For a high school athlete, snow days aren't necessarily a good thing. The flurries don't mean just a day off from class and homework - they mean cancellation of after-school activities, i.e. practice.
Virginia track athletes were dealt a particularly harsh hand this winter as the mid-Atlantic state has racked up a record amount of snow. At the time of this story, the Virginia High School League (VHSL) Indoor Track & Field State Championships have already been pushed back twice. The 5A/6A State Championship, originally scheduled for February 26-27, is now set for next Monday and Tuesday, March 9-10.
Lake Braddock sophomore Kate Murphy, who is the top seed in both the 1,600m and the 3,200m in the state's largest classification of 6A, takes it all in stride.
"It is what it is, there's nothing I can do about it," she said about rescheduling the state meet.
But when she can do something about it - the nation's fastest sophomore distance runner sure is proactive.
Murphy went viral on Twitter in late January, when she chose to shovel out the entire first lane of her high school track rather than work out on a stationary bicycle. The photo, featured by Huffington Post, was the result of 90 minutes of solo shoveling.
"Everyone thought I was joking when I said to come shovel the track," she said. "They didn't think anything of it because they thought I was joking. I live like five minutes walking distance from school. [I walked over] with a shovel... I did the whole first lane by myself but once I sent the Tweet, people realized and they helped with lane two."
After their "warm-up," Murphy and her team ran a set of 6x400m in 70 seconds with 90 seconds rest, followed by 6x200m in 31 to 33 seconds with 60 seconds rest.
"I always have in the back of my mind that we haven't been on a regular schedule because of all the snow," she said, "but then I realize that everyone in Virginia is in the same bubble as us because they have a bunch of snow, too, so I think mentally, it's a little tough but realizing that everyone has the same weather - it helps knowing that you're not the only one."
That can-do attitude is just the fire that has propelled Murphy to status as one of the fastest distance runners in the nation this indoor season. She has held the nation's top time in the 3,200m at several different points and currently sits US #2 10:30.82 on the leaderboard. She is US #3 including all converted marks from Two Mile races.
Her first run to the top of the national standings came at December's CNU High School Winter Frolic, where she soloed a nearly 40-second personal best to finish in 10:40.77. She is currently the fastest sophomore in the nation in the two mile distance.
"Honestly, I try not to think about it because it gets to your head and if you're having a bad workout, you're like, 'oh, I wonder what other people are doing,'" she said. "So I just think about working hard and I always try to know that there are other people who are faster than me."
A breakout fall saw Murphy earn All-American honors at Nike Cross Nationals, where she finished 24th overall in 18:14 for 5k.
The run was all the more impressive considering that Murphy had nearly talked herself out of the competition.
"I kind of counted myself out of it because I was like, 'oh my gosh, it's Allie O and Audrey Belf and all those people,'" she said. "When we first went out, I was like, 'oh my gosh, we're going my 400 pace.' I really surprised myself... It made me realize, 'oh, I can actually compete with these girls, I can be there, if I work harder, I can be near the top, work harder to maybe even get a national title in track.'"
Perhaps an even bigger surprise than the All-American nod was edging out fellow sophomore rival Rachel McArthur (Patriot HS) as the top Virginia finisher. The win was Murphy's first over the VHSL 6A State Cross Country Champion, as both finished in a dead heat at 18:14.
That scene lended a sense of deja vu to the VHSL Group 6A North Regional Indoor Track & Field Championship two weeks ago, as the sophomore studs battled to another near-dead heat in the 1,600m.
"I decided to go for it for the win just in case we were down in points [for the team title]," Murphy said of racing three events that day. "Me and Rachel both had a big kick... no one wanted to go take it out."
McArthur surged ahead around 800 meters, but Murphy kept the red-and-blue singlet within her sights.
"My coach always tells me that I can outkick anyone but I kinda waited really late, which I always do, and I made [my coaches] so nervous," she said, "so I think I need to start my kick a little farther back, but I was pretty confident I could get her."
The sophomore 1,600m battle was deemed the Tasty Race of the Week for February 26.
Murphy pulled out the win, 4:58.82 to 4:58.90. The duo will race again at the state finals on Tuesday.
Murphy wants the State Meet Record of 4:52.16, set just last year by Caroline Alcorta, now a freshman competing for the University of North Carolina. The race will be smack-dab between the 4x800m-relay on Monday and the 3,200m on Tuesday afternoon, both of which Murphy will race - though the mile time is a priority.
"Going into this time [at state], we don't have to hold back," Murphy said. "I feel like that's what we did last time and we can just go our own pace. I'm just gonna go out from the start and go the pace I need for the time. I know if I go the pace, it will be hard. Hopefully I can just stay on that pace and be consistent."
Trust that McArthur, who is having a breakout year of her own in breaking the 5-minute and 11-minute barriers for the first time, will be right in the thick of it.
"It's kind of weird, because we're friends but on the track, we know it's like, one of us is going to win," Murphy said. "I know she wants to win and she knows I want to win, so it's all different when it's on the track."