directions_run Run • May 16, 2025, 1:15 a.m.

10:26 is not the exit I was hoping for (duh), and figuring out the issues that plagued my senior year will need to be dealt with. Now for a story. Last night, I couldn’t sleep. It’s a part of my race routine to get to bed early and this was no different. I spent nearly an hour awake in bed. Sometime in this hour my bed started to shake. I was very confused and got out of bed, only to realize that I was the one who was shaking. It took a minute to calm down and relax and after that I was able to fall asleep. There is no denying, in any capacity, that I was terrified. I have been terrified before many other races in my past. These races have had varying degrees of success, from 10:26 to 9:57 to 19:06 to 4:34. Long have I learned that stress and running go hand in hand. Some days that stress is too much, the moment gets to you and you blow up. Other days it is the defining reason for your success. Regardless of the outcome it is unavoidable. As unavoidable as the passing of time. To reject the stress is to reject running in its entirety. You cannot have a successful career if you do not understand this, you just can’t. I know that, for better or for worse, stress has been the driving force for successes I would have never dreamed of before running. There will always be days where everything is stacked against you. There will be days where the stress is too much, where you feel like no matter how hard you try and no matter how much you want it, it will never be enough. Take those feelings and run with them (literally). I will remember my 9:57 for the rest of my life (not just because it is my all time pr now…). It’s because beating that stress proves you underestimate yourself. It proves you are more than what you think you are. The importance of your high school times will fade in adulthood. Your ability to conquer stress will not. If there is one piece of advice I can leave behind: Cherish the stress, the pain, and the bad. There is no good without it. To all whom it may concern: This is an end but not a goodbye. I will attend as many meets as I can and keep updated however possible. If you ever need anything; someone to talk to; a recommendation for college, or help on something, reach out. Buckley, Anand, Kasra, Devin, Antonio, Melkus, Cubbin, Noah, Elliot, Cole, Walter, Ian, Cooper, Ferren, Momin, Andrew, (you get the point) I hope we stay in touch. There are no others I’d rather call teammates. It’s been an honor over the last 4 years. Run every race like it’s your last. One day, it will be. Rogers out.