“Last year, I had a stress fracture. I’m a pretty new runner, and once my season started going pretty well, I went to Christian [NCCAA] nationals and had a pretty good race but got a stress fracture during the race. That set me back. It was the first time in my life since I started running that I had to take an extended break from it. It made me realize the appreciation I have for not only running, but my teammates, my coach, the gift God has given us to run and to be with these wonderful people. I also noticed how invested my teammates were even not just on a running level, but a deeper level than that. It really helped me see the bigger purpose we have, where before it was so focused on running. I could see my teammates as more of people rather than just running mates. It was a blessing in disguise. At the time, I would have seen it as a curse, but now looking back, it’s definitely a blessing.”