GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (GRPS) - If you’re Arie Prins, the first miles of the day happen before school.
The City High Middle School senior wakes up at 6:00 a.m., eats breakfast, and heads out for a two- or three-mile run. After that, he goes to class, where fueling becomes part of his routine. Prins needs to consume enough to support his training, so classmates have gotten used to seeing him eating bagels and drinking water throughout the school day.
“It's part of my reality as an athlete that I need to think about what I eat, even during school,” Prins said.
By around 3:00 p.m., he is running again. At cross country practice, Prins leads the team through stretching and warmups before heading out for the day's workout.
An easy day might mean ten miles at a steady seven- or eight-minute pace. Hard days are more demanding. On those days, Prins often runs two or three miles to warm up before heading to the track for 800-meter repetitions, each last around 2:30, with jogging recoveries in between. Including warm-up and cool-down miles, the workout can total ten to twelve miles, with several miles devoted to speed work.
Other days involve hills around Mt. Mercy, where he might complete eight one-mile hill loops along with additional miles before and after.
For Prins, the mileage is only part of what makes cross country difficult though.
The sport is mental, too. Runners have to learn how to become comfortable with the fatigue that comes with racing. There is no way around it, so the goal becomes learning how to keep moving even if the body wants to stop.
That mindset has developed over years of running.
According to Prins, he didn't start out as a particularly athletic kid. He joined cross country in sixth grade because he wanted to try something new and make friends. Before long, he became interested in finding out just how far he could push himself.
“I kind of became addicted to seeing what I could do,” he said.
That curiosity turned into a commitment to running every day.
After practice, Prins goes home, showers, and stretches—a non-negotiable part of his routine—before eating a big dinner. After that comes another hour or two of homework. This year, he has challenged himself academically, taking both physics and chemistry as part of his schedule.
Even weekends revolve around finding the right balance between training, recovery, and school. Saturdays during the season can mean a 6:00 a.m. wake-up, a 7:00 a.m. bus ride, and a 9:00 a.m. race, followed by homework. If there isn't a cross country meet, he has more time for a long run on his own.
Sunday is technically a rest day, but Prins still heads to the YMCA to swim for recovery and to prepare for swim season. And sometimes, he says, he still sneaks in a run.
Prins’ schedule can seem repetitive—run, eat, study, recover, sleep—but that's part of what he likes about the sport. Cross country rewards consistency, and Prins has learned that the work he puts in every day ultimately shows up on race day.
As a senior, he’s hoping to have his best high school season yet.
