I couldn’t fathom the places you would take me, the friends I would make through you, the discipline I would learn, or the path you would lead me down--a path still being forged today. Seven years ago when I first opened the door to the sport, I didn’t consider myself a runner, but your community held the doors open for me to come through anyway and let me in, and I’m all the better for it.
First and foremost, you’ve engrained a commitment to discipline that resides deep within me. The long and lonely miles of a weekly long run, spent out on a country road early Sunday morning, can do nothing less than instill the strongest of disciplines. The trying times of a monotonous speed workout that takes you on loops and loops around a track might seem like torture to some, but instead brought about a wild passion for the sport of track to me. This discipline, while forged on the track, seeped into other aspects of my life--my academics, community service, relationship building, and social justice. I began to thrive outside of running because of the impact you had on me as a person. I have been given everything I need to be successful in everything I want to be successful in because of the lessons I learned through running. Thank you for teaching me that hard work can take you where you want to go, if only you are willing.
Thank you for your community--in the short time I’ve been engulfed in the sport, I’ve received nothing but heartfelt support and camaraderie from runners of every team, conference, or division. While my own coach and team has shown enormous grace, patience, and support for my endeavors, I’ve also experienced these from the running community as a whole. Words of support after a race from rival schools and coaches have gone a long way to encourage me, and have demonstrated the incredible power of supporting one another. You’ve shown me true sportsmanship, true friendship, and the incredible bond that a simple run can forge between two strangers. I hope to treat every woman I line up to race with from here on out with as much respect, support, and kindness that I have been shown in my time in division 3 distance running.
Finally, thank you for the passion and beauty that you’ve brought to my life. A passion so strong that you’ve not only changed my four years in college, but have directly impacted my future, as I pursue a career in professional running. There’s been nothing more therapeutic, magical, or deeply spiritual that I’ve experienced than running and exploring the world by foot. I’m incredibly grateful to chase the feeling of pure joy you bring everyday for the rest of my life. To quote the great James Thurber, "All men should strive to learn before they die, what they are running to and from and why." While I run my own journey to figure this out, I aspire to change and help others discover the why’s behind their running as well, using the lessons and experiences I’ve gleaned from the gift of running.
So, thank you running, for blessing me with nothing less than enormous growth, purpose, and passion.