ran D3, still bitter wrote:
I am bitter but ran D3. I was not a champion in high school.
I too, am bitter. Didn't plan on running in college, but had a good senior year (finally) and my assistant coach told me about a D1 team where I could walk on.
Did so, and spent the first summer injured. Had a great mileage build up during my freshman year and summer before getting two stress fractures in each of my tibias.
took time off, turned it around, had a wonderful indoor season looming up and then ran too hard when i was sick and derailed that train as well. The stress fractures returned in march and i was out again.
Built up again from scratch, had a great junior year cross country and finished it injured. learned a lot that winter, came back from injury, had the track season of my life (running 5 PRs in 2 races) and finished it off with a femoral stress fracture.
Finding myself at rock bottom again, I built back up from scratch slowly as balls (first week back, 3 runs @ 10 mintues, second week back, 3 runs at 11 minutes, etc) and missed cross country.
Had a slow track season with a few decent results. finally getting my sh!t together, ran my best xc season and track seasons ever. My last track season was spent entirely burnt out about running and if it wasn't for the steeplechase, I probably would have quit.
so, just when I figured things out, when my running form was fixed and I had finally started to figure out my body's reactions to training stress, I was done with ncaa running. at the same time, started to discover the true extent of doping in athletics and got really resentful of the system. Moved to triathlon. still wonder what I'd be running now, if i kept with it... but I guess that will be my biggest "what if".
Don't regret moving to triathlon (ITU stuff, not @sshole long course), though. Doping situation is less severe and if you work hard and work smart, you can actually reap what you sow without needing to resort to needles and vials of test.