Eight-year-old Milah Capilla knows exactly what goes through her mind when someone says, “Go!”

 

“You got to push it,” she says. “Can’t finish slow.” And she doesn’t.

 

Milah may have just started third grade, but she has already raced her way onto a national stage. This year, she qualified for the USATF Junior Olympics, competing in both the 800-meter race and the 4x400 relay. She finished 12th in the nation in the 800, while her relay team raced to a bronze medal, representing Kern County as the No. 3 team in the country.

 

Not bad for someone who is only 8. Especially considering there was a time when Milah wasn't really thrilled about going to practice.

 

“She used to cry at practice,” laughs her mom, Melissa Capilla.

Melissa admits she pushed her daughter a little because she could see something Milah couldn't see yet: potential. Milah kept showing up. She kept practicing. And somewhere along the way, something changed. Now? “She really enjoys it,” Melissa says.

 

Milah started with the track club when she was about 5 years old. Today, she practices three times a week at Belcourt Park with Cross Country Kern Track Club, usually from 5:45 to 7 p.m.

Her assessment of practice is refreshingly honest. Sometimes it's hard. Sometimes it's easy. Sometimes it's fun. Her workouts include strides, 400s and 800s, and Milah has learned that getting better means pushing through the moments when she'd rather stop.

 

“I have to keep going,” she says. “I can't stop.”

 

That determination paid off during qualifying for the USATF Junior Olympics. Milah needed a top five finish in the 800 and placed fifth, earning her spot. Her 4x400 relay team also qualified after taking first place.

 

After that came the Junior Olympics. Milah finished 12th overall in the 800, while the relay team captured third place. Her favorite events are the 800 and the 4x400 relay, where she has run first, second and third positions. She especially likes running second because once she gets the baton, she can finish her leg and cheer for her teammates.

 

Her strategy is simple: get moving early, save enough for the end and then push it. The finish can also be the hardest part. “A lot of teams are going to pass you by and sprint,” she says.

 

Milah knows she has to sprint, too. One of her proudest performances came in her most recent 4x400, when she clocked a personal record of 1 minute, 18 seconds.

 

Milah's love of running comes naturally. Mom, Melissa and dad, Dylan, are both runners and educators, and running has been part of their lives for years. Melissa even ran her first half marathon while pregnant with Milah.

 

Dylan and Melissa have completed half and full marathons and typically run 15 to 25 miles per week, increasing their mileage when they're training. The running tradition extends through the family. Milah's 16-year-old sister, Adelinna, runs cross country and track at Stockdale High School. Her little sister, Caylahni, who recently turned 3, is getting her first introduction to cross country.

 

Sometimes the entire family heads out together, with Dylan and Milah running while Melissa pushes the youngest in the stroller. Dylan’s own father also ran when Dylan was little. “There have been generations passed down through the family. It's something we are all proud of.”

For Dylan, running is about more than competition. “It's therapeutic,” he says. “It's a good release of endorphins, especially when you finish. It's a good feeling.”

 

He and Melissa also see athletics as an opportunity to teach their children about setting goals, working hard and doing things that aren't always comfortable. The family writes goals down and measures progress along the way. For Milah, that might mean figuring out how many seconds she needs to shave from a race or working toward another personal record.

“Running for my daughter has pushed her out of her comfort zone,” Dylan says.

 

Milah's first full track season has given the family plenty to celebrate, and they're still figuring out where her talents may ultimately take her. During cross country season, she regularly finished among the top three. Next track season, the family expects to explore the 1500 meters while seeing where the relay takes her.

 

For now, there are practices to attend, races to run and plenty more finish lines ahead. But Milah already has her sights set much farther down the track. On her first day of third grade, she was asked the classic school question: What do you want to be when you grow up? Milah didn't hesitate. An Olympian runner.

 

After the year she's had, perhaps that answer shouldn't surprise anyone. Sure, there have been hard practices. There have been tears. There have been races when other runners were closing in behind her. But Milah has already learned something at eight years old that can take a lifetime to understand.

 

When things get hard, you keep going. You don't stop.  And when the finish line comes into view? You push it.