm just as good as them."[[In-content Ad]]BERNE - Haleigh Lehman got a second chance at a first state berth. She's hoping to make the most of it.

Lehman, a South Adams senior, finished fourth in the 1,600-meter run at the regional meet hosted by Fort Wayne Northrop. Only the top three finishers in each event advance, but Lehman picked up a berth when one of the runners ahead of her scratched from the state meet.

She will compete Saturday at the IHSAA Track and Field State Finals at Indiana University in Bloomington. Her race is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.

Lehman's time of 5-minutes, 20.64 seconds from the regional meet has her seeded 26th out of 27 competitors, so she has set some personal goals for her final career meet.

"She really wants to go under 5:15," said SAHS coach Clint Anderson. "And she wants to see just how close she can get to finishing in the top 10. You're there, so that gives you a shot at it."

Lehman set the South Adams school record in the 1,600 as a freshman, running it in 5:18. That mark still stands, and her best time this season is 5:20.

The No. 10 seed in the race is Lyndsey Wall of Franklin Community at 5:11.20.

"I think she can," said Anderson of Lehman's chances to reach the goals she set for herself. "She had a tremendous workout (Wednesday). I was giving her some landmarks to hit, and she was blowing them away. ... She said it felt easy."