When I was younger, I played softball. As a matter of fact, I played for twelve consecutive years, never missing a single season. A good amount of all those years I was so happy and in love with the sport. I would look forward to practice, weekends with my teammates in the blazing sun, and playing my position, pitcher. I loved the power I had spinning the ball, the momentum of my body flinging towards the batter as I whipped my arm so powerfully, yet so effortlessly to hit my spot in hopes of a successful result, the batter being out. The spirit, love, and energy for the game my teammates had is truly what kept me going. Hit or miss my spot, they had my back, and ALWAYS cheered me on. As the years went on, I noticed I did not even come close to my teammate’s true, genuine love and passion for the game, and just like it had kept me going, their love is also what made me stop. It was not fair to them, nor their fault that I did not feel for the game anymore. I tried to power through and keep playing in hopes that my love for softball would return, but I just decided my time had come, and although it felt like an easy decision, it was truly a difficult and heartbreaking one. At that point I felt like softball was what my life was and who I was, I was in too deep, and it was too late for anything else. I have never been so happy to be so absolutely freaking wrong.
I, after quitting softball, made a complete U-Turn by joining my school’s cross-country team and instantly I loved it. There is nothing, as an athlete, more beautiful than falling in love with a sport, and running reminded me of that feeling once again. With an open mind and heart towards running, I was able to meet so many new amazing people. Just as softball had given me so many lifelong friends and memories, in a short duration of time, running was able to do the same. After softball I thought that was that, but I proved myself wrong. I learned from sports not to give up on myself and, more importantly, that I was not limited to just one thing. That is something so important and beneficial to carry with you throughout your life. You are relentless, invincible, and can do anything, not just one thing. By allowing myself to try a different sport, a new challenge, love, and passion was found. I continued my running career and did track and field as well; of course, I had a blast. To this day, I still run constantly and could not imagine my life without it. Running has proved to be very therapeutic, especially during stressful times throughout the semester, as well as life, and an incredible way to stay fit and healthy. One of my favorite things about running, is everyone who has this passion carries it out differently, having their own unique style of doing the activity. I will be running on the track and someone else will hop on, headphones in, music blasting, in their own little world. We are both in our own zones, different songs playing, stress factors, and going at our own pace; but, what we share in common is our passion and drive to run and keep going.
Having said that, I’d like to thank you, running. You allow me to be free, strong, and relentless. The wind you create has such ease and simplicity, blowing a feeling of tranquility and reassurance through my bones. Although there is that burn when running, powering through that is everything. It is the best feeling, indescribable, reminding me of the invincible, powerful woman that I am, and can continue to be.