Before transferring to Winthrop this fall, I spent two years on the cross country and track teams at a university pretty far away from home. Running was my life in high school, so it only made sense at the time that I wanted to compete at the highest level I could for four more years before stepping away from my sport. I met some of my best friends on that team and loved running every day with such a talented group of girls, but life as a DI athlete was not all sunshine and rainbows for me.
I was on the team for six seasons, and I was only healthy and racing for two of them – one outdoor season my freshman year and one indoor season my sophomore year. I can’t be sure what caused this bad-luck streak of injuries, but I knew when I came home for the summer after my sophomore year that I needed to be done. It’s been incredibly tough figuring out my life again after devoting so many hours to a sport that made me so happy, but it gets a little easier every day. These are just a few of my thoughts about my new life as an Ex-DI athlete:
1. I can quit something that once made me very happy and still be very happy
Racing used to be my very favorite thing in the world, and I still miss it a lot. I’ve found myself grieving the loss of certain goals I had for myself but didn’t quite get the chance to reach. It’s pretty weird closing that chapter before I was able to set one last PR or have that perfect college race, but I’ve slowly started to let go of the way I thought things would be and embrace this new chapter in my life.
2. NARP life isn’t all that bad :)
I let myself take a good true break from running in late summer, and I’m so glad I did. I found myself excited about the little things that I couldn’t do before, even just silly stuff like being able to pick out a cute outfit in the morning and wear it the whole day. And I’ve loved having a little more freedom with my schedule- I don’t miss rushing from practice to lunch to class every day that’s for sure!
3. Running with no strings attached is super Fun!
It may have been humbling to start running again after taking a full break from training, but I love a good challenge! I love getting to pick how long I want to run each day and how fast. My first run outside this fall, I blasted Taylor Swift in my headphones, didn’t worry about how much it hurt, and let myself enjoy the runner’s high. I’ve been consistent about running ever since, and enjoying it a lot more.
4. There’s More to Life than My Sport
It may still be hard, but I’m working on getting excited about goals and plans for my life that have nothing to do with running. I hope to find something else that makes me as happy as a good race used to. There’s a lot to look forward to, and it’s only just beginning!