When I first arrived at high school, my choice for sports was clear. I had competed in track and field as well as cross country throughout middle school, so I decided it was a good idea to continue my running journey. What I didn’t realize, however, was the possibility of hardships that running could and did bring.
My running journey has not been easy, to say the least. These past four years have taught me the importance of being patient, and that things do not come easy. I’m grateful for the lessons that both track and cross country have taught me.
Over the course of both my freshman and sophomore years, I established myself as a varsity member on both teams. Every day I showed up, put in the work, and was fortunate enough to make WPIALs. I was really happy and excited to begin my upperclassmen years, but little did I know that problems would arise.
During my cross country season junior year, I found myself struggling. I lagged behind on workouts, couldn’t make varsity, and overall kept on running the same times. I grew frustrated and could not understand why this was happening to me.
The same thing occurred for my indoor track season. I was now even more upset. I was really confused as to why I wasn’t progressing the way that I should have been.
The answer came to me during my outdoor track season. A blood test indicated the possibility that I might have celiac disease, so I decided to undergo a formal test. An upper endoscopy confirmed the doctor’s suspicions.
This diagnosis meant that I had to completely change my diet, because some of the foods that I had previously been eating were damaging my small intestine. I had suspected that this was likely the reason that I was struggling with running, since my mother also has this condition.
This news definitely brought me peace of mind. Having a solid culprit for my declining progress changed my attitude toward the matter. Instead of being frustrated and confused, I was now motivated to fix my ways.
During the rest of the outdoor season and summer that followed it, I worked hard day after day. Through the rain, heat, and everything in between, I attempted to get one day better. In the end, my progress was evident.
My entire senior year cross country season, I was consistently placing within the top five to seven places on our team. This not only meant that I was sometimes scoring points at meets, but that I had solidified myself as a varsity runner.
I kept on improving my times in nearly every race, and my emotions were skyhigh. I felt unstoppable. I finished the season with an overall solid race at WPIALs, which felt like a storybook ending.
As I shifted into the indoor season, I focused on one thing. I wanted to train all winter to be in my best shape for the outdoor season. But on my journey in doing this, I encountered yet another roadblock.
The day before the first indoor meet of the season, I messed up big time. When running through handoffs with my teammate, I stepped on the back of his foot, causing my ankle to roll. I went to put pressure on it, but I couldn’t find the strength to do so.
Thankfully, it was only a grade two ankle sprain. I was still unfortunately ruled out for at least three weeks, delaying my training and messing with my prior plan.
Nonetheless, I worked with the athletic trainers, biked, and did body weight exercises to stay in shape. I felt determined to get right back into where I had left off. Thankfully, I was able to return and run in the last few meets of the season, even getting a chance to run at the Indoor TSTCA Championships.
At last, my senior outdoor season was finally here. Everything that I had worked so hard for led me to this season. I had my chance to shine, and I am proud to say that I took it.
The entire season I ran on the 4×4 relay team, which quickly grew to be my favorite part of every meet. The energy and the chemistry that each one of the members consistently brought to the table made every step hurt a little bit less. We consistently medaled at the high-ranking invitationals, and even qualified for WPIALs.
Overall, my running career here at Baldwin High School has been a rocky road with many different emotions. I cannot describe how thankful I am that I was able to run for Baldwin. These sports have taught me so much about myself that I will never forget.
