Running from the Past

Twelve years ago, I was a first-year in college, hungry to prove myself.

As the Fall 2020 semester starts, I'm getting whiffs of cross country while out on my morning run. It's not an exact sensation, but more a compilation of the scents of the season. Cut grass, petrichor, and just a hint of chill.

Back then, I was running somewhere between 40-55 miles per week. Nowadays, I'm lucky if I find time to get out for 15. But taking steps through the dew on the grass, I get flashbacks every so often of specific routes and runs that are a lot longer ago than I'd like to admit. Those were good times, but the very start of school had some bumps.

An Unwell Entrance

All summer, my training had been going great. I run well on my own, and always had a knack for putting in the miles when no one was watching. I was feeling strong, and excited to start the 2008 cross country season off on the right foot. I was hungry to prove myself - too hungry.

The mistake I made was ordering a burger at the county fair. For those who aren't from rural areas, these are typical end of summer or fall gatherings where the agriculturally-inclined bring their goods and wares to the fairgrounds for feasting and fun. About 50 feet away from the cow barn, the local philanthropic organization (I don't remember which one) was selling burger and hot dogs. I'd ordered mine well done, but in a number of ways, the burger was not. I imagine the cows would have mooed in mirth at my misfortune about 72 hours later.

A sign of the times: The cows from South Park.

I spent literal days lying on the basement bathroom floor, only able to keep down Gatorade and the occasional small meal. Luckily, my primary care physician had quickly prescribed a broad-spectrum antibiotic, which turned out to be effective against my Salmonella infection. Obviously, I missed a good bit of training, taking a few steps back on my path to competition that fall.

Getting my Bearings

This happened quite literally the week before going off to college for my first year, so as you can imagine I was pretty nervous about whether I'd be well enough to not only hit the books, but hit the roads. While it wasn't ideal, things did turn out alright, and I was eventually back up to a full appetite for running and having a good time meeting new people and taking classes.

I distinctly remember that establishing a routine was absolutely critical to being able to be successful on the course and in the classroom. One of the hardest things about starting college was actually the freedom. No one was watching my every move, I didn't have to go to class if I didn't want, and the socialization was basically limited only by my energy (of which I had a ton back then). There were nights when I only slept 3 or 4 hours, but overwhelmingly I paid for those the next few days with drooping eyelids in lecture and painfully heavy legs. Eventually, I found my stride and the balance became routine, but I had learned some lessons the hard way.

Learning by Doing (and Failing)

Some of the best memories of that first Fall are the accomplishments that grew from failure. These are often small things, like going out too hard in the first mile in a race (which I admittedly did a few times). But some of them were bigger things, too, like developing a system for keeping track of all my assignments after forgetting to study for a quiz. I honestly didn't have much of a support system on campus because 1. I didn't seek one out, and 2. Not much of one existed anyway. So, most of the learning was through doing (and failing).

Nowadays, I cherish a lot of those struggles, because it helped to build within me a lot of the characteristics I have today: Independence, persistence, drive, and stamina. These are things that aren't so much taught as they are learned, but college certainly provided the platform for those pseudo-academics.

Only a Little Looking Back

While I do miss being as fast as I was back then, I definitely won't miss the late nights spent studying and the soreness after a race that should just be in your legs but is also weirdly somehow also in your elbows, shoulders, and ribs. But what I've lost in steps, I gained in wisdom and perspective. And in my profession now as an educator and mentor, those are the skills that I value as I help students to navigate their own college journey.

And hey, I'm still pretty fast - and hungry.