Hello, I’m Gianna. Let me tell you a little bit about myself.

I’ve always been a runner. Whether it was for fun or for competition, running is something that I do to stay healthy, and de-stress at times. For me, running was always so freeing; it was a way to let go of my problems and worries for at least a few minutes.

Now, most people's immediate reaction to this would be to roll their eyes, and say “why would you run 4 miles non-stop for fun?” That's not how I see it. Running is something I do just to be happy and appreciate the world around me. I developed an addiction to running as a teenager. I ran almost every single day just for the adrenaline rush and feeling of achievement.

As I got older, I focused more on competitive running and pursued cross country and mid-distance running in track. Competitive running was fun to an extent-until an injury arose or my asthma would spike up during races. As much as my love for running was still there, it became riddled with hardships and struggle. The one activity I had grown up enjoying was the primary cause of my foot problems, and pulling my hip flexor the summer before my junior year.

Now there's a lot of people I could blame for my struggles as a runner: My coach, for overworking me that summer with a very aggressive variety training plan, my parents for stopping me and forcing me to take a day off, or my cutthroat teammates. However, I believe I was my own worst enemy. I pushed myself to be faster, stronger, and smarter just to impress those around me, earning this feeling of achievement. While this led to a spot on varsity, my problems only multiplied from there.

Everything came to a halt when I pulled my hip flexor; It took a mental and physical toll on me. My injury stopped me from doing the one thing I loved for 3 months. Eventually, I went through physical therapy, but I was no longer running the way I used to. However, where I found one door closing, another opened.

During my senior year, I switched my focus to pole vault. At my last meet, I cleared 9 feet at group championships for a 3-foot PR over the track season. The important part, however, is I was able to find another activity that brought me both the joy of running and the adrenaline rush from a workout that I would get from running and jumping into mid-air on a pole. Now that I’m in college, I still run but on my own terms.