Running Lessons Transpire to Life Ones

What pace should I take my first mile out at?  Have my ab work outs been adequate enough?  How many miles per week have the local school's top runners, my competition, been putting in?  These questions often circulated my head as a high school distance runner.  Back then, sports were all I cared about.  I was fortunate enough to go to a high school that didn't require a lot of out of class work in order to get the grades I desired.  If I placed top 15 at WPIAL's or knew the right offense my basketball team was running was the biggest concerns in my life. 
           Then one day something happened that had to de-rail my focus on the sports I loved.... college happened.  Hours of creating mnemonics to memorize business phrases and Thursday nights spent in Redifer lab revising papers took precedent over long runs and lifting. 

 I quickly realized that committing to a dual major would be way more taxing then I had anticipated. Since the one degree was more analytical it would take more time on my part to get the grades I desired.  As my junior fall ensued, I found the five mile runs I longed to do were cut short to three so I could make a meeting or get to the lab to meet for a group project.  It was often frustrating to be the one in the lab on a Saturday, looking at Facebook in between study breaks, and seeing your friends statuses out partying and having fun.  Don't get me wrong I had my fair share of fun in college, but I knew that if I left Penn State not giving my academic career my all.. I would not be satisfied.  
         One of the most interesting things I've come to find recently, is how ambition and dedication for high school sports can translate into an academic focus.  My personal belief is that cross country/distance running is by far the best sport to teach a young athlete the understanding of what commitment, perseverance, and hard work can provide in the long run.  Similar to the GPA you receive at each semester's end, your time you receive at that end of the year race all comes down to the training you've completed up until that point. 
            Each race, similar to each test, is a hurdle or a trial you must surpass in order to get to the finish.  In terms of academics the end is that final letter grade, and for running it's that time your gunning to hit at the end of the season.  That pain in your knee that makes you want to slow at mile two, similar to that Thursday night you want to quit studying early, these are the subtle tests you face that attempt to deter you from that end goal.  I know that if it weren't for the perseverance and lessons in dedication I learned from distance running, I wouldn't have been nearly as focused on holding true to my academic expectations as I had been in undergrad.  The past two weeks of my life have been the first time in 2 and a half years I've not had a classroom assignment hanging over my head.  It feels so good to know the undergraduate race has finally come to an end! Now I finally have time to return my focus to something long neglected, my love for sports.