My first running race actually took place in elementary school on the local running team, Girls on the Run. I dropped competition for years- picking up soccer and jump rope- until the spring semester of 8th grade (middle school).

To preface, I’d been running with my mom throughout the COVID lockdown. But I wouldn’t fall in love with the sport until I joined a team. Outdoor track and field seemed like the perfect fit after getting back to learning in a building. Several of my friends were on sprints. They introduced me to the sport in the most fun way. I was told the meets were exciting, and there were more events to try apart from sprinting.

I tried out for long jump and distance, making both the teams. To my surprise, long jump involved a lot more technique and finesse. But I had fun getting sandy anyways. When meets finally started rolling in, I almost always won in the mile or 800. Winning was fun. It felt natural and I took pride in what I did.

Fast forward to high school, it seemed like a no-brainer to run track. I knew even more people on the team, and I found the same events I did in middle school offered. What I was surprised to find, however, was how competitive the sport became. Sure, my coach took pride in the “no cuts” rule for distance. But he raised a team that gained competition in every event. He wanted us to be competitive at every level.

This wasn’t as popular with me. I missed the beginner competition from middle school, especially the winning. What comforted me that spring of my freshman year wasn’t the possibility of winning, but the fact that I was running alongside the top dogs.

This went for my team as well. The seniors were like superstars. Eager to impress them, I joined them in practice. I ended up befriending many seniors, the majority of which I still meet up with today. I got to learn about my team culture first starting out. Perhaps the most valuable lesson I made was that being a kind, supportive person is more important than being a good runner.