I have been running for as long as I can remember. As soon as I was able to trade in my softball cleats for a pair of track spikes, I knew it was the best decision I ever made. It instantly became a passion for me; something I do not think I could ever live without. It is my getaway. The thing I do when I am stressed, happy, sad, mad, or even ready to just give up. It is the one thing that can make me forget about what kind of day I am having and just run.

Of course with running being a passion of mine, it was an obvious decision to join the track and cross country team when I entered the sixth grade. I liked the thought of these two sports because even though you practice with your team, ultimately you compete by yourself at meets. I have played team sports before and I never liked the feeling of letting others down. With track it is different though. When I have a bad race, the only person I really let down is myself. I think overall this has made me a stronger competitor and has made me push myself harder. When I started track, I became a distance runner and a hurdler, but was really someone who could be placed in any event and do well. Middle school was probably my favorite time to run track and cross country because I just had so much confidence back then. It was rare for me to come in worse than third place at a meet and I was disappointed with myself if I did. I had to really changed my outlook on track when I entered high school because I realized that there is always going to be someone who is better than you are. There is so much more competition in high school, which was something I definitely was not used to. It taught me the lesson to worry more about my own personal records, rather than how I compare to everyone else.

High school was also when I had a change of heart about what events I wanted to do. I had always been someone who was quick, so it was kind of a no brainer than I should really be a sprinter instead of a distance runner. For some reason though, it took me all three years of middle school to realize that. Hurdling really became my main focus in high school though. I don’t know, it is just something about jumping over obstacles while sprinting 100 or 300 meters that makes running so much more enjoyable. It is that feeling when you get a PR after you have been working so hard at your trail leg. It is that moment when the girl next to you congratulates you after going head to head at the state meet. It is even that feeling when you hit your trail leg on the hurdle and end up with bruises all over your knee. Each of these moments helped to make me into the runner I am today. Hurdling has taught me success, but has also taught me failure, and I am forever thankful for that. I don’t think I could ever express how much it means to me, and I think I will continue to do it for the rest of my life.

You never realize how much something means to you until it is taken away for awhile. During the beginning of my outdoor season of my freshmen year of college, I managed to sprain my ankle during practice, which put me out for two weeks at the beginning of the season. You do not know torture until you watch that hurdle or 100 meter heat that you were supposed to compete in, knowing you could have done well in it if it was not for your injuries. This injury was not the worst thing that could have happened to me, but it made me really appreciate running when I got back into it.

I know running is not for everyone; most people actually hate it. But I am thankful that to have loved it for nearly my whole life. It has given me something to do when I am bored, friends who have the same passion as I do, and even kept me in shape when my eating habits were not always the best. It is a lifelong friend of mine and I would not be the same person I am today without it.