It was a strange feeling. One that Chelsea High School senior August Pappas hadn’t really felt before, and hopes he never does again.

For whatever reason, his legs just weren’t there. Try as he may to catch the front group of runners at the Division 2 cross country state championship earlier this month, his body wouldn’t do it. He couldn’t catch that group - many of whom he’d beaten earlier in the season, including eventual champion Alex Standiford of Mattawan and Chelsea teammate Bryce Bradley, who was runner-up.

Pappas was a pre-race favorite. He was the top returning all-state runner from the 2009 finals and had won five straight races, including the Portage Invitational, widely regarded as the toughest race in Michigan besides the state finals.

“I felt like I was running on someone else’s legs,” Pappas says of that race at Michigan International Speedway. “It was sort of surreal, actually. My legs just didn’t feel right.”

Pappas, the AnnArbor.com Washtenaw County Runner of the Year, finished in seventh place. It was his third consecutive top-10 finish at the state finals.

“It wasn’t like he jogged across. It just wasn’t his best day,” says Chelsea coach Eric Swagger. “As a coach, it kind of humbles you knowing that no matter what you do, sometimes you just don’t have your best day.”

Swagger is quick to point out that Pappas isn’t the most talented runner he’s ever coached. He says that becoming the most decorated runner in Chelsea history -- with 23 invitational wins, three Southeastern Conference White Division individual titles and four all-state finishes -- is a testament to his work ethic.

“He embodies the idea of the tougher the better,” Swagger says. “Believing you can do things that will make people think you’re crazy.”

Pappas ran 70-90 miles per week as part of his training regimen during the season, which would include 4-5 mile sessions at 5 a.m. along with practice after school.

People thinking you’re crazy: Check.

“My parents didn’t let me play football in middle school, so I tried cross in middle school and initially I was like, ‘What the heck am I doing?’” Pappas says. “Eventually, there was no place I’d rather be. That feeling of how far and how fast I can push myself, there’s nothing better than that.”

Pappas tapered his training at the end of the season in an attempt to peak at the state finals. He and Swagger think now they tapered too much, that his body had grown so used to the torture that it reacted negatively without it.

Pappas didn’t sulk after the race. Rather, he beamed with pride over his teammate’s performance.

“I was just really happy for Bryce,” Pappas says. “I know what it’s like to beat people you’re not supposed to at that race, so it was awesome to see him do so well.”

With his high school cross country career in the rearview mirror, Pappas has already shifted his focus to getting into college. Despite his blue chip running resume, and stellar grades, he still has to try out if he hopes to get into any of the schools of his choice. Pappas is a percussionist and plans to be a performance major in school.

“As far as getting myself to the level, it’s the same basic kind of commitment and it comes down to whoever works the hardest,” Pappas says of the similarities between his musical and athletic training. “I’m busting my butt, practicing a lot.”

Surprise, surprise.

Pete Cunningham covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at petercunningham@annarbor.com or by phone at 734-623-2561. Follow him on Twitter @petcunningham.