second thoughts about running in college

yeah, it's difficult. I had doubts about myself being able to handle the academics and training. You'll get through it. You seem talented

My son ran faster than that and quit after high school and has no regrets.

I ran in the big ten and quit after my first year. Ran 1:55 and 4:16 in high school and just wasn’t made for training so much at the college level. It’s such a grind and incredibly draining. My teammates all they were interested in was running and I quickly got bored.

After I quit I joined a frat and got more involved on campus and had an absolute blast. Did things like study abroad and internships overseas, things I would’ve been hesitant to take because of training constraints if I had still been running competitively.

the whole D1 thing is incredibly overhyped. Even at a big ten school I was a bit shocked. It’s pretty much the same as in high school. Basketball, football, soccer and hockey at some schools get all the attention while no one really cares about running. Sure it’s cool to flex that you’re a student athlete and you get some cool gear and extra resources but it just wasn’t worth it in my eyes.

If you have other interests and can fit into the college party culture just do that. You really only have four years of it and you can run for the rest of your life if you want.

Unsure what you mean that it was the same as high school. XC season has you running pre-nats against the best runners in the country. Running at Notre Dame is always fun. Nuttycombe is great. NCAA regionals may be several states away. Then track is what really gets interesting. You travel almost every week leaving on Wednesday and returning Sunday morning. You run at places such as Texas, Stanford, Arkansas, and Florida.

You have to decide for yourself- even if you start and leave the program.

I ran D3 decades ago- college running just wasn't for me. I transferred and ran on my own.

Yes, I regret that now.

My daughter was D1 and quit after the first cross-country season. In her case the coach completely misrepresented herself (and her training methods) in recruiting.

I coached my daughter in high school. I remember I went to her last college meet- the conference championship. She came up to me, hugged me and said- You were a great coach.

She never would have said that in high school.

Give it a shot. You may love it.

What was the training as opposed to what was advertised? That should have been uncovered during the visit by talking to the women on the team. IT can be done with Strava these days. Was she on scholarship?

If you're really unsure probably the best thing to do is run for a year and see how it goes. But I think to get a fair idea you'd need to commit to a full year because it can take time to adjust to something.

There are lots of posts here on the pros and cons of running in college. Do your best to know what you want, and what you are getting into. It's always a good idea to go on a visit (even if you pay for it), and talk to the people on the team to see what their experience is like. In general, most of your time will be spent with academics and training/competing versus a more well-rounded experience, but some people want that and love it. Focus on a college choice that you will be happy with if you do decide to not run after a year. There's usually a big adjustment in the first year of college (with academics and running).

If you make the travel roster. I realized at some point I would never be a 3:5x guy and make the 4 person distance squad that we send to those meets. It’s cutthroat at that level and not worth it unless you’re the best of the best.

I had almost decided to decommit from my college around mid-June after being severely overraced and burned out my senior year of HS. That was until my college coach randomly sent me an email asking about how my summer training was going. I felt so awkward about flaking on him last minute that I ended up changing my mind again lol.

I'm currently on my third year of collegiate running and I couldn't be happier I stayed with the sport. There will be fun and parties outside of running, I guarantee you that.

Give it a chance, but probably a third of the guys I knew who went on to run in college quit. It’s completely reasonable since it’s a large commitment. On the other hand, it does give a great routine and community which can be difficult to find in college sometimes.

Yeah the “most fun possible” is what it’s all about. Forget about teamwork and self discipline. Go to a few classes and drink drink drink. It’s why Americans produce such mentally strong young people.