For a majority of collegiate athletes, our sport has been a big part of our lives for some time. Whether for love of the sport, the competition or simply having natural talent, everybody has a reason for sticking with their sport for so long. While all of these reasons ring true for myself, the most important part of my sport is my team. And I have to thank my first ever team for getting me to where I am today.
Thank you for teaching me the importance of teamwork.
Before running, I had never been a part of something that placed so much importance on working together. Running taught me that not only is it OK to lean on each other, it is encouraged. That’s what teammates are for; they are your best friends and your rock before they are your competition.
Thank you for getting me through all the tough workouts.
Everyone has days when running 24 200s just sounds impossible, and when that five-mile tempo run feels like a sprint. Luckily, we all get to suffer through those days together. And sometimes, having someone next to you who feels exactly what you’re going through can make it suck just a little bit less.
Thank you for always being supportive.
Contrary to popular belief, running is as much of a team sport as an individual sport. Competing against your best friends isn’t always easy, but when you have teammates who want you to succeed as much as they want themselves to succeed, supporting each other comes naturally.
Thank you for being my family.
Over the four years of high school, I can honestly say I spent more time with my teammates than with my actual family. Twelve-hour meets, two-hour bus rides, nine-mile runs in the woods, all year round. It’s impossible not to become close with people after all that time. You see each other at your best and at your worst, and come out loving each other more and more each day. Of course, there are ups and downs, but at the end of the day nobody has your back the way a teammate does.
Thank you for being the reason I love this sport.
It’s not that I don’t love to run, I do; but that runner’s high and the satisfaction of finishing a 12-mile run wouldn’t mean nearly as much if I didn’t experience them alongside my team. Truthfully, I can’t remember why I started running all those years ago. All I know is that I owe my connection to the trails and the track to the girls who helped me shape them.
Thank you for letting me go.
At the end of my time in high school, the thought of leaving my team was unbearable. Now that I am gone, however, I know that it is one of the most important things I’ve done. This is not to say I don’t miss you all terribly, because I do; but I didn’t realize quite how much you all taught me until I had to take all of those lessons with me, away from you. You have allowed me to become a part of a new team, and form bonds with them the way I did with all of you. I wouldn’t trade my new team for the world, but that does not mean they have replaced my first team. I will be forever grateful for my first set of running partners. The girls who have made me laugh and made me cry. The girls whose blood, sweat, and tears are forever engrained into the track with mine. The girls who helped me through so many parts of life, one mile at a time.
