If you told me three years ago that I would be running distance for fun, I would have looked at you like you had a third eye. At that time, it was my senior year of volleyball. Five years of being on the high school team was fun at times but in all honesty I was miserable. Something felt missing; like I was just going through the motions. I was average at best and never saw much playing time. On top of that, I wasn't exactly the coach's favorite for reasons I have yet to know. To stay in shape and clear my head, I would run before practices because I knew I would be watching more than playing. Running for me was an outlet; my go-to. I wasn't good at it, but I loved it. I had tried out for the track team in middle school but didn't make it. (I'm definitely not a sprinter) My boyfriend at the time had been on the high school track team for a while and convinced me to give it another shot. It was my senior year, I had never done track before, nor had I considered serious running before. Saying I was scared was an understatement yet, I had never been so excited. It was the first time I was trying something new in half a decade. The track coach was very welcoming and honest with me. I remember him telling me that having a senior join the team for the winter and spring was rare and to not put a lot of pressure on myself because it takes years to build up. For the first time in a long time, it felt like I was doing something for fun and for myself. Track, especially long distance, was a strange foreign thing I had never come across before. Mentally and physically, I was being tested. One day, we had a track workout that was trying, I pulled coach aside and actually started crying because I had given up on myself. It was slightly embarrassing, but I will never forget what he told me. He said I had the choice to either stop the workout right there or push myself a little further and finish the last sets of sprints but ultimately, the choice was mine. Without him needing to say it, I knew if I stopped right then, I would be giving up on everything I was working so hard for. I finished the workout and learned something new about myself. I was no longer the girl on the sidelines of the court wondering what if, I was the girl on the line chasing after strength and confidence. Running became more than a sport. Coach taught me that day that we always have a choice, we can either give up or we can fight every single day for the chance to better ourselves. The season went on. Mileage was adding up, workouts got harder, and I was getting stronger. I was running races I had only dreamed of. Before I knew it, college rolled around in fall and I made the choice to join the running club. I honestly think running saves my life. I break easily with stress and running alleviated a lot of pressures allowing me to thrive my first year. If it wasn't for coach reminding me that we have to fight for ourselves and what we want, I don't think I would be running today. Now in sophomore year at a new school, running is still my one thing I can always turn to. I don't run to run away from my problems. I run to solve them. I run because being outside in nature reminds me that there is so much greatness out there. I run because pushing my limits allows me to grow and gain confidence in myself. I hope to run for as long as possible. Running made me who I am and that's something I couldn't find at the end of the bench.