Rounding the last corner of the track, Assistant Principal Erica Goulding took off. Met with cheers of encouragement from co-workers and students alike, Goulding passed the finish line and completed her mile with a time of 7:10.

“I don’t train for speed, I train for distance, so I wanted to see if I could do it,” she said. “I wanted to see what my time would be, and I was happy with it. I was disappointed too (so) the next day I went out and tried again.”

Goulding ran with the girls’ basketball team during their annual Martin Mile on Oct.16.

“We knew that Ms. Goulding was an avid runner, so we thought that it would be a good idea to have someone there to help us pace and get some staff involvement,” Coach Jeannette Mitchell said.

The girls ran the mile to get a sense of where they’re at and what they need to work on, Mitchell said.

“I thought other people were going to make it before I did,” sophomore Aniya Buckley said. “When I did it before I didn’t make it until the third try, (but) I was more determined because of (Goulding). She encouraged us.”

Buckley finished right before Goulding with a time of 6:55, her fastest time yet.

“(My time) met the coaches standard but I was hoping to make a 6:30 or 6:45,” she said. “Goulding really helped me. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have made it.”

Mitchell said that Goulding was a good influence on the girls.

“Goulding running with the girls definitely (acted as) encouragement,” Mitchell said. “It helped the front girls know how they needed to push themselves. Her good energy and attitude brought up the morale of the mile.

To prepare for events like this, Goulding runs five to six times a week.

“I like the challenge,” she said. “I’m older and I want to see what I can push my body to do. Right now, I’m trying to beat my best time.”

Goulding has run in multiple half marathons and travels around the United States to participate in different running events.

“My most difficult run was the Marine Core Marathon,” she said. “The course is really hard. It’s through Washington D.C and there are hills and a long bridge that you must do in a certain amount of time. I’m not racing against (the other participants), I’m racing against myself; it’s an internal struggle.”

Goulding wants students to know that running is not just a punishment and anyone can do it.

“There’s a different perspective on running if you look at it as taking care of yourself and competing again yourself,” she said. “One of the reasons I run is so that other people will run too. I didn’t start running until I was over 30. I’m not an athlete, I’ve never been an athlete, but If I can do it other people think that they can do it too.”

“(Goulding running with the girls) definitely (acted as) encouragement,” Mitchell said. “It helped the front girls know how they needed to push themselves. Her good energy and attitude brought up the morale of the mile.