High school state Champion thinking of quitting

You need to stop looking at workouts and competing the way you do, instead of dreading them just know you prepare well for them and even if they hurt they’re worth it if you think they are.

If you can find a new perspective to enjoy running with it may help a lot more

What you need to do is start doing crazy workouts, fun stuff. For example...

A 5 mile run that progresses to an all-out effort followed by some 300s.

6x400 with 100 sprint between reps. No stopping.

A road run with friends where y'all take turns picking up the pace.

Stopwatch intervals on the road, like 2 minutes hard 2 minutes slow (or whatever combination you want).

You can try to run up mountains. I also like running in new trails.

Good luck. Hope you find happiness in whatever decision you make.

I think you will regret it. You have a gift and you are just going through a bad patch. Heck, a lot of runners are having a hard time now. Life is all about showing up and giving it your best shot. None of us are perfect and their is always someone better.

A college scholarship is a big deal if you want a better life in the future, and who knows, you might make a major breakthrough in college. Many runners really start to shine then.

Stay the course, you won't regret it! ?

Stop if you don't like it. It is supposed to be fun. Less than 10% continue into college and 1/2 of those quite during college.

Don't know the reasons for your dread, but sounds like laziness because of cancelled seasons.

Regret is not giving yourself a chance, and that is a powerful emotion that can inhibit happiness.

Therefore, I would suggest that you give it your all.

Then if you don't succeed at the level you want, you can walk away and not have regret.

If you do succeed, but don't have the heart to compete at college, don't take a scholarship regardless of feeling entitled.

I missed my entire HS senior year of CC and track because of sports being cancelled, but I stayed with it and did my best to overcome . However, I loved the competition and doing great.

Maybe the training you do is not what you want, or the distances that you race are not really what you wish for. We never ran more than 50 miles per week and had plenty of faster runs in the week. Slow runs are for joggers and do nothing for training racers. Better off with brisk walks.

Our HS coach had a runner sub 9 for 2-miles right away after he started coaching, but that runner got caught up in the anti-war protests. Coach moved and a couple of years later started at the HS I ran at, and again right away had a great runner go close to 9 minutes (almost broke 9 as a junior, and had mono during the winter as a senior and again just missed sub 9). In fact , the runner was ahead of Alberto Salazar until the last 60 meters in the IPI HS 2-mile, where the lack of training because of mono combined with the heat (over 90 degrees.

I was middle-distance, but I was the only person on the team who could keep pace with the aforementioned 2-miler because he was so fast on 4-7 mile runs. I was a junior his senior year, and he really pushed it. Unfortunately, in college the coaches were bringing in much older Kenyans who could do lots if mileage at high speeds, and his college coach was one of these coaches, and so this guy burnt out on high mileage and never reached his potential.

Try changing your training approach. Instead of doing lots of hard track workouts, start doing lots of mileage and tempos and see if that increases your enjoyment of it. Do regular strides to stay in touch with speed but save the ball busting workouts for a couple of 6 to 8 week periods a year and see if that increases your enjoyment of the sport. Just going out for a run and focusing on feeling good and not worrying about the clock all the time does it for me.

You may have a different outlook once in a larger group with more equal ability. That might help your outlook. That's a hidden benefit of being a top level girl in HS. They can always train with the guys if they are beyond the capability of most of the girls. The guys don't have that benefit. Also, consider adding more cross-training as fun things to do such as biking, swimming or rowing if you have access, and gym workouts.

Change up your training to minimize the dread, but don't run away from competition. It's a bad habit to get into, and you'll need to learn to deal with high-stress situations. There will be a lot of them over the next 5-10 years, mostly not involving sports.

Stick with it through HS. There are some great moments - like winning a state championship, or being a member of a team of guys that likes to go out and have a relaxed run together - that don't come around again. If you quit now, you'll regret it.

If you don't want to continue after HS, don't. Your academics are much more important. Don't let your running decide where you go to college. And at a good college, top 150 in the nation is unlikely to make an appreciable difference in scholarship money. Stay in shape and try other things. If you ever want to get back to racing, road races will still be there for you.

You sound like you are experiencing very similar feelings to those I felt before pulling the plug.

I started running about midway through high school and had talent to quickly become one of the best in the state. I loved the attention that it gave me and only got faster as I thrived on that sort of thing. More importantly, I loved to RUN. I got a scholarship and was excited to run in college. However, I soon found out that big fish in a little pond got me more attention than small fish in the big pond. Workouts became a chore. I pushed through and did not have a great experience with the college running thing. I did improve, but just didn't love the constant pressure. I became known as the runner. It defined every aspect of my life and I felt like I had to keep going or I would let people down.

I ran post collegiately for a small club team, but the sponsorship and prize money were not enough to keep chasing the dream. I began feeling more and more like I needed to drop it, but also the pressure was there and stronger than ever.

I struggled with those feelings for YEARS. One day, while stretching for a workout, I decided I was done. I took off my running shoes and went in my house and didn't run a step for 7 years.

Looking back, I wish I had pulled the plug so much sooner. I beat myself up physically and emotionally for something that was more of a drain than a release. I started running again, off and on, after those 7 years off. I feel so much more balanced now. I think that had I stopped the serious training sooner then I would have had a balance and kept my love for running that I had early on. I am starting to find that love again, but I feel like I missed so much enjoyment that could have filled those 7 years. Backing off sooner would have let me keep going to some extent and I would not have pulled the plug completely, but I let it go too long and got to the point of burn out. There was no other option in my mind than to stop completely.

It sounds like you are waffling right now. Like you still like running, but not the pressure of others. A short break with some reflection on why you want to run can't hurt you. Scholarships can be earned through other means and you can have a better balance in all aspects of your life. Running might be something that consumes you again. Just to be afraid to examine your own wants in the equation. After all, running is selfish. Take care of #1 first.

the 150th XC runner this year has PRs of 4:44 and 9:44. If you are in that area and you are a junior, I would expect 4:35 and 9:30 this spring. That won't get you any scholarships. Don;t let scholarships factor into your decision unless you intend to run 4:10 and 8:59 this spring. Otherwise, the scholarships are so small that they are not worth the time commitment.

Recruit your slacker friends to trade off pacing you in workouts. Win-win and a semblance of teamwork goes a long way. On easy days just jog with them, maybe tack on a fast finish or strides. Keep it fun but consistent.