By: Jace Frederick

Te’Shon Adderley is taking a break from running.

The Gophers senior has been training and competing from last August through last weekend, when she placed fifth in the 800-meter run for her home country the Bahamas in the Central American and Caribbean Games in Mexico.

“I was glad to be able to compete for my country,” she said. “I ran my second-fastest time for the season, so I was proud of myself.”

And after 11 months of work, her break lasts all of two weeks before she returns to her training regimen.

Adderley, who has run competitively for the last 11 years, admits running gets hard sometimes, but she enjoys it.

“Running is like … the way I eat,” she said.

When her break is complete, Adderley said she’ll return to form by running a mile a day until the cross country season starts.

The track and field star trained with the cross country team last fall and will continue to do so this year. She said this year she will run at least a few full races.

“I’m afraid,” she said, “but I’m looking forward to it.”

Gophers director of women’s track and field and cross country Matt Bingle said training with the cross country team helps Adderley build her strength and foundation so she can better handle her more intense 800-meter workouts in the track season.

“She is a coach’s dream,” Bingle said. “She wants to do exactly what she needs to do and takes care of business.”

Last year was Adderley’s first in the Big Ten after she transferred from Iowa Central Community College.

In the spring, she placed sixth at the Big Ten outdoor championships. She followed that up with a 16th-place finish at her NCAA regional, running the third-fastest time in school history (2:06.38).

Adderley said she hopes to break the school record in the 800 meters next season. She also said she wants to attempt to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Bingle said Adderley, a former sprinter, has the foot speed to achieve her goals. He said Adderley’s experience in international meets such as the CACs helps prepare for future big events.

“Anytime you can run with that caliber of athletes … the better you’re going to be and more comfortable you’re going to be,” Bingle said.