My teammates inspired me to never give up.

At some point, all runners find themselves questioning why they run--why they decide to pound their bodies against pavement which can lead to injury or why they go outside on a cold, windy, and rainy day to complete a workout. 

Throughout this past year, I have found myself asking that exact question; I was wondering why I decided to spend 8 years of my life running myself into the ground with various injuries and stressing out over workouts and practice. Whenever I think about that question during practice, I look around and see 14 other girls running around me with possibly the same feelings. While some of us voice our concerns with running, others may hide it and pretend it's the joy of their day. No matter how we feel about running we are not just teammates, we are a family. 

I just completed my collegiate senior year of track, which means I am no longer a student-athlete. Many times, especially during college, I came very close to quitting but continued on because of my teammates. Running has been one of the biggest life roller coasters I have experienced, but if it wasn't for running, I truly don't know where I would be in life.

My senior year of high school was one of the worst years of my life as both my mental and physical health took a downward spiral. The one thing I looked forward to everyday was running; my teammates were the only people I felt safe to be around. I struggled with depression and anxiety; my teammates were the only people who made me forget about my problems and accepted me for who I was. When track was ending, I realized that the only way for me to make it through college was if I had that same support team. From day one of meeting my college team, I knew I made a great choice. 

Freshman year I was plagued with multiple injuries but I managed to get through the year. I vividly remember my best friend/teammate telling me, "You're always going to be injured." From that moment on, I made it my goal to prove her wrong and try to go multiple seasons injury free. Unfortunately, the next year I had a freak accident at work which affected my XC season and caused me to miss all of track. During this time period, I started to question if I really should run or not. I started to avoid the team as I felt I didn't belong and because seeing them run added to my depression. However, when my teammates heard that I was finally cleared to run again, they were all excited for me and questioning why I avoided hanging out with them. Little did they know, I had already thought about quitting and already filled out applications to transfer to a new school. Because I felt that my teammates didn't care about me and was a disappointment to a team, I almost left an incredible support family. I still look back and think how thankful I am for not going through with transferring. 

Junior year rolled around and I felt like this could be my year as I got a decent amount of summer training in. Of course, mid-way through XC, I learned that I was developing a stress fracture. Of course, "always been injured" kept playing in my head. Once again, I started to consider quitting because I felt like I would never succeed. Deep down I knew that I couldn't quit and wanted to prove to everyone that I belonged on the team. 

Going into my senior year, I knew this was my last chance to prove my friend wrong. Additionally, I wanted to be a strong leader and role model for the underclassmen as they transitioned into college life. I made sure to do what I had preached to them, and with the goals that I set success came. Every single XC race, I would run faster at the course than previous years. Every race, I would have earned a new PR for myself. My last track race was the 10K, which I never would have envisioned myself doing. At the end of that race, I went up to my teammate and said, "I went a whole year without being injured" and she responded "you proved me wrong" while smiling.

The gist of my story is despite all of the hard times you may endure, your teammates will always be there to support you. They want to see you succeed and be able to celebrate those moments with you. Nothing is better than hugging your teammate after they ran a huge race. Your teammates see you at your best and worst moments and know how to help. Teammates are hands down the most important people in life that you will ever meet and help you develop into a better person. Without a doubt, I wouldn't be as strong as a leader or caring person today without them. 

So, thank you for all my teammates for helping me overcome many defeats. The number one reason why I never quit was because of you. Thank you for always making me feel like I belong, especially at times where I felt worthless. Thank you for all the fun times on and off the track that have left me with countless memories. Finally, thank you for being yourselves and showing that no matter what personality you may have, it is totally fine to be yourself.

- Anonymous