Should I run in College?

I agree with the others that suggested you run one year.

There are many different benefits/drawbacks to running in college. All Big Ten programs are not created equally. Some are much more competitive than others. And some can be a ton of fun. However, you aren't going to know if the water is the right temperature for you until you jump in the pool.

Expect to walk on, talk to the coach and get some pointers for summer training. Talk to the runners and maybe hook up with them in the summer.

Don't expect to run varsity, don't have any expectations other than showing up and seeing what happens. But get your summer volume up to whatever the expectations are of the program. If they regularly run 80+ miles per week, you'd better be there come August. Not being able to handle the volume can make the transition extremely difficult.

You should know by the end of cross season whether you like the other guys on the team and whether you want to continue.

I don't like indoor track and think the sport should be ignored by distance runners. Even outdoor track can be very frustrating for a distance specialist. Almost every runner at Big Ten's last year was under 15 minutes for 5k. That's a man sized run for someone who has only run 16 low. So, don't put too much stock into track.

Assume that Cross Country is your trial period and see how it goes. You may find that you just love going out and training with the team and the environment.

Remember that the "college experience" is very different for everyone. It will be what you make it and I can tell you that you have no idea what your "college experience" is going to be halfway through your senior year of high school.

Give it an honest shot in the fall and see what happens.

The Wagon

PS. I went Big Ten for undergrad and grad school and didn't run for either. But I still run about 2K miles a year and love it more than ever.

Give it a shot. I went to a D1 program that was over my head as a freshman. I got cut both as a freshman and sophomore in cross. Did not race till my sophomore year indoors. I was also left with a full 5th year of eligibility because the program got cut.

I went out and challenged myself both physically and mentally. The good thing is I came away knowing that I had achieved more than I thought was possible, through hard work and determination.

If presented the same set of circumstances today, I would most definitely go through with it again. I came away having lived some of the best four years of my life, and friends/teammates that I could not imagine not having.

Give it a full academic year. That should answer whether you like the program(teammates, coach, facilities, training)and if you can spend another 3-4 years involved with it.

I have a feeling you may be talking about Purdue. Assuming you are smart and since you are going into Mech En, my guess is likely correct.

Purdue's recruits aren't THAT fast, usually around 15:35-15:40 if they're in-state/mid-west kids. 16:11 isn't that far-off and the team (as you probably know) insn't that good anyways. I think you should give it a shot and you could find out you fit in better than you anticipated.

Have you already sent in your deposit and commited to this school? Otherwise I would consider applying to a DIII school to keep your options open.

The application deadline for some schools has passed but for many others it is still open.

I just finished my first semester running DIII with times comparable to yours in highschool and I think it was the best decision I ever made.

run

http://17.media.tumblr.com/RzfWAthqnopjqlbnjPYaIQweo1_400.jpg

A number of posters have brought up some very interesting points on this topic. First of all, I do not think that, just because you are unsure of whether or not you should run in college, that you lack the fire, the drive, or any other form of significant motivation to be successful in college. As such, I would respectfully disagree with the posters that indicate that doubts are a full-blown indicator of failure.

Furthermore, I think it is great that you are taking the time to evaluate your options systemically (as most engineers do), to ensure that you can be fully committed to whatever decision you make. Based on your goals for college, it seems that you are definitely a very dedicated individual with a number of different passions.

Ultimately the decision is up to you, but I would also echo the advice of others and tell you to give it a shot. I ran much slower times in HS than you did, and I still made the decision to run in college. The bottom line for me was that, although I had priorities outside of running, I had such a passion for training hard, competing, and pushing myself to the limit, I definitely felt it was worthwhile to compete in college.

My situation was very similar to yours in that I was in a fraternity, ran cross-country, and majored in engineering. I was probably a bit better off in the way of balance, since I ran D III and my fratnerity wasn't big on alcohol, but the balance was certainly still difficult. As an athlete, I had coaches telling me that I was wasting my time in a fraternity, as a fraternity brother, I had brothers telling me that I was spending too much time running, and as an engineer, I had homework that piled up and tests that needed to be studied for.

The bottom line for me was that I was never willing to give up one of my life's passions just because someone else told me that my given combination of college experiences didn't align with cookie-cutter expectations. As such, I would encourage you not to give up running just because your major is difficult, not to completely avoid the Greek scene (unless regulations require you not to go Greek), etc.

As a college athlete, I definitely had my ups and downs, but in the end, I competed for four years, PR'd multiple times in 4 events, finished my engineering degree, and ended up holding leadership roles in my fraternity as well, so the balance is possible with the right time management (and sometimes a lack of sleep, unfortunately).

Different people can handle different levels of activity in college, so I would encourage you to give running a shot if you are considering it. The opportunity to train and compete with a close-knit team isn't something that you'll necessarily have in the future, so it's definitely worth diving in headfirst and seeing how things go. Worst comes to worst, you re-evaluate your priorities after your first season, semester, or year, and determine if athletics is still far enough up the totem pole to merit your continued efforts.

Good Luck!

There are exactly 0 NCAA rules that ban you from joining a frat. There may be school rules, but no NCAA rules.

I would tell anyone who has the opportunity to at least give it a shot.

yes

If you don't really want it bad (the desire and dedication it takes), then I would say forget about it. do some jogging on your own, run the intramural races, where you can be a big stud and move on with your life. I ran 5 years (red shirt) in college, loved it, had a girlfriend, etc, etc.....but I really 'wanted it' too. If you are waffling over it already, while you are still in high school, by the end of your senior year you will be finished. Nothing wrong with that; 90% of high school runners end their careers after the Regional or (if they make it) the State meet. Have a good life. move on. don't look back or have regrets.

I go to Georgia Tech and one of my friends is an ME major, in a fraternity, and competes on the cross and track teams. ME at tech is one of the hardest majors to complete at one of the best schools in the country and he is in a fraternity that provides social events throughout the week and weekend and he still has enough time to run competitively. it can be done

Where is Mr Obvious? Something is terribly missing in this thread and he's the one who can tell us what it is!

Yeah the frat thing I was talking about, I do not know where I got that from, I heard someone talking about but I was wrong about that obviously and it would school rules, not NCAA rules that would prevent one from joining a frat.

Anyhow, thanks for the all replies, looks like I am going to give it a shot, and see how it goes.

I walked on at Michigan in the mid 90s with much slower times than you've posted. I was way in over my head. I was planning on majoring in ChE, but had no desire to be in a fraternity.

I wasn't a D1 runner, and after a six weeks I developed a stress fracture that was caused in part by not taking the time to address another injury. I had been training hard that summer, and when I got to campus I spent a lot of time focused on running. I didn't go out and party hard like many other freshman did, I spent a lot of time studying, and I did everything I could to improve as a runner, and probably too much. I got cut and though I tried to walk on again the next year, I didn't make it.

Despite the injuries, not making the team, and having a hamstring that has never been 100% since then, I don't regret my decision for a moment. I went out and tried to compete with at the highest level. Reality was, I wasn't good enough. I lost absolutely nothing by trying. I still run, and actually might be a better runner now in my early 30s than I ever have been. Moreso, I continue to meet some of the best people in my life through running.

Worst case scenario is this, you go out, you run, you hate it, you get injured, your grades suffer a little bit, and maybe you don't rush until your sophomore year. Otherwise, you might run for all four or five of your years in college, travel to some meets, learn how to juggle academics, athletics, and social life - preparing yourself for your post-collegiate profession, making yourself more attractive during your initial job search, meeting some great life-long friends, and setting yourself up for a nice competitive/recreational running lifestyle.

Or, with your times, you might actually do what a good friend of mine did when he went to a Big Ten school in the late 90s, walked on non-recruited, and ended up a Big Ten champion in track - twice. You never know what the ceiling of your talent level can be. Don't expect those types of results, but work for them.

It sounds like you are heading to Purdue. Don't run. The coach is an ass and you'll end up hating running. It wouldn't be worth the time and effort you'd be putting in to get treated like a red headed step child. Have a good senior track season and call it a career.

You will probably not contribute much to the team for at least the first year, but I would still suggest that you try it out if you really want to and see what you can do.

[quote]Undecided HS runner wrote:

800 1:59 (Junior Year)

1600 4:28 (Junior Year)

3200 9:54 (Junior Year)

5K XC: 16:11 (Senior Year)

quote]

From what I know from past experience, even the lower level Big Ten schools have faster walk-on standards than what you have run. Have you talked with the coach yet to see if it is even possible to run in college at this school. Obviously you have the chance to run faster this upcoming track season. As someone said, if you can't run on the team, most of the Big Ten schools have very good club teams. Also, there is no NCAA rule about joining a frat.

Don't worry about only running 9:54, train your butt off this winter, have a stellar track season, and then see if you can walk on to your school's team. I ran a similar time in high school and have now ran under 25 minutes for the 8k, so go get 'em man, and most of all have fun running. It's only when you don't enjoy it anymore is when you're supposed to quit.

If you do rowing you will definitely gain 15 pounds. But, even worse it will all be muscle and you will no longer be a skinny little annoying twat of a runner

Undecided HS runner wrote:

Yeah the frat thing I was talking about, I do not know where I got that from, I heard someone talking about but I was wrong about that obviously and it would school rules, not NCAA rules that would prevent one from joining a frat.

Anyhow, thanks for the all replies, looks like I am going to give it a shot, and see how it goes.

I attempted all three my first year and did nothing well, except academics, and was tired ALL THE TIME and my health suffered. If you are going to study engineering or pre-med or any other very time-consuming major, I would recommend only doing two of the three. On the one hand, your team IS your fraternity and you will spend most of your time socializing within that network. Cross country runners tend to be "smarter" anyhow, so I'm sure you'll have some fellow teammates in the same time management boat. On the other hand, a fraternity gives you other socializing options and a network for life for employment after college (running could, but probably won't provide the same opportunity).

My thoughts, given my experience and your general ambivalence, is to take the first year off from running competitively and just run on your own. If you truly end up studying engineering, your first year will consist of a lot of "weed-out" classes anyhow, and the transition from high school is difficult for many in several ways (many first year students end up with mono because of lack of sleep or proper eating, hygiene, etc). Maybe pledge a fraternity, but the first semester doing that is brutal as well, as you will be a peon and hazed, A LOT, unless it's an engineering frat, e.g. (Personally, I pledged and found the whole experience very sophomoric and unfulfilling. Largely just a bunch of drunk, coked-up, underachieving dunderheads and clones). Just survive your first year, stay fit of your own accord, and THEN maybe consider joining the team, if your credentials still allow you to walk-on.

In the end, I found that running kept me "grounded" and helped me work through a difficult undergraduate curriculum, though my health did suffer. It's one thing if you're doing two-a-days in excess of 100 miles per week and traveling a lot. It's quite different if you are running one ten mile run per day and maybe a longer run on the weekend and still enjoying it rather than "grinding" it out. Your degree is far more important than your running anyhow, so if you do run competitively, make sure you are enjoying the experience. Why else would you do it? In the end, you'll never know unless you give everything a try, but keeping "balance" is the key.