I treaded slowly over the grass leading towards the outdoor track, keeping my eye on the small group of guys clustered near the side gate. From this distance, they all appeared to be tall, athletic, neon-clad, and all around intimidating. Scanning the group I couldn’t see any girls, and I even had half a mind to turn around and never show my face at the track again, if it weren’t for the fact that I’d brought my friend along with me, too.
She marched right up to that group of guys, breezily calling out, “Hey, is this the running club?”
They turned to look at us, faces opening up in pleasant surprise. One of them said, “Yes, yes it is.”
My friend turned to me. “Well, I guess we’re in the right place.” Little did I then know how right she was.
When I first entered college, I had no specific intention to join the running club. I didn’t even know the running club existed at Stony Brook. But when I realized there was no swim club or team for me to join, I figured running was the next best thing. Plus, I had been somewhat of a casual runner before, which I reasoned was probably better than nothing. I decided to give it a shot.
Entering the runner world was not quite easy at first. I was surrounded by people who had been on high school track teams and actually knew stuff about running. They had their best times committed to memory and spoke a language I could barely decipher. The last time I had been on a track team was in elementary school and I didn’t even know how long it took me to run a mile. But I was determined to be part of a team again because I missed that competitive team camaraderie. I needed it.
Completing the workouts was half the battle; the other half involved becoming more comfortable around this group of guys I couldn’t possibly be more different from. Both challenges were heightened by the fact that I was often the only consistent girl, as the friend who had first accompanied me no longer showed up on a regular basis. But then sometime in October, around my second month being part of the running club, another girl showed up— a girl who would later become not just my running companion, but also one of my closest friends at Stony Brook. Her dedication to running and her friendly, open demeanor towards everyone helped me to see the guys on the team not as intimidating, breakneck athletes, but more as actual teammates and friends who pushed me during practice and joked around with me afterward. Over the course of my freshman year, from showing up to practices twice a week, working as hard as I could at every workout and competing in occasional meets, I gradually acknowledged that the unlikely club I had stumbled upon was turning into a home of some of my favorite people.
Upon returning to the running club my sophomore year, I realized how excited I was to belong to something, to return to the track and approach a group of guys I didn’t feel intimidated by; to be one of the people greeting new members with, “Hi, welcome to the running club.”
Now, about a year and a half after the first day I joined, that tall, athletic, intimidating pack of guys make up one of the most dedicated, fun-loving and goofiest bunch of friends I have ever had the pleasure to meet (although they’re just as neon-clad as ever, maybe even more so). This semester, going to practice and seeing my friends Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays is often the highlight of my week, and after-practice team dinners top it all off. I can’t say that I have now been converted into a hardcore, bonafide runner (I don’t even own any neon spandex), but I am certainly dedicated to my club, the people in it and its continued growth. Plus, I do happen to know my mile time now.
No matter how far I run, no matter how unsure I am at first, I know now that my feet will slowly but surely lead me to the right place.