The sport of athletics is all about pushing through barriers, whether that be distance or time. For Lauren Gale, her performance at last weekend’s Iowa State Classic was just another example of breaking through a time barrier. The Colorado State University 400 metre specialist broke the 53 second barrier indoors for the first time, running a blistering 52.83. The performance shaved off over six tenths of a second from the previous school mark she set while winning last year’s Mountain West Conference Championship.
Gale’s recent efforts in practice had indicated something good was ready happen after a new personal best in her flying 20 metre run a 37.5 second clocking for 300 metres. She also indicated she’s hit a few personal bests in the weight room as well, which helped culminate in the new indoor best.
While Gale is happy to be training and competing, she has had to shift the focus of her indoor season this year when the conference cancelled this season’s indoor championship last fall. “Without Mountain West, I have been going for times,” said Gale of her adjustment. “It’s me versus the clock now.” It seems to be a battle the third year student is winning as she also set a new best over 200 metres – winning in 23.88 seconds.
The seven time Colorado State High School champion has had to adjust to life under COVID, including avoiding its wrath as it swept through her team earlier this season. COVID has also brought along new protocols such as smaller training groups, mask wearing during practice and twice a week COVID testing – Gale insists the nasal swab is not fun. Nonetheless, she remains positive about the progress. “We are pushing through and I’m still working hard towards my goals. It’s been a little crazy, but manageable.”
Gale’s goals have been consistent through the year – qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in June at the University of Oregon and then run at the Olympic Trials in Montreal and qualify to represent Canada in Tokyo. This past weekend’s performance hasn’t altered her focus, but has instilled more confidence in herself that she can achieve those goals.
“I really did surprise myself at how fast I ran. Now I’ve got some faster times I want to hit and big meets to qualify for,” explained Gale, who holds an outdoor best of 52.68 seconds. “It only makes me want to push harder to be the best I can.”