Four minutes, 12 seconds.

Lindbergh sophomore Mohamud Abdi is nothing if not specific. Ask him about his goals and he rattles off a string of times for each event, for each year he has left at Lindbergh, ending with his senior goal for the mile: 4:12.

“It’s going to be tough, but I have a feeling I can do it,” Abdi said.

He’s certainly not afraid of doing what it takes to succeed in distance running, which is work, work and then a little more work.

“I work really hard,” he said. “I love running, so I put in the time. I’m just a hard worker and it’s natural for some reason. I never knew I was going to become a distance runner.”

Abdi, 16, was born in Somalia, raised in Kenya and moved to the United States with his family when he was 8. After bouncing around from Ohio, to Oregon, they finally found a home in Renton.

He started running track and cross country his freshman year. He was a strong runner, but the real improvement came between his freshman and sophomore seasons. He started running full-time and stayed in shape for the entire year.

Then, a devastating turn. With his family struggling to run a new business, Abdi’s father Mussa Ali passed away from liver cancer last spring.

“It was tough,” Abdi said. Then as his eyes sank down, he corrects himself. “It is tough.”

As is their nature, Abdi and his family kept on going.

“I kept running,” he said. “We’re doing pretty good now.”

Abdi is the fourth oldest of eight siblings. All of them have had to step up and take on bigger roles in the house.

Lindbergh coach Jef Rettmann remains impressed with Abdi’s attitude, which has never missed a step.

“He’s always got a smile on his face, always happy, always trying really hard,” Rettmann said. “He never focuses on his own troubles.”

In fact Abdi kept getting better on his feet. He went to the state cross-country meet last fall and placed 43rd. So far this track season he’s shaved nearly 30 seconds off his average mile time and is usually Lindbergh’s top competitor in the 3,200.

“Nobody works harder than him,” Rettmann said. “He’s getting physically stronger and he just keeps stepping up. It’s been really fun to see him progress.”

For Abdi, it’s all part of the plan. His goal in the mile this year is 4:28 (his best time so far is 4:35). His goal for the 3,200 is below 9:50 (best is 10:10). By his senior year he hopes to be the best runner at Lindbergh and continue trimming his times so he can get a scholarship to run at college.