No Glory Without Pain
Similar to many other runners out there, I started playing soccer at just 3 years old. Sports have always been a major part of my life, from soccer to swim, even gymnastics, but when i started runningat 7 years old, there was no way of knowing what this sport would have in store for me. I trained with several youth running clubs, moving from club to club, until I finally found one that was the perfect for me. In this club, I made lifelong friends, sharing stories from a long school day, while pushing each other in speed or longer mileage workouts. Now, or course, I wasn't the fastest, not even close, because this team was different, full of competitive kids who were working hard everyday to be the best. I decided to pick one of my friends and just try to stick with her every race. The years went by and I was suddenly one of the fastest girls on the team, placing 8th at the Junior Olympics in New Mexico. I was so happy with my results and I was excited for the future.
Time went on and things stayed pretty much the same. At the end of 8th grade, I moved. Leaving behind my friends was one of the hardest goodbyes, but I told myself that I would be making new friends in high school anyway. The summer before freshman year, summer cross country training began and I qualified for our team's camp in Big Bear. No other freshman had qualified, so there I was stuck with older kids for a week. Little did I know, I made some of my closest friends. I talked to and hung out with the seniors more than kids in my own grade, but I did make some close friends in my grade. When cross country was in full swing, I started in mostly frosh/soph races, until the coach started moving me up to more varsity and sweepstakes races. I had the best season of my life and I was starting to realize my real potential. I was on the state team when we won the Division 1 California State Championship, you might be able to guess what school I go to now, but then we went to Nike Cross Nationals in Oregon and I had a blast. It was such an amazing experience and I didn't want it to be over. But, we flew home and i started my break to start preparing for track.
Two weeks later, we started track to put in some miles before spring track. This is where the real story begins. When spring track started, I was in some pretty big races and I was getting PRs, but I just wasn't happy with my results. I thought it was mental because I had always liked cross country much better than track. I started feeling some pain in my lower right leg, it hurt when I stepped down and felt bruised. I ran on for weeks, waiting for it to go away like every other injury. I got to the Arcadia track meet and had a pretty bad race. When I couldn't even cool down after the race, I knew that something was seriously wrong. When I finally got to the doctor, they would only take x-rays and couldn't find anything. My parents paid out of pocket for a MRI to find that I had a bone marrow edema, the last stage before a stress fracture. I was in a boot for about a month or so when I personally decided that I no longer had pain and i was healed. When I starteed training again, it was rough but eventually I started getting back into the swing of things. Here comes the worst part. I started to feel that same pain in my leg. I thought everything was coming to an end because I couldn't keep the pain away. This time without consulting a doctor, I did some electromagnetic treatments at a local chiropractor. They had it healed in a couple weeks and I was back running again.
So there is my story, but I just feel like I have lost my passion for this sport that has so dramatically changed my life and created most of my frienships. It seems too painful for me to keep going, but more painful to stop. Please comment any advice or motivation you may have and remember to just follow your heart in all that you do, but do everything you do with all of your heart.
- Anonymous
