Running may be my favorite extra curricular activity. I have always loved running, the way I am able to put my whole self into something without a ref yelling at me to calm down, or stop being so competitive is relieving. But besides that, running has taught me so much about life, and has given me so many skills to succeed in the future. 

To start off with running has taught me that there are going to be a lot more downs than ups. Everything is not always going to be perfect, but if you continue to work through those tough moment you will eventually see the other side, and see all of your hard work pay off. 

Running has also showed me the vast opportunity the world has to offer. Just within the past few months of my final indoor track season as a high schooler I have been given so many amazing opportunities. For example in the start of March I got to go to Boston, and race at New Balance Nationals fee free against some amazing competition. I felt like a real pro athlete, and was so excited to race with such an amazing field of girls. I also go to experience this with my teammates as we became All-Americans in the Distance Medley Relay, placing second at nationals. I was given a nice uniform to wear for my mile, which happened only a couple days later, and I was just so blessed and happy to be apart of such an amazing event. Taking it all in I realized just how worth it all of that hard work I put in before was. It really isn't what you see on the track that is the hardest stuff to do, it's all the stuff leading up to it. 

Just like in college. There will be so many hard classes, so many exams, and labs that will push me to a breaking point. However having an end goal in mind, like an internship opportunity or fellowship spot will make you want to work that much harder. Then eventually once you have paid your dues, achieving it makes all that time and dedication worth it. 

Now I would like to talk about those tough moments a little more. I am very lucky to have attended to any physical injuries early enough for them not to become serious. However running is 49% physical, and 51% mental. So if your mind is not in the race, you shouldn't be on the line to start. I speak from experience. Lining up, and feeling so much doubt in my ability to run with the rest of the girls on that line ruined many races or me. The lack of confidence in myself caused me to fall out of love with running for a little bit. I was lost. Workouts started to go downhill, and races became almost impossible. I would cry before every race, terrified of what I already knew was going to happen. Another bad race. With you being the only person able to help yourself during a race is what makes running one of the hardest sports in my opinion, respectively. You have to pull yourself out of the hole you just dug your mind into. One of my mental health coaches told me once. That I have to "shape shift my once negative thoughts into positive ones." For example if the thought was that I couldn't finish a workout because my legs were hurting, I would change this from "oh my god my legs hurt so bad," into, "this workout is going to make me so strong for my race next week." Reverting negative thoughts into positive ones has certainly been a turning point in my life, and defiantly a lesson I am proud to carry into my future with me, and any upcoming opportunities I approach. 

The most important thing running has taught me though is the importance of trust in your team. My teammates are what I like to call my "lifeline," they are my people, and the people I trust the most aside from my family. Through life I know I am going to gain, and lose many friends, co-workers, teammates, and colleagues . However I am forever grateful to my teammates now, and the ones that have graduated that I met when I just started track as a seventh grader because of the way they taught me how to trust. Trust is not an easy thing to gain from me, however it is a skill I was going to have to acquire to be in the medical field. I can never approach a surgery alone, and being able to trust my team to come up with a game plan, and execute it on "game day" is key to saving a life.