Two-sport athlete Lindsey Bradshaw is picking up her pace

Do not go out fast.

That is the motto Lindsey Bradshaw lives by during the girls 1,000-meter run.

“You can’t go out too fast or you’ll die,” the Brentsville senior said.

Bradshaw remembers familiarizing herself with the 1,000 during cross country season.

She can recall the workouts, the times she broke her Group AA state race down into five 1,000-yard seg­ments.

That strategy paid off when she ran the 1,000 for the first time this season.

She won the race in 3:28.05 at the Woodberry Forest Mini Invite on Jan. 13. Bradshaw stuck with her plan of starting the race slowly to save her energy for the late stages.

Later, Bradshaw helped Brents­ville win the 3,200-meter relay in 10:29.82.

Two victories helped the Tigers earn 66 points and a second-place finish.

“[The season’s] gone really well so far,” Bradshaw said. “I still have lots of things I need to work on, and [I need to] keep coming to practice and giving my all every single day. I know that if I keep working hard, the work­outs are definitely going to pay off.”

Bradshaw is no stranger to run­ning. She is coming off an All-Ever­green District honor and a team MVP award during cross country season.

Bradshaw will also multi-task. This spring, she plans to balance track with soccer to enhance her conditioning before turning her at­tention to college. She plans to attend Brentsville’s soccer practice each day and run on her own before or after practice. 

Bradshaw wants the running to be a positive experience because the execution of her midfield/ striker roles require a huge amount of advancing to the opposing team’s net in order to generate scoring chances. 

And if Brentsville girls soccer coach Sean Weddel wants Bradshaw to keep an opposing forward away from the ball, Bradshaw will do that as well. 

“She will create a danger no matter where she plays,” Weddel said. 

Bradshaw, who carries a 4.04 GPA, loves balancing track with soccer. She would never stop participating in either sport because she enjoys both so much. 

She carries a sense of humor and fun-loving personality to the field and the classroom that rubs off on those around her. 

She laughs at herself after making silly mistakes. 

Like the time when she played goalkeeper, the only position she has no experience playing, during an indoor soccer season. 

“They needed a keeper because they didn’t have one,” Bradshaw said. “So I became the keeper. I was like, ‘I’ve never been keeper.’ “I got in and went outside the box and picked it up with my hands, which is a hand ball. 

“Everyone was laughing at me. I don’t remember what happened after that. I just remember being really embarrassed.” No penalty kick was awarded. No matter. 

Bradshaw likely would not have been up to stopping one. 

“I was awful,” she said. 

But there is no mistaking Bradshaw’s commitment to succeed. 

She maintained an even keel during the 45-minute to an hour exam her weight training instructor, Brentsville track coach Darrell Earman, gave her during this week of semester exams. 

She is working to get down to a 1,000 time of 3:08 by the Feb. 8 Evergreen District meet. 

Following the end of track season, Bradshaw will bring out her cleats, shin pads and shorts to regain her skill set on the soccer field. 

“She is very studious and very disciplined,” Earman said. “She’s able to manage school and get her life together. 

“If she has a stressful time, we’ll sit down and talk about it. But she manages stress very well.” 

Staff writer Robert Daski can be reached at 703-530-3913.