Author Archives: JL Hines

Common Questions for Track Athletes

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Hi Gator Nation!

John-Logan Hines checking in for the Men’s Track and Field team. Being a distance runner, I am often asked questions by people who don’t know much about our sport. Recently, on our trip to Arkansas we had a long 15-hour detour through multiple airports to get to our final destination. The opportunity for question-asking came up often. So I thought I’d give a few answers to a couple FAQs:

What is your year and major?

I’m a Sophomore and a Political Science Major.

How many miles do you run per week? Like 30-40?

No, more like 90-105 a week. (This is always met with absolute shock and a personal anecdote about a third cousin of theirs that ran a 4-hour marathon.)

Do you know Jeff Demps?

Yep, I know Jeff. He is a really good guy and an excellent athlete but we have plenty more of those on our national championship team.

How fast do you run a mile?

I haven’t run it since high school but I ran 4:17 as a senior. Often times this is interpreted to mean I have run a 4 minute mile. I’ll take it and I don’t usually correct them but, I’m not even close.

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Encouraging Start, New Vision for XC

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It’s that time of year again. The weather starts to change, the smell of freshly cut grass stings the nostrils, and the University of Florida Men’s Cross Country team is toeing the line. The change in season is just one of the many changes that have occurred since we last raced at Nationals on November 21st last year. The rest of the changes to our team can be summed up in one phrase: Older team, new coach, new vision, new expectations.

My name is John-Logan Hines. “JL” is what most people call me. I like to joke that my parents couldn’t make up their minds when naming me back in February of 1993. I’m a sophomore Political Science major and member of the “young” Gators cross country team.

We’ve been known by this moniker for the last two years but it’s about worn out its welcome. The makeup of our top 7 at the National Championships last year included 1 Junior, 3 Sophomores and 3 Freshmen.

The name made sense. It doesn’t work quite as well when you have 1 Senior, 2 Juniors and 4 Sophomores representing the Gators—and the expectations have risen with our seniority too.

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