Mediocre D1 runner on a decent D1 team:
The good:
- College life in general. The independence of it all. Go to class? Go for a surf? Sleep in? Your call.
- The amenities associated with being a student athlete. Priority on classes, free tutoring, my own academic assistant. They made it hard for us to mess up academically (although some still did)
- Being on a good cross and track team (you didn't sign with them or choose to walk on because they suck) with athletes who are as good or better than you and actually care about running
- Traveling places I'd never been. Meeting new people.
- Shared experiences with teammates and friendships that I still have today
The bad:
- Getting my a$$ handed to me every week in cross. It is a tough transition to make and very few do it smoothly, myself included. Different distance, different comp and a much higher expectation for performance. I did not expect to get flogged like I did. Expect to get flogged.
- Coaches that don't care enough about the individual athletes and don't understand that 18 year olds need hand-holding and direct, crystal-clear communication and instruction.
- Coaches who play favorites and mean well, but are not willing to put together an individual plan for each athlete that addresses his strengths and weaknesses
- Injuries