‘She decided she wanted to be great’: Hilliard Darby’s Armstrong battles adversity in hopes of another state bid
Tuesday, May 20, 2024
By Michael Rich
mrich@cbussports.com
Hilliard Darby’s Ady Armstrong with a lead at the finish line in the 200m race during the Joe Lenge Dublin Classic in April at Dublin Coffman. Photo: Kevin Rouch
Ady Armstrong sits down on her bed and writes down her goals the night before a big race. It’s part of a mental strategy that helps the Hilliard Darby senior runner understand what she’s doing and why she is doing it.
“I write things on my mirror, so I’ll see it every day,” said Armstrong, an Ohio State commit. “I write in a notebook before every race just to remind myself that there’s nothing to be nervous about. I just keep reminding myself about my goals – states and nationals.
“I just like to really visualize my races the night before – right before I go to sleep. So, when I wake up, I’m ready. I might write a few more things on the bus on the way (to a race) or right before I warm up. For the most part, I re-read what I wrote in there. Sometimes, it’s to help my mental side and other times I’ll write goal times just to try to remind myself.”
Armstrong ran marathons when she was younger before finding success as a sprinter at the high school level. So, the 400-meter dash is everything Armstrong loves about running.
“It really is my favorite race,” she said. “It definitely takes the most out of me mentally, for sure. After my freshman year, we (myself and my coaches) realized it was a good combination of my endurance and speed. Also, I think there’s a little more strategy to the race. I think I like it so much because there’s still so much I can learn. Every time I race, I feel like I’m learning something new with the 400 race. Other races, I just need to sprint as fast as I can. The 400 is more challenging.”
What makes the race such a grind?
“The physical side of it – it’s a one-lap full sprint. So, there’s that part of it,” girls track and field coach Devon Staten said. “The mental side of it is working and re-working her race strategy to where she feels really comfortable. Her biggest hiccup for the longest time was her first 100 meters. She would just come out and coast. Then, she’d get through the first 100 meters and then coast the second 100 meters. It really didn’t all come together until (the) indoor (season) this year. The mental side of it has been figuring out how she can run the race most effectively.”
Armstrong suffered an injury during training after competing in her first meet of the season at Dublin Coffman’s Joe Lenge Dublin Classic on April 13. She suffered a stress fracture in her right fibula that cost her the rest of the regular season and the OCC-Cardinal Division meet.
Hilliard Darby’s Ady Armstrong prepares for the 400m race during the Joe Lenge Dublin Classic in April at Dublin Coffman. Photo: Kevin Rouch
She won league titles in the 100 and 200 in each of her first three years and back-to-back league championships in the 400 as a sophomore and a junior.
Armstrong was planning on running three events during the postseason but cut back to the 400 and the 1,600 relay at the Division I district meet. She finished third in the 400 at 58.77 and anchored the 1,600 relay and finished fifth with Elizabeth Elsass, Abigail Rumschlag and Bryce Zeigler at 4:10.21 at the event at Darby, which concluded May 18.
Armstrong advanced to the regional meet, which begins May 22 and concludes May 25 at Pickerington North, in the 400, but missed out in the relay as the top four moved on in each event.
“There’s still a little bit of pain, but it’s not bad – it’s not as bad as it was when it first happened,” she said. “The boot is staying on when I’m not running. We’re being very cautious with it. I’m just hoping regionals go a little better and hopefully being on the track more will get me ready for that.”
For Darby, Gianna Lane took first in the 100 (12.12) and the long jump (18 feet, 4.5 inches) and Ashley Cornathan won the discus (126-10) to help the Panthers (105 points) edge Gahanna (104.5) at district.
Before the injury, Armstrong finished first in the 200 meters at 25.32 seconds and first in the 400 meters at 57.07 and helped the 1,600-meter relay team to a sixth-place finish at 4:16.78 at the Joe Lenge Classic.
Armstrong uses an intensive training program, which she developed with her club coach Jordan Rispress of the Ohio Speed Academy.
“We do a lot of speed endurance and special endurance,” Armstrong said. “Speed endurance is more short, really fast reps and then special endurance is more longer reps like 300s or 350s. Also, I lift separately from that – like once or twice a week. I have some speed and agility-type work that I do in the mornings, and I do that twice a week.”
Hilliard Darby’s Ady Armstrong wins the 400m race at the Joe Lenge Dublin Classic in April at Dublin Coffman. Photo: Kevin Rouch
Last season, Armstrong won the league (12.21) and district (12.19) championships in the 100, a league title in the 200 (25.24) and the league (57.38) and district (57.36) crowns in the 400.
The program was to aid her through the postseason. Last spring, Armstrong ran a gauntlet that included the OCC-Cardinal meet, district, regional, state and the Nike Outdoor Nationals in a six-week span. She competed in at least three events each time out.
She finished seventh in the 200 (25.16), eighth in the 400 (56.15) and 14th in the 100 (12.23) at state. It was her third consecutive state meet after finishing sixth in the 400 (56.88) in 2022 and helping the 1,600 relay take fifth (3:56.71) as a freshman.
At the Nike Nationals at Oregon, Armstrong was 13th in the 100 (12.10), 16th in the 400 (56.50) and 23rd in the 200 (24.75).
“It was a lot last year and I didn’t perform as well as I would have liked to,” she said.
Armstrong’s time at state in the 400 was a program record. She also holds the program’s best in the 100 (11.97) and 200 (24.65) and as part of the 400 relay (49.03), and the 1600 relay (3:56.71). The 1,600 was set in 2021 and the rest were all bested last season.
It made sense to start this season slow and ramp up.
“She’s very self-aware and introspective,” Staten said. “Her confidence comes from her work ethic more than anything. Ady was good as a freshman, but she decided she wanted to be great and that’s where her work ethic comes from.”
Last winter, Armstrong won the 400 (55.76) and finished fourth in the 200 (24.93) and sixth in the 60 (7.69) at the indoor state meet at the SPIRE indoor facility in Geneva.
“I still have the same goals (this spring),” Armstrong said. “I wasn’t super happy with how I performed at district. Knowing those were my first two races back on the track, I’m trying not to be too harsh on myself. I still have a goal of running a 53 this season – which is a lot faster than I ran at districts. I think being able to practice on the track again will build my confidence up.”
Hilliard Darby’s Ady Armstrong takes a brief break between races during the Joe Lenge Dublin Classic in April at Dublin Coffman. Photo: Kevin Rouch