WEBVTT
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When I'm running, I feel like a lot of people think like, oh, there's just nothing going on.
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No, I mean, sometimes I'm doing like math.
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I knew ever since I was a freshman, ever since I really started running, I wanted to run in college.
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So that was always a dream.
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I was like anti-5K.
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I was even though I ran cross-country, I was like, do not put me in a 5K on a track.
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That is not my thing.
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A ton of collegiate athletes got recruited because they reached out to their coach.
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There's nothing a coach likes more than when they see that an athlete is dedicated because that's not something you can really do.
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There's just so much more to like in so many ways.
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It really just opens my eyes to budget.
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So many things.
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But none of that came easy.
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And trust me.
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Hi everyone, and welcome to this week's podcast episode.
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Today we have a very special guest.
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She is a senior on Nebraska's track and field cross-country team, originally from Phoenix, Arizona, now representing the Corn Huskers.
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Academically, she is majoring in nutrition and health science with a major in psychology, aiming for a future in sports dietetics.
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Despite the challenges of COVID-era relocation, she balanced shifting majors, frequent family separation, and the life of a Division I athlete.
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Significantly, she also completed a study abroad experience, which is very rare for a D1 athlete to do, while maintaining her D1 athletic schedule, a rare and compelling experience for student athletes all over.
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Please help me welcome Cammy to the home.
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Hey guys, I'm Cammy.
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Like she said, I'm from Arizona.
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Um, and I'm currently in Nebraska.
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I've been here for the past four years, um, and I love it.
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So amazing.
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I'm so excited to have you on today because you have such a unique story.
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Not only are you an incredible track and field athlete, but you're going into your fifth year at Nebraska and you've had the ability to study abroad.
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So that's just a really unique experience.
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Most athletes don't get.
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What year did you do that?
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I actually did that last year and I did it in the summer.
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Um, and it was it was kind of an ongoing conversation.
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I I didn't want to go at first because there was a lot of I was worried about my training schedule.
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I was worried about, you know, my nutrition.
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I was worried about so many things.
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And um I talked to my coach and we kind of had a system.
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Um, I called him like once a week.
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We texted all the time, and we used like the garment app.
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So everything just uploaded to the app and he could see everything I was doing.
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Um, and the biggest thing is he just trusted me, and I was I'm a very dedicated athlete, so it was easy for him to say, you know, go do your thing, go live your life.
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And um, it was the most incredible experience of my life.
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So well, that well, that's amazing.
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And I can't wait to dive into it a little bit deeper as we get into this episode.
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But first, take me back.
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Like, what got you into track and what got you started as an athlete?
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So my mom actually ran track for the University of Georgia, and I grew up playing soccer, and I remember I was always begging her, like, please, I want to, please take me to a track meet.
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You know, I want to be in club track.
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And she was always a little hesitant because she didn't want to put me in it too young and kind of get me like in that stage where I got to burn out and then I like hated it.
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Um, but she eventually did take me to a track club, and I started running around eighth grade, seventh, eighth grade for club track.
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And I was also swimming at the time.
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I stopped playing soccer.
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So I was doing swimming and track, and my parents kind of said, you know, let's pick one sport for high school, let's focus on that and you know, go all in.
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So I picked track, which along came cross country also.
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So all four years of high school, I ran cross country and track, and I knew ever since I was a freshman, ever since I really started running, I wanted to run in college.
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So that was always the dream.
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So that's amazing.
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That's amazing.
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And so you played soccer for most of your life growing up, and then it was really eighth grade going into high school where you solidified, you know, I want track to be my main sport, it sounds like.
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Yeah.
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Yep.
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And then, but so many people get confused around track.
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I feel like there's a lot of misconceptions.
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Like, what um, how did you decide within track and field what you wanted your specialty to be in your events?
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So when I played soccer, my coaches would always say, like, I would be running around just everywhere.
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I never, I mean, I was not as out of breath as everyone else.
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I just loved to run the field up and down.
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And that was kind of when my parents and my even my soccer coaches were like, this, she's a distance runner, you know, you should get her in distance.
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And I started out running the mile and the 1500, um, which is a shorter distance.
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Um, and I always said, you know, I'm never running the two mile, that's way too long.
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It ended up being my favorite race.
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And now, yeah, there's just that's exactly why I left soccer.
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I was like, I can't run anymore.
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I need to go.
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I mean, beach volleyball wasn't much less, but um really, so two miles, you just loved it.
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Why what what do you feel while you're running two miles?
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Well, I feel like the two mile is so fun for me because you it's one of those races you get into it, and it's not like right from the gun if you don't get a good start, if you don't get out good, you're like toast.
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You know, you can settle in.
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There's so much strategy, it's so strategic.
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Um, and that's kind of what I love about it because you get into a pace, you know, you kind of like sit on some people, you move in a certain place.
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Like, so it's just it's really fun because it is so strategic.
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Can you tell me more about that?
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Because I especially for like a young athlete listening, I feel like you hear track and field and then you hear distance track and field, and you're like, okay, you just have to run two miles in like X amount of time.
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When like you said, there's strategy behind it.
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So what do you what do you mean?
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So let I'll walk you through like a typical, let me go back to my high school days of me and the two mile.
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Um, so it's eight laps.
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Um, and when I mean when I say strategy, it's you you don't want to get out too hard, you don't want to get out too slow, but you want to get out, you know, a good, comfortable pace, but you want to start building every single lap.
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And then when you hit that middle mark, you want to start cutting down.
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So you need to be at a place where where you get to the middle mark, you can start going down, but you don't want to be, you know, too exhausted to where you're gonna positive split your race because a perfect race, you know, is the definition of a perfect race in the track world, is a negative split race.
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So where the first part of the race would be slower than the fast the second part of the race.
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So really okay.
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So in high school, that's what you started to like learn how to do is navigate that split, essentially.
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Yes.
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And um, in high school, it's you just have a lot more competitors than you do in club track.
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So that just comes with a lot of like you learn who, you know, you learn who you're you should be behind, you learn when you should move, you learn, you know, maybe when someone else is gonna make a move early, someone else maybe has a kick, maybe someone is stronger in the middle.
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So you kind of learn to play off of other people's strengths while kind of focusing on what your own strengths are.
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So you're thinking about a lot while you're running.
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It's not just like music in your ears and you're running.
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There is so much going on.
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I mean, it like when I'm running, a lot of people I feel like a lot of people think like, oh, there's just nothing going on.
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No, I mean, sometimes I'm doing like math.
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I'm like calculating all my splits.
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I'm like, okay, I'm at a you know, I'm at a 72.
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I need to be here for my next one.
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Yeah.
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So it probably makes the run go by a little faster.
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It definitely helps.
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It definitely helps a lot going on than nothing.
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That's fascinating.
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So then when did you move away from the two mile out of high school?
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Out of high school.
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So going into college, we don't run the two mile anymore.
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It becomes the 3K.
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And so I started running the 3K, and then we we do them, it's kind of weird.
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We do the mile indoor and then we do the 1500 outdoor.
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And then outdoor, there actually is no two mile or three K, which is kind of how I got into the steeple because I loved the two mile, but there was kind of a gap.
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It was either the 1500 or the 5k.
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And it's up until last year, I was like anti-5K.
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I even though I ran across country, I was like, do not put me in a 5k on a track, I'm not doing it.
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Like that is not my thing.
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Um, and I actually I ended up running one last year and I ran really well, and I realized it's actually kind of fun.
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So really no, that's that.
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Can you yeah, can you for those like listening who are probably just getting into track or their parents, you know, are trying to help their kids navigate track, can you just break and explain what you said a little more right there into like what it all means?
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Yeah, so college and high school are the distances are a tiny bit different, which don't ask me why, it's just it's weird like how it is, but yeah, yeah.
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So college we run a 3k, which is 200 meters short of the two mile, which is what you run in high school, and then we do the mile, but only outdoor because indoor we run on 200 meter tracks.
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And um actually, no, we do the mile indoor because we run on 200 meter tracks.
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Outdoor run the 1500 on a full 400 meter track.
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Um so it it does kind of get confusing.
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And for the kids like me who, you know, you're just like, I love the two mile, um, you're kind of stuck in a weird spot because you either you gotta get your foot speed under you and you gotta do the mile, or you're gonna get thrown in a 5k or a 10k, which I'm really not doing that.
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So you're like, no, please keep me out of here.
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No, yeah, no 10k.
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So you always knew when you joined track, like, I want to be a distance runner.
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That was always your goal.
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Yeah, yeah.
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I mean, even I wasn't even really interested in the 800.
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I ran the 800 a couple times in high school, and I just sprint.
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It's just a long sprint.
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It's literally it's literally a two-lapse sprint, and I was like, this is not my thing because there is, I mean, there's obviously a lot of strategy in the 800, but it's like you get out and you're just you gotta sprint, two laps.
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There's no like, okay, let me settle in, let me make a move here.
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It's like you just need to sprint all out.
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Like get going, get going.
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Exactly.
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Um, so then when again taking it back to high school and you really got into track, you focused and said, This is gonna be my sport, I'm gonna do distance.
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I love the two mile, you kind of figured yourself out.
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When and what kicked off your recruitment process?
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Like, how did that start?
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Was it help from your parents?
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Like, can what was that like?
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So I would say the my parents obviously helped a lot, but my older brother, who he ran for a school in Minnesota called St.
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John's, um, he was a huge part of my recruitment process because I really did not know there no one from my high school went D1 track.
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I mean, there might have been like one other person, and there were no distance runners before me or you know, close to when I was there.
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So yeah, you had no mentors.
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Yeah, I was no one to tell you what to do.
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Exactly.
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I was like, I don't really know what I'm supposed to do.
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I don't even know like where I'm supposed to look.
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And I had, you know, some college coaches reaching out to me, and I was just like, still like, where like how am I supposed to choose like where to go?
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Like, like I have no idea.
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So my older brother, um, he actually went through and he helped me like make a list.
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I made a list of like college coaches that had already reached out to me, colleges that I just had interest in on my own, and we kind of like went through that.
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And that is Nebraska is a c a college that reached out to me, and it was like one of the places I really wanted to go.
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Um, I would say it was my top school.
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So um, but that was just a huge part of it because without him, it would have I mean, I don't really know.
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I would have been like so lost.
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Um, but he kind of just like took me out of his wing, and it's funny because he went to a D3 school, so the process is a little bit different for them.
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So he didn't really know what he was doing either.
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So it's kind of like a learning.
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Or just like forgive it how you make it.
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Yeah, exactly.
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So, what did you do through that process when you found like you had your list of schools that were reaching out to you, um, which is incredible.
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So, how did you respond to those schools?
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And then what did you do to reach out school to schools that weren't reaching out to you?
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So I responded to everybody.
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I made it a like a point to respond to everybody because they took the time to reach out to me.
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I wanted to respond to them.
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Even if there were a couple, I was like, absolutely, I don't think I'm interested.
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Um, but I did respond to everybody.
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And if I didn't really know, I got on a call with them.
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Um, sometimes it was like two or three calls.
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It would be like with the coach first, and then like with the team.
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And then for the schools that didn't reach out to me, I would send, you know, I had like kind of like an email template.
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My brother also helped me with.
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Um, and I would send an email to the coach and I would say, you know, I'm a rising senior in high school, these are my times.
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I'm interested in talking about, you know, your call, like your college program, whatever.
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And then I got some responses there.
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So and your template, you'd have like your base, but then you'd specialize it for the school, right?
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Yes, exactly.
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I would say why you were interested in yes, like hi, the coach's name, and then why why I was interested in that school.
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So always personalize it.
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So it has to be.
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They can they can test it out.
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Um, so then what once you got there and you pick Nebraska and you're like, okay, my dream school, you got you got so excited that those two came together.
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Um, what was your like when you got there?
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Like, what take do you remember freshman year?
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Oh my gosh.
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I I remember I was I was so eager to get out of Arizona because I didn't even look at Arizona schools.
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I did not, I knew I did not want to go to Arizona.
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I wanted to get out, and I was so excited, but it was also terrifying because I live like it's like a it's a 20-hour drive, so it's not like I can just like go home.
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I can get on a plane to go home, but yeah, I was very far, and I do have some family friends here, which is another reason I this was uh like a great option for me because I do have some people that are in my corner if I need them, but it was scary because I was like, I don't even know anyone, like I don't even have any friends.
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I'm just like flopping myself on this campus, and I've never like I don't know.
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So it was it was I would say like 50-50.
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I was like so excited, but the first week was very rough for me.
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Um, and I I had a great roommate.
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We I met her like through Instagram, um, and she was awesome, but I just there were so many teammate as well.
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She actually wasn't she was just like a she was in a sorority.
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Um really yeah, we just randomly met on Instagram and I kind of like really connected with her and I was like, I want to live with her, so that was really cool.
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That's not common.
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No, it's not.
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Usually you do live with your teammates, but I my recruiting class was kind of weird because we were all recruited during COVID, so we never none of us ever went on visits, we didn't even know each other.
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So I honestly had no idea who was in my class or what was going on.
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So I was like, I'm just gonna find someone myself, and I love that it will be better that way.
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So and I love it.
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Do you think that sorry?
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So do you think that got you closer to your teammates then because you weren't living together all the time?
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Yes, I definitely think so because I think with like living together freshman year with your teammates, you're with them 24-7.
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I mean, even my teammates now, um like the past four years.
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It's like you're with them all the time.
00:16:13.759 --> 00:16:20.559
So I think it's kind of hard to just go back to your room and it's like, okay, you're just surrounded by the same person literally all the time.
00:16:20.720 --> 00:16:22.879
So it's great to have like a little break.
00:16:23.759 --> 00:16:25.279
Yeah, that's exciting.
00:16:25.440 --> 00:16:26.080
That's exciting.
00:16:26.399 --> 00:16:31.279
So then moving into it, you went from Phoenix to Nebraska.
00:16:31.360 --> 00:16:33.759
You talked a little bit how that transition was for you personally.
00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:35.840
What was that like for you athletically?
00:16:36.080 --> 00:16:40.879
Um, I would say my freshman year athletically, I definitely struggled a little bit.
00:16:41.039 --> 00:16:50.799
I think there's um that's pretty typical for you know a freshman just coming in to kind of have like a harder time adjusting to the mileage.
00:16:50.879 --> 00:16:53.360
I was not very high in mileage in high school.
00:16:53.600 --> 00:16:57.919
Um, we didn't do like crazy workouts or anything.
00:16:58.080 --> 00:17:00.639
So there was a lot of adjusting that needed to be done.
00:17:01.120 --> 00:17:06.559
And my I will be honest, my freshman cross-country season was not super great.
00:17:06.799 --> 00:17:13.119
Um, and that's okay because it was, I mean, over the years I just kept getting better and better and better.
00:17:13.200 --> 00:17:17.519
And it was just, I mean, it's just part of the learning curve and part of the process.
00:17:17.839 --> 00:17:22.880
Um, but I had, I mean, my coaches were great, my teammates were great.
00:17:23.039 --> 00:17:26.079
So it was it was just part of the learning process.
00:17:26.400 --> 00:17:33.519
Was it not great in the sense of like you're just homesick, or was it not great in the sense of athletics or kind of all the above?
00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:39.359
Um, it was more just like I just wasn't performing super great.
00:17:39.519 --> 00:17:46.079
Um, I was just having a really hard time adjusting to like the mileage and the workouts and everything.
00:17:46.240 --> 00:17:52.960
I had like a couple little like nagging injuries because I had like I've kind of shot up in mileage.
00:17:53.039 --> 00:17:55.680
I was like in high school, I just didn't run.
00:17:55.759 --> 00:18:02.319
I think my long run was probably like seven miles, and then we I get to college and my long run is like 12.
00:18:02.640 --> 00:18:04.559
So it was a bit different.
00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:10.160
Um probably was like having a hard time preparing for that.
00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:14.960
Yeah, I had some back issues, had some knee problems, where there were so many issues.
00:18:15.759 --> 00:18:22.000
So yeah, you do you do you find more now that like younger athletes are starting to train the longer mileage in high school?
00:18:22.160 --> 00:18:25.839
Or if they aren't, would you highly recommend they start doing that?
00:18:26.400 --> 00:18:39.440
I think like there's a middle ground, and the middle ground is like perfect because I now I think high school athletes are definitely training and running a lot longer than I did in high school.
00:18:39.519 --> 00:18:46.720
And I mean, I was a freshman in high school so long ago, like 2018, 2017.
00:18:47.119 --> 00:18:55.680
Um, but I also think it's really dangerous to be at a super high collegiate level mileage in high school because then there's nothing to build off of.
00:18:55.920 --> 00:19:03.839
So I think you want to be in a good spot where you can make that little jump, but you can also, you know, build out a little bit farther.
00:19:04.079 --> 00:19:17.279
But if you're like super low, like I don't know, like 15, 20 miles a week, it's gonna be a lot harder to make the jump to 50 miles a week because you have a 30 gap than if you were at like 35, 40.
00:19:17.519 --> 00:19:19.680
So I'm lucky if I run five miles a week.
00:19:20.240 --> 00:19:23.839
I'm pretty sure there's stats that like people stop running after the age of the 30.
00:19:23.920 --> 00:19:26.319
So 50 miles a week is a lot.
00:19:26.559 --> 00:19:27.839
That's very impressive.
00:19:28.559 --> 00:19:41.519
So now moving away a little bit from your athletic journey and the experiences you've had as an athlete specifically, and now more to the student side, you um came into college and you're leaving college with a different major from what I read about.
00:19:41.680 --> 00:19:48.319
So, can you kind of tell us what walk through what prompted the switch and how you navigated switching majors while competing?
00:19:48.640 --> 00:19:54.720
Yeah, so I came into college um and I wanted to be a dietitian initially.
00:19:54.880 --> 00:20:01.200
Um, and actually, the thing that kind of flipped my switch was when I studied abroad.
00:20:01.440 --> 00:20:07.119
So I studied abroad um through the business college, which I'm not a business major.
00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:10.640
Um I'm in the sci the science college.
00:20:10.799 --> 00:20:15.759
Um, but I studied in the business college and I had an internship with a women's health company.
00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:31.119
Um, and I was doing like their marketing and their social media, and I was doing like the research and the analytics for a ton of like um, it was just like a very broad company, just women's health like all over the map.
00:20:31.279 --> 00:20:36.880
So we could kind of do like I did a ton of stuff on athletes, like sleep, nutrition.
00:20:37.119 --> 00:20:41.119
I was kind of have I kind of had like free will to pick what I wanted to do.
00:20:41.359 --> 00:20:46.319
Um, and that kind of slipped the switch for me because I originally wanted to be a dietitian.
00:20:46.640 --> 00:20:51.440
Um, and that was my like I kind of had like blinders on.
00:20:51.519 --> 00:20:53.599
I was like, this is like this is what I'm gonna do.
00:20:53.759 --> 00:21:00.960
And when I did that, I kind of saw like the business side of it, and I love I love nutrition, I love health and wellness.
00:21:01.200 --> 00:21:03.119
It like embodies my life.
00:21:03.279 --> 00:21:06.240
Like that's literally I like live that lifestyle every single day.
00:21:06.319 --> 00:21:08.640
So it's so easy for me to love that.
00:21:08.880 --> 00:21:13.839
Um, but when I saw the business and analytics side of it, I was like, this is so cool.
00:21:14.000 --> 00:21:25.920
Um, so I kind of got into like that side of it, and I still want to do, you know, nutrition, wellness marketing, but it's more like the business aspect of the nutrition and wellness.
00:21:26.240 --> 00:21:28.880
Um, and I just realized that last year.
00:21:29.119 --> 00:21:37.920
So that was kind of crazy for me because I was getting um to my senior year and I was kind of like, this is kind of scary.
00:21:38.079 --> 00:21:40.799
Like, I'm I'm gonna make a change, you know.
00:21:40.880 --> 00:21:43.200
I'm graduating with my this major.
00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:47.200
Um, but it still is like very integrated in what I want to do.
00:21:47.359 --> 00:21:49.839
So I'm like I'm glad I have it.
00:21:50.240 --> 00:21:59.759
So what major, um, because like we said, like so moving away a little bit, like I said, from athletics and getting into like the academic side of things, what major did you come in with?
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:02.160
And what major are you leaving with?
00:22:02.960 --> 00:22:08.799
So I my major coming in, I believe it was pre-health.
00:22:09.200 --> 00:22:14.319
And I graduated with nutrition exercise health science, which those two are like kind of similar.
00:22:14.640 --> 00:22:19.759
But right now I'm doing a marketing, I'm getting a marketing master's.
00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:31.039
So I did end up graduating with the nutrition degree just because I kind of had this like last-minute epiphany last year before my senior year.
00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:35.839
Um and like I said, I still like love the nutrition and wellness aspect.
00:22:35.920 --> 00:22:41.680
So I still wanted to graduate with that major, just not with the intention of going to dietetic school anymore.
00:22:41.839 --> 00:22:42.559
So yeah.
00:22:42.720 --> 00:22:47.279
And that epiphany stemmed from studying abroad in this sports internships.
00:22:47.680 --> 00:22:53.440
Just kind of let's get into that because I never hear D1 student athletes.
00:22:53.759 --> 00:22:57.680
I almost quitting because I was like, I really want to study abroad one time in college.
00:22:57.759 --> 00:22:58.640
And obviously I didn't.
00:22:58.720 --> 00:22:59.599
I'm grateful I didn't.
00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:04.000
But you did something really rare there and you kept up with your D1 training.
00:23:04.079 --> 00:23:07.680
What made you and gave you that decision to pursue that adventure?
00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:10.480
And how did you structure your life to pull it off?
00:23:10.799 --> 00:23:14.160
So initially I was actually like so against it.
00:23:14.319 --> 00:23:18.319
I was like, because I'm very like, yes, I'm very type A.
00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:19.920
I'm very routine oriented.
00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:23.039
You know, I love, I love when things are like blocked out.
00:23:23.119 --> 00:23:25.359
I know what my plan is, you know, I can do it.
00:23:25.440 --> 00:23:37.519
And when you go to a different country, somewhere I've never been, it's a lot harder to sit down and be like, I'm gonna do this, this, this, and this, especially when I'm training for, you know, a cross-country season, my senior season.
00:23:37.759 --> 00:23:40.720
So I was actually like super against it.
00:23:40.799 --> 00:23:51.920
And my parents were um, they were they wanted me to go, they were very open to it, and they were kind of like trying to convince me because they were like, this would be a great opportunity.
00:23:52.079 --> 00:23:54.319
And I was like, oh, like I don't know.
00:23:54.480 --> 00:24:03.440
And then I um saw that there was a business study abroad in Barcelona, and something about Barcelona to me, I was just like, you know what?
00:24:03.599 --> 00:24:05.279
Like this sounds really cool.
00:24:05.519 --> 00:24:09.680
And I was I kind of just bit the bullet and I was like, I'm gonna push myself.
00:24:09.839 --> 00:24:12.960
Like, I was like, I need to push myself out of my comfort zone.
00:24:13.119 --> 00:24:16.319
And this, I pushed myself so far out of my comfort zone.
00:24:16.400 --> 00:24:23.920
I mean, I remember I got there on the first day, and I was sitting in my little tiny room, and I was like, what did I just do?
00:24:24.079 --> 00:24:25.119
What am I doing here?
00:24:25.680 --> 00:24:26.240
Totally.
00:24:26.480 --> 00:24:31.200
But um, so I got there and um it took me a little bit to get adjusted.
00:24:31.279 --> 00:24:33.279
Obviously, I had never been to Europe before.
00:24:33.359 --> 00:24:34.960
Um, I'd never been to Spain.
00:24:35.119 --> 00:24:40.319
I was living with um a bunch of girls from the University of Nebraska, but I didn't know them.
00:24:40.559 --> 00:24:43.359
Um, so I just kind of had like a plan.
00:24:43.519 --> 00:24:45.359
I was like, I had my training schedule.
00:24:45.519 --> 00:24:50.000
I had it, there was a gym right next to my apartment, and it was a 24-hour gym.
00:24:50.079 --> 00:24:53.119
So I had um a gym membership.
00:24:53.440 --> 00:25:02.160
And my our trip coordinator, she was she would always find like trails to send me to run because she knew I was an athlete.
00:25:02.319 --> 00:25:05.359
Um, so she always sent me like places I could go.
00:25:05.680 --> 00:25:18.319
And I loved to run, like I loved training in Barcelona, and I traveled to so many other countries, and I will die on the hill of the best way to explore a country is just run through it.
00:25:18.559 --> 00:25:20.240
Like it was so cool.
00:25:20.480 --> 00:25:22.559
Yeah, it was okay.
00:25:22.960 --> 00:25:23.279
Okay.
00:25:23.759 --> 00:25:27.759
So when you got there, you were doing an academic internship, correct?
00:25:28.559 --> 00:25:29.359
And what was it?
00:25:29.519 --> 00:25:34.880
So I had so I I believe I had I was in like three classes.
00:25:35.039 --> 00:25:42.079
I was there for three months, and my internship was with a it was with a company called Alma Health.
00:25:42.319 --> 00:25:46.480
Um, and I I think there were two other interns.
00:25:47.039 --> 00:25:52.559
So it was a very small group, but it was really cool because we all just kind of uh got to collaborate together.
00:25:52.880 --> 00:25:55.119
And again, we're we were in Spain.
00:25:55.200 --> 00:26:02.480
So and it was the coolest thing about it, honestly, was just learning like the work culture in a different country.
00:26:02.720 --> 00:26:06.400
And because I wasn't before what was the difference.
00:26:06.799 --> 00:26:11.039
So Spain, they're just like very, they're very laid back, you know.
00:26:11.200 --> 00:26:15.839
Um they don't really I mean, sometimes we never met in an office.
00:26:15.920 --> 00:26:23.359
We always met in like coffee shops, like super fun places we went out to dinner, like it was just so fun, and it's very friendly.
00:26:23.519 --> 00:26:28.880
It's not like your traditional like boss, like employee relationship.
00:26:29.039 --> 00:26:40.559
I thought I felt like my boss was like my friend, you know, we could have very, like, very meaningful, good conversations, and I didn't feel like she was like, you know, like in charge of me, you know what I mean?
00:26:40.720 --> 00:26:42.480
So um it was really cool.
00:26:42.720 --> 00:26:44.880
Um but yeah.
00:26:45.440 --> 00:26:46.400
That's so cool.
00:26:46.640 --> 00:26:52.559
And so what were the biggest academic or athletic hurdles you faced abroad and how did you overcome them?
00:26:52.960 --> 00:27:15.200
Athletic, I would just say, I mean, there were some time, I mean, uh there were a lot of times when my friends were like, oh, like we want to go out, we're gonna, you know, we're gonna do this, and you're in a different country and you want to go experience the country, but I was like, okay, like I want to do this, but I also I have these obligations, I have these goals that I want to, you know, achieve.
00:27:15.519 --> 00:27:26.640
So there were there were definitely some times where I had to kind of like sit back and be like, okay, like I'm gonna have to miss out on this because you know, I need to, I have a workout tomorrow or I need to do this.
00:27:26.799 --> 00:27:36.720
And a lot of times I did really try to like kind of make a compromise because I was in a different country and you know, I wanted to experience it and I didn't want to hold myself back.
00:27:37.039 --> 00:27:43.279
But I also like I said, I did have those goals, so it was just kind of like balance of both of them.
00:27:43.519 --> 00:27:50.240
Um, and then academically, I I honestly don't I wouldn't say I really had any challenges.
00:27:50.480 --> 00:28:00.000
I I mean maybe maybe I was in um I was in an intensive Spanish class, so that alone, I guess, was a challenge.
00:28:00.480 --> 00:28:02.319
Um really fun.
00:28:02.799 --> 00:28:03.680
That's amazing.
00:28:03.839 --> 00:28:04.319
That's amazing.
00:28:04.480 --> 00:28:08.720
So, what about you said that there was obviously you're in another country and you're trying to explore.
00:28:08.880 --> 00:28:10.559
Like, what was what was your favorite thing?
00:28:10.640 --> 00:28:11.440
Like, what'd you go do?
00:28:11.519 --> 00:28:12.880
What'd you go see while you were out there?
00:28:12.960 --> 00:28:14.319
Tell us about Barcelona.
00:28:14.640 --> 00:28:21.039
I my favorite thing, my one thing was like I need I'm gonna try like all the food, food everywhere.
00:28:21.200 --> 00:28:23.920
You know, I wanted to try just like everything.
00:28:24.240 --> 00:28:27.279
So I tried so many different and the food is incredible.
00:28:27.359 --> 00:28:31.759
I don't think I had a bad bite of food when I was there all the time.
00:28:32.000 --> 00:28:34.480
Did you go on any on that's incredible?
00:28:34.640 --> 00:28:40.160
When you were going through runs, um, you said the best way to explore a country is through running it.
00:28:40.319 --> 00:28:41.519
So, where did you run?
00:28:41.599 --> 00:28:42.960
What did you see on your runs?
00:28:43.119 --> 00:28:44.160
What was that like?
00:28:44.960 --> 00:28:51.599
So, a lot of my runs, I would like sometimes we lived, I want to say, like three or four miles from the beach.
00:28:51.680 --> 00:28:55.519
So I would just run through the city and then to the beach.
00:28:55.759 --> 00:28:59.200
And then um, like just running through the city is just so fun.
00:28:59.279 --> 00:29:02.880
I mean, there's so many people all hours of the day, especially in Barcelona.
00:29:02.960 --> 00:29:03.599
People are out.
00:29:03.759 --> 00:29:07.519
I mean, like the people are coming home from the clubs at like 5 a.m.
00:29:07.759 --> 00:29:12.160
There's there's families walking with their kids at like 12, like midnight.
00:29:12.319 --> 00:29:14.160
I mean, there's just people all the time.
00:29:14.400 --> 00:29:18.960
And I also never felt unsafe, which is one of the other reasons I really loved it.
00:29:19.119 --> 00:29:26.319
But I you can run right by all the landmarks, like the Sagrada Familia, um, just so many incredible things.
00:29:26.400 --> 00:29:32.960
And all of those, if you go early enough in the morning, you know, because I would usually run in the morning, there's a lot less people there too.
00:29:33.119 --> 00:29:37.119
So that's another really awesome thing, too, because you get to see it without the crowd.
00:29:37.359 --> 00:29:38.880
So that's so cool.
00:29:39.039 --> 00:29:42.400
So you're just immersed in this city, but you're still a student athlete.
00:29:42.480 --> 00:29:47.200
You're studying, you're learning, you're studying a different degree than you ever had previously been studying.
00:29:47.359 --> 00:29:54.480
How did being immersed in all of that culture and environment did it impact your identity ever as an athlete, especially?
00:29:54.880 --> 00:29:56.640
Um, I think a little bit.
00:29:56.960 --> 00:30:13.200
I would say my identity is very deeply rooted in being an athlete, but it also kind of gave me the perspective of like, I, you know, ever every athlete knows there's much more to life than being an athlete, but sometimes it feels like, okay, like this is my entire life.
00:30:13.359 --> 00:30:33.599
Um, and it just gave me like a much broader perspective of, I mean, like, there is so much more like out there than just being an athlete, you know, like one race, one game, especially like one bad race or one bad game, you know, like there's just so much more to life in so many ways.
00:30:33.759 --> 00:30:39.039
So I think it kind of just like it really just opened my eyes about just so many things.
00:30:39.440 --> 00:30:40.319
That's amazing.
00:30:40.400 --> 00:30:42.319
And you obviously were away from families.
00:30:42.400 --> 00:30:46.480
Like, how did you maintain that mental resilience through all of it?
00:30:46.880 --> 00:30:51.200
I called my family a lot um when I could get a hold of them.
00:30:51.359 --> 00:30:53.119
It was really weird with the time difference.
00:30:53.200 --> 00:30:55.599
I think it was like seven or eight hours.
00:30:56.000 --> 00:31:07.359
Um but and I was really fortunate to be living with the girls I lived with because they were super awesome and they were just like my best friends when I was there.
00:31:07.519 --> 00:31:09.839
Um, so that obviously really helped.
00:31:10.720 --> 00:31:16.319
But yeah, I just think like just being in contact with my family really helped.
00:31:16.400 --> 00:31:18.480
Um, and obviously calling them.
00:31:18.640 --> 00:31:20.160
So that's amazing.
00:31:20.240 --> 00:31:20.720
That's amazing.
00:31:20.880 --> 00:31:27.920
So you're in Barcelona and you're obviously focusing on like being a student athlete, making sure you hit all the milestones, your coaches tracking you.
00:31:28.160 --> 00:31:32.880
When was there there had to have been a night you just had fun and you just like went out with everyone?
00:31:33.039 --> 00:31:35.279
Like, what what was that experience?
00:31:35.680 --> 00:31:40.640
Yeah, there definitely were, and I those nights, you know, that's when I kind of was like, you know what?
00:31:40.720 --> 00:31:45.119
Like I'm in Barcelona, I need to like let loose a little bit and just have some fun.
00:31:45.440 --> 00:31:52.880
And for those nights, I or just like days, my my coach was super flexible about moving things around.
00:31:53.119 --> 00:31:59.839
So even when we would like if I would go out or like we would travel, and you know, it would just be like a late night and I was super tired.
00:32:00.000 --> 00:32:02.720
I I had one off day during the week.
00:32:02.880 --> 00:32:10.240
So I would usually save the off day for like any time I would like after I would go out or like a long travel day or something.
00:32:10.400 --> 00:32:14.240
And uh He would just let me kind of like configure my week, however.
00:32:14.319 --> 00:32:22.000
So I would kind of just like take that off day, put it there, and then kind of like switch my runs around um so I could still have that experience.
00:32:22.319 --> 00:32:26.160
So you're here though, but the entire team's still training in Nebraska.
00:32:26.319 --> 00:32:30.640
How did that with was there conflict with that, or were your teammates supportive?
00:32:30.960 --> 00:32:31.440
Not really.
00:32:31.599 --> 00:32:33.920
I mean, my teammates were super supportive.
00:32:34.079 --> 00:32:37.680
Um, they loved seeing everything I was doing, they loved staying updated.
00:32:37.920 --> 00:32:40.319
So yeah, it was it was really fun.
00:32:40.640 --> 00:32:41.680
That's really, really cool.
00:32:41.839 --> 00:32:42.960
And have you started a trend?
00:32:43.119 --> 00:32:45.039
Have there been more athletes doing it since?
00:32:45.119 --> 00:32:47.200
Or there have not, not yet.
00:32:47.359 --> 00:32:47.519
Okay.
00:32:47.920 --> 00:32:48.720
I tried.
00:32:48.880 --> 00:32:56.000
I did try to get one of my teammates to do it, and you know that it kind of fell through, but they they were like, no, it's that's way too much.
00:32:56.720 --> 00:32:57.200
That's so funny.
00:32:57.920 --> 00:33:01.119
Would you recommend to athletes that can do it to do it?
00:33:01.599 --> 00:33:02.400
100%.
00:33:02.880 --> 00:33:10.960
I mean, I it's so funny because my parents are gonna be like, Yeah, we told you it was gonna be so fun after I was like, I'm not going.
00:33:11.200 --> 00:33:14.799
But it was truly the most incredible experience of my life.
00:33:14.880 --> 00:33:25.759
I mean, just to immerse yourself in a different culture and to really just push yourself, you know, and push yourself out of your comfort zone and just do hard things because I I think about that all the time.
00:33:25.839 --> 00:33:27.359
I'm like, how did I do that?
00:33:27.440 --> 00:33:33.279
You know, like how did I live in Spain and like do all my training and all this stuff by myself, you know?
00:33:33.440 --> 00:33:36.559
But I did, and I loved every single second of it.
00:33:36.720 --> 00:33:39.279
So I would 100% recommend it.
00:33:39.519 --> 00:33:40.400
That's amazing.
00:33:40.480 --> 00:33:41.279
And I I love that.
00:33:41.440 --> 00:33:52.559
Looking back, what's something you know now that you just wish in general your pre-studying abroad self knew about balancing sports and academics and just the un I would say just like it can be flexible.
00:33:52.720 --> 00:34:04.400
I mean, as as much as it seems like it is like so just like this, this, this, this, this needs to be done like 100% this way and only this way, it's just not like that.
00:34:04.640 --> 00:34:10.320
Especially if you uh, you know, communicate with your coach or whoever you're talking to.
00:34:10.559 --> 00:34:15.840
Things can always be moved around and accommodations can be made.
00:34:16.000 --> 00:34:28.079
And it's not always as black and white as it seems because before I went, I was so like, nope, everything needs to be done a certain way, and if it's not done that way, then it's not right, which not true at all.
00:34:28.400 --> 00:34:29.199
Yeah, yeah.
00:34:29.440 --> 00:34:31.039
What is so what do you do now?
00:34:31.599 --> 00:34:34.960
So I would I mean, just communicating with my coach.
00:34:35.039 --> 00:34:39.039
I mean, like I said, things can be like moved around like with anything.
00:34:39.280 --> 00:34:46.000
I mean, just if anything comes up, I mean, it's it's not the end of the world if you know I can't do something in a certain way.
00:34:46.159 --> 00:34:49.199
So I think that's a really important thing to remember.
00:34:49.840 --> 00:34:50.719
That's really cool.
00:34:50.880 --> 00:34:51.760
That's really cool.
00:34:51.920 --> 00:34:57.199
And um, so what's one piece of advice that you would give to other D1 athletes think about studying?
00:34:57.840 --> 00:35:08.639
I would say just like your your motivation and your self-determination is so incredible and it can take you so far, like so far.
00:35:08.800 --> 00:35:09.760
It's amazing.
00:35:10.079 --> 00:35:10.960
That's amazing.
00:35:11.119 --> 00:35:11.760
That's amazing.
00:35:11.840 --> 00:35:18.000
And then something that I would love to talk to you about is your NIL journey because you've had a unique NIL journey as well.
00:35:18.239 --> 00:35:20.719
What kickstarted NIL for you?
00:35:21.039 --> 00:35:33.360
So I always wanted to do NIL, I just never started because there's always, you know, like, oh, I'm I'm gonna have to post a video of myself talking on the internet, and you know, everyone's gonna be like, what is she doing?
00:35:33.440 --> 00:35:35.360
She's posting a video of myself talking on the internet.
00:35:35.679 --> 00:35:37.440
Um so I was really scared.
00:35:37.599 --> 00:35:42.000
So from like freshman year to junior year, I did nothing.
00:35:42.320 --> 00:35:44.639
I just didn't, I didn't even buy into it.
00:35:44.719 --> 00:35:48.079
I was like, I'm not doing it, like it's not happening for me.
00:35:48.320 --> 00:35:49.360
You're like, I'm done.
00:35:49.599 --> 00:35:50.000
Exactly.
00:35:50.079 --> 00:35:52.960
I'm like, this is not my thing, I'm not doing it, you know, whatever.
00:35:53.119 --> 00:36:01.440
And then I kind of I some of my friends started doing it from other schools, and and I all started to really blow up.
00:36:01.599 --> 00:36:07.119
Um, and I kind of was like, you know, maybe I'm gonna I'm gonna start posting a little bit.
00:36:07.199 --> 00:36:18.400
So I started posting a little bit on TikTok, and then I posted a couple things on Instagram, and I kind of had a moment I was just like, this is fun for me, so I'm just gonna do it.
00:36:18.480 --> 00:36:21.679
And if people think it's weird, then whatever.
00:36:21.920 --> 00:36:25.039
Because I really, I really had a fun time doing it.
00:36:25.199 --> 00:36:32.559
I loved like the editing process, the create like the idea of like creating a video, just like the content creation, just everything.
00:36:32.639 --> 00:36:43.679
So I kind of fell in love with the process, and with that, I was kind of just like, this is something I want to do, and I need to just like again just push myself out of my comfort zone and kind of like put myself out there.
00:36:43.840 --> 00:36:54.320
And I just started posting videos of like, you know, my day in the life, just like relatable content for other athletes, and it kind of just like kickstarted from there.
00:36:54.480 --> 00:37:08.719
So so you looked and took NIL and you looked at it entirely from a social media perspective of just like, okay, I am gonna post on social media, hopefully reach a number of followers, and then start reaching out to brands, or did brands start reaching out to you?
00:37:09.119 --> 00:37:14.159
Uh, I want to say it was kind of like 50-50 when I first started.
00:37:14.400 --> 00:37:23.280
I would reach out to my I had a couple of brands that I just like loved, and I would reach out to them, but I did get some brands that reached out to me.
00:37:24.159 --> 00:37:29.280
And I want to say my first NIL deal, one of my first NIL deals was actually with Adidas.
00:37:30.079 --> 00:37:33.440
So that also gave me just yeah, it gave me like a ton of confidence.
00:37:33.599 --> 00:37:34.960
I was like, yeah, this is cool.
00:37:35.039 --> 00:37:36.000
Like, I want to do this.
00:37:36.159 --> 00:37:36.400
Yeah.
00:37:36.880 --> 00:37:37.119
Yeah.
00:37:37.599 --> 00:37:38.239
That's awesome.
00:37:38.400 --> 00:37:38.960
That's awesome.
00:37:39.119 --> 00:37:44.960
And then for those just getting started in NIL now or incoming athletes, like what advice do you have to them?
00:37:45.519 --> 00:37:48.480
I would say just be authentic, be yourself.
00:37:48.719 --> 00:37:51.760
Um, that's I mean, that's why people are gonna want to follow your journey.
00:37:51.920 --> 00:37:53.679
That's why people are gonna care about you.
00:37:53.920 --> 00:38:00.559
And that's when you're gonna have the most fun, you know, when you're not pretending to, you know, kind of have this different persona.
00:38:00.639 --> 00:38:06.000
If you just show, you know, what you're like what you're about, that's when you're gonna have the most success.
00:38:06.320 --> 00:38:08.239
And this is on posting on social media.
00:38:08.320 --> 00:38:12.000
So, what is the coolest NIL deal you've received that you just like love doing?
00:38:12.159 --> 00:38:13.599
What was that experience?
00:38:14.320 --> 00:38:19.840
Mine, I think it was with a company called Emeritas, which is a financial company.
00:38:20.079 --> 00:38:27.679
And they brought us to a salt dogs game, which is their local team in Lincoln, Nebraska for Women in Sports Day.
00:38:27.760 --> 00:38:30.559
And we got to sign posters for a bunch of kids.
00:38:30.639 --> 00:38:32.239
We got to throw a first pitch.
00:38:32.400 --> 00:38:33.920
It was just a really fun event.
00:38:34.000 --> 00:38:44.480
And those are my favorite kind of ones because I get to really interact with the community and I get to see the younger generation of athletes, especially for someone like me who does track.
00:38:44.559 --> 00:38:47.599
I don't get a lot of kids that are like, I want to do track, you know.
00:38:47.679 --> 00:38:50.639
It's always like I want to play soccer, I want to play basketball, I want to play football.
00:38:50.800 --> 00:38:53.199
I don't have a lot of kids that I want to be a runner.
00:38:53.440 --> 00:38:53.679
Yeah.
00:38:53.840 --> 00:38:55.280
So I can want to run.
00:38:55.840 --> 00:38:56.400
Exactly.
00:38:56.559 --> 00:39:02.639
So those events are always so fun for me because I just I love to just inspire the younger generation.
00:39:02.960 --> 00:39:04.239
Yeah, that's amazing.
00:39:04.400 --> 00:39:05.039
That's beautiful.
00:39:05.199 --> 00:39:14.159
Well, talking about inspiring the younger generation, what advice do you have to a kid who's going through recruitment right now and is feeling a little lost with their journey?
00:39:14.480 --> 00:39:16.159
I would say just be bold.
00:39:16.239 --> 00:39:18.159
Um, and again, just be yourself.
00:39:18.320 --> 00:39:20.400
I wouldn't hesitate to reach out yourself.
00:39:20.559 --> 00:39:26.559
I think there's a like a very big stigma behind like, I need the key the coach needs to reach out to me.
00:39:26.719 --> 00:39:30.320
But a lot of coaches love when you take initiative and you reach out to them.
00:39:30.480 --> 00:39:36.239
And I want to say a ton of collegiates got recruited because they reached out to their coach.
00:39:36.400 --> 00:39:39.760
And that doesn't make you any less good because you reached out to them.
00:39:39.920 --> 00:39:44.239
It's just there's a huge pool of athletes that all these coaches are looking at.
00:39:44.400 --> 00:39:47.119
And sometimes it's hard to look at every single one.
00:39:47.199 --> 00:39:49.599
So navigate yourself in exactly.
00:39:49.679 --> 00:39:53.440
So if you just put yourself right in front of them, you're doing yourself a huge favor.
00:39:53.840 --> 00:39:54.559
That's amazing.
00:39:54.719 --> 00:39:58.800
And what advice do you have to parents or coaches of high school athletes right now?
00:39:58.880 --> 00:40:03.840
Like, what's one piece of advice you wish that they would know or understand better?
00:40:04.159 --> 00:40:07.039
I would say just like it's a very fluid process.
00:40:07.119 --> 00:40:11.039
Um, and honestly, it's sometimes it's confusing.
00:40:11.280 --> 00:40:15.039
Um, and to just stay organized the best you can.
00:40:15.199 --> 00:40:21.199
Like if you can make a list of like, these are the schools, you know, that I want to go to, these are the schools that know.
00:40:21.440 --> 00:40:30.159
And I would say 100% respond to every single coach, college that reaches out to you because you don't want to get a bad rep from just ignoring people.
00:40:30.400 --> 00:40:35.039
And if they took the time to reach out to you, the all you can do is return the favor.
00:40:35.119 --> 00:40:36.079
So yeah.
00:40:36.239 --> 00:40:48.559
And then also get is focusing still on advice for that like younger athlete and that younger generation, or even just other athletes listening that are trying to play at a high level and navigate the what it's like being an athlete, right?
00:40:48.639 --> 00:40:51.760
What does your inner voice sound like when you're not performing well?
00:40:51.840 --> 00:40:54.320
Like, how do you navigate those hard days?
00:40:54.639 --> 00:41:06.880
One thing that I always tell myself is like, I'll tell myself you belong here because I think a lot of people have, you know, imposter syndrome of like, totally, okay, like I don't belong here.
00:41:07.039 --> 00:41:08.719
Like I'm I'm doing terrible.
00:41:08.800 --> 00:41:09.840
Like, what am I doing here?
00:41:10.000 --> 00:41:13.119
But you're there for a reason and you 100% belong there.
00:41:13.199 --> 00:41:19.599
And one bad day, one bad race does not define all the work and everything that you've put into it.
00:41:19.840 --> 00:41:24.880
So I think it's just like a very important little mantra to just like remind myself like I belong.
00:41:24.960 --> 00:41:28.719
It's I'll stand on the line of a race and I'll be like, you know, like I belong in this race.
00:41:28.800 --> 00:41:32.559
Like I'm supposed to be here because if I wasn't, I wouldn't be there.
00:41:32.719 --> 00:41:34.239
So no, I like that a lot.
00:41:34.400 --> 00:41:36.719
Imposter syndrome can be huge, and I hate the term.
00:41:36.880 --> 00:41:37.679
It should not exist.
00:41:37.840 --> 00:41:38.239
I hate it.
00:41:38.400 --> 00:41:39.920
It's so real.
00:41:40.000 --> 00:41:42.320
And I think it's especially real for female athletes.
00:41:42.400 --> 00:41:48.000
So that's really cool the way that you're able to say, like, no, I belong here, and this is where I'm supposed to be right now.
00:41:48.960 --> 00:41:49.679
That's beautiful.
00:41:50.719 --> 00:41:57.440
The last like piece of advice is kind of like, what do you think makes a coach say, I want that person on my team?
00:41:57.599 --> 00:42:01.039
Uh I would say just having initiative, dedication.
00:42:01.119 --> 00:42:08.480
I mean, there's nothing a coach likes more than when they see that an athlete is dedicated because that's not something you can really teach.
00:42:08.639 --> 00:42:17.920
I mean, when someone wants to do something, it's it's just so much more different than you have to be like, okay, you need to, you need to do this, this, this, you need to show up for this.
00:42:18.159 --> 00:42:18.320
Yeah.
00:42:18.559 --> 00:42:25.119
So when you just show, you know, you're dedicated, you're bought in, I think that is just such an incredible aspect.
00:42:25.920 --> 00:42:29.199
That's gonna get you to the team, but that's also gonna keep you on the team longer.
00:42:29.760 --> 00:42:30.239
Exactly.
00:42:30.639 --> 00:42:31.119
Totally.
00:42:31.280 --> 00:42:31.599
Okay.
00:42:31.840 --> 00:42:41.199
Well, um, now let's get into our TMI section, our too much insight, kind of rapid fire, kind of just like some fun questions, and we're gonna go one by one.
00:42:41.360 --> 00:42:42.000
Are you ready?
00:42:42.639 --> 00:42:43.119
Yes.
00:42:44.079 --> 00:42:44.639
All right.
00:42:44.960 --> 00:42:46.639
Go to snack when you're on the road.
00:42:46.719 --> 00:42:47.679
What keeps you fueled?
00:42:47.760 --> 00:42:49.039
Uh beef jerky.
00:42:49.920 --> 00:42:50.239
Okay.
00:42:50.480 --> 00:42:53.360
What's your favorite travel memory from studying abroad?
00:42:53.519 --> 00:42:55.920
Like one moment that you just love to reflect on.
00:42:56.320 --> 00:43:02.079
I would say honestly, I went on a long run in France.
00:43:02.239 --> 00:43:05.920
I ran 12 miles and I got to run part of the Tour de France course.
00:43:06.239 --> 00:43:07.760
So that was so fun.
00:43:08.000 --> 00:43:08.239
Yeah.
00:43:08.559 --> 00:43:10.480
Wait, sorry, we need to talk about this for a second.
00:43:10.800 --> 00:43:13.119
You ran the Tour de France course?
00:43:13.599 --> 00:43:14.159
Yes.
00:43:14.719 --> 00:43:16.880
How did you what was that like?
00:43:17.360 --> 00:43:24.320
It was well, it was in Nice last year, and we were staying right in Nice, and it was kind of an accident.
00:43:24.400 --> 00:43:31.599
I was like, I started seeing signs for the tour de France, and I saw like the finish line, and I was like, wait a second, like this is really cool.
00:43:31.760 --> 00:43:35.840
So I just ran the course for my 12-mile long run, and it was so cool.
00:43:36.320 --> 00:43:37.920
Oh, that's awesome.
00:43:38.159 --> 00:43:39.199
Oh, that's awesome.
00:43:39.280 --> 00:43:40.320
What a cool experience.
00:43:41.199 --> 00:43:42.079
Oh my goodness.
00:43:42.239 --> 00:43:44.000
I don't even, I feel like we need to just end there.
00:43:44.079 --> 00:43:45.920
I don't even know what's gonna have to do next.
00:43:46.159 --> 00:43:46.480
Okay.
00:43:47.360 --> 00:43:51.760
What's one habit you credit most for surviving through the transitions?
00:43:52.480 --> 00:43:56.639
I would say probably my like dedication.
00:43:57.840 --> 00:43:58.079
Okay.
00:43:58.239 --> 00:43:59.840
Your team locker room energizers.
00:44:00.159 --> 00:44:02.880
When things feel heavy, like what gets everyone excited?
00:44:03.199 --> 00:44:04.880
A good, a good playlist.
00:44:05.119 --> 00:44:06.079
We love a good playlist.
00:44:06.239 --> 00:44:06.719
Good music.
00:44:06.880 --> 00:44:10.800
And so what is that go-to song that you listen to before every game?
00:44:11.119 --> 00:44:14.559
Honestly, anything by Rihanna will get me get me going.
00:44:14.800 --> 00:44:15.679
It gets you ready.
00:44:15.840 --> 00:44:16.159
Okay.
00:44:16.960 --> 00:44:22.000
Um, if you had a dream NIL collab, be bold, who would it be with?
00:44:22.320 --> 00:44:28.559
Probably I want to say like either Lululemon or like Smartwater.
00:44:28.719 --> 00:44:29.599
I love Smartwater.
00:44:29.920 --> 00:44:30.159
Okay.
00:44:30.639 --> 00:44:32.239
Smartwater, that's a new one.
00:44:32.320 --> 00:44:34.000
I've heard a lot of Lululemon's reviewers.
00:44:34.159 --> 00:44:35.039
Smartwater, really cool.
00:44:35.199 --> 00:44:36.239
Smartwater if you're listening.
00:44:36.400 --> 00:44:37.519
Give her the NILD.
00:44:38.079 --> 00:44:38.320
Okay.
00:44:38.559 --> 00:44:41.679
If you could switch sports for a day, what would you try?
00:44:42.000 --> 00:44:43.679
Ooh, what would I try?
00:44:44.000 --> 00:44:45.679
Honestly, golf.
00:44:45.840 --> 00:44:50.320
Um, I'm horrible at golf, but it seems like a fun, a fun time.
00:44:50.480 --> 00:44:51.920
So it's the next one.
00:44:52.159 --> 00:44:56.079
What uh what's one thing in your locker bag that has no business being there?
00:44:56.559 --> 00:44:57.360
Let's see.
00:44:58.159 --> 00:45:00.480
Probably my um my iron pills.
00:45:01.360 --> 00:45:01.679
Okay.
00:45:02.159 --> 00:45:02.480
Okay.
00:45:02.719 --> 00:45:03.599
Uh last two.
00:45:03.679 --> 00:45:03.920
Okay.
00:45:04.079 --> 00:45:07.119
What's your most underrated leadership skill, do you think?
00:45:07.760 --> 00:45:12.719
I think just like I always say like the best leaders are like your big sisters.
00:45:12.960 --> 00:45:14.480
Like just be a friend.
00:45:14.719 --> 00:45:16.559
Um just be a nice person.
00:45:16.719 --> 00:45:17.199
Exactly.
00:45:17.360 --> 00:45:23.599
Like people don't need like a mom or like you know, like a like a leader, so-called.
00:45:23.679 --> 00:45:25.039
They just need, you know, a friend.
00:45:25.199 --> 00:45:26.480
So yeah, yeah.
00:45:26.639 --> 00:45:28.159
All right, and final question today.
00:45:28.239 --> 00:45:31.519
What does committed while you're off duty mean to you?
00:45:31.920 --> 00:45:36.639
To me, that means just fully buying in to what you're doing 100%.
00:45:37.280 --> 00:45:39.840
Um no matter what you're doing.
00:45:40.000 --> 00:45:54.239
So just every aspect of your life, um you are committed, and I mean, like your sleep, your nutrition, everything, especially being an athlete in season, like all the little things make the world of difference.
00:45:54.480 --> 00:45:56.719
So amazing, amazing.
00:45:56.880 --> 00:45:59.760
So you're studying abroad, but you're still training as a student athlete.
00:45:59.840 --> 00:46:03.679
So, what was an average day like for you while you were in Barcelona?
00:46:03.760 --> 00:46:05.920
Like talk walk me through your day.
00:46:06.239 --> 00:46:06.559
Okay.
00:46:07.039 --> 00:46:11.519
So typically, if I was back in Nebraska, I would run first thing in the morning.
00:46:11.679 --> 00:46:15.920
But in Spain and most of Europe, people don't go to bed until like 2 a.m.
00:46:16.320 --> 00:46:18.880
And the walls are not very thick.
00:46:19.039 --> 00:46:22.800
So I had a really hard time sleeping, like going to bed early.
00:46:22.960 --> 00:46:27.760
So I was not waking up to run in the morning because I I had like a 9 a.m.
00:46:27.920 --> 00:46:29.360
class and then I had an 11 a.m.
00:46:29.440 --> 00:46:30.239
class, I think.
00:46:30.559 --> 00:46:35.599
So I would I would wake up, eat breakfast, go to my class, I would take the metro to my class.
00:46:35.760 --> 00:46:38.159
I love the metro, I miss the metro so much.
00:46:38.320 --> 00:46:44.719
Um, and then I would, I would usually go to a coffee shop after my class and then go back to my other class.
00:46:44.960 --> 00:46:47.280
And then I would come back to my apartment.
00:46:47.519 --> 00:46:54.159
And when I got into the later months of July, I I did have to run in the treadmill a couple times because it was super hot.
00:46:54.800 --> 00:47:00.000
But in early June, I got back to my apartment around like 1 p.m.
00:47:00.559 --> 00:47:05.519
And I would just go for my run, come back, take a shower.
00:47:05.679 --> 00:47:12.000
Sometimes I would go to the gym if I had like a cross train or like a course session or something because it was right by my apartment.
00:47:12.159 --> 00:47:19.599
Um, shower, and then I would kind of hang out for a little bit, do my homework, and then me and my roommates would always go out to dinner.
00:47:19.760 --> 00:47:23.119
Um, and we would just kind of like hang out for the rest of the night.
00:47:23.280 --> 00:47:26.880
So it was very, very chill, and I kind of got into a routine.
00:47:26.960 --> 00:47:28.000
It was super fun.
00:47:28.800 --> 00:47:29.840
That's so much fun.
00:47:30.000 --> 00:47:34.639
And so while you're there and you're doing these trainings, was your strength coach sending you training every day?
00:47:34.800 --> 00:47:40.480
Like, were you following a very like clear regimen from your coach and trainers of what day by day to do?
00:47:40.800 --> 00:47:41.039
Yeah.
00:47:41.199 --> 00:47:45.840
So I had kind of like a kind of like was set out like on a week thing.
00:47:46.079 --> 00:47:46.400
Yeah.
00:47:46.639 --> 00:47:49.280
And so I kind of just went like by that.
00:47:49.440 --> 00:47:51.519
And that's kind of how I was able to switch.
00:47:51.679 --> 00:47:54.239
You know, I would say like, oh, I need my off day here.
00:47:54.320 --> 00:48:06.000
And I would just take if I had, you know, like a nine mile run on a Thursday and my off day on a Sunday, sometimes I would just switch them and take my off day Thursday, do the run on Sunday.
00:48:06.159 --> 00:48:07.280
So makes sense.
00:48:07.440 --> 00:48:07.840
Makes sense.
00:48:08.000 --> 00:48:08.880
Well, that's awesome.
00:48:08.960 --> 00:48:09.679
That's so cool.
00:48:09.840 --> 00:48:10.400
Amazing.
00:48:10.559 --> 00:48:18.000
Well, Cammy, it has been so fun getting to know you, hear all about your studying abroad journey and just like everything that you are as an athlete.
00:48:18.159 --> 00:48:19.920
This has been such a unique story.
00:48:20.159 --> 00:48:21.679
So thank you so much for coming on.
00:48:21.840 --> 00:48:26.400
If anyone's interested in learning more about you or just reaching out, like how can they get in touch?
00:48:26.480 --> 00:48:27.760
What's your Instagram?
00:48:28.079 --> 00:48:29.360
My Instagram is just my name.
00:48:29.440 --> 00:48:35.119
So Cammy Miracle, Instagram and TikTok, LinkedIn, pretty much everything is just my name.
00:48:35.199 --> 00:48:38.480
So and Miracle is spelt in her last name, everyone.
00:48:38.559 --> 00:48:44.159
Just so you know, Cami C-A-M-I-N-M-E-R-I-C-K-E-L.
00:48:44.559 --> 00:48:51.039
So please reach out if you have any questions or you want to get in touch, or you know, Smartwaters listening to reach out to get in touch with you as well.
00:48:51.199 --> 00:48:52.639
But thank you so much for coming on.
00:48:52.800 --> 00:48:58.719
Is there any last piece, one-word piece of advice you have to a younger athlete out there, current athlete listening?
00:48:59.440 --> 00:49:03.199
I would just emphasize what I already said and just be true to yourself.
00:49:03.360 --> 00:49:04.960
Um, that's your greatest strength.
00:49:05.119 --> 00:49:06.800
So thank you so much.
00:49:06.960 --> 00:49:09.199
Well, have a great rest of your day and good luck this season.
00:49:09.280 --> 00:49:10.079
We will be cheering.
00:49:11.280 --> 00:49:11.760
Thank you.
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.759
When I'm running, I feel like a lot of people think like, oh, there's just nothing going on.
00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:06.240
No, I mean, sometimes I'm doing like math.
00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:10.720
I knew ever since I was a freshman, ever since I really started running, I wanted to run in college.
00:00:10.800 --> 00:00:12.160
So that was always a dream.
00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:14.000
I was like anti-5K.
00:00:14.080 --> 00:00:17.600
I was even though I ran cross-country, I was like, do not put me in a 5K on a track.
00:00:17.760 --> 00:00:18.719
That is not my thing.
00:00:18.960 --> 00:00:23.120
A ton of collegiate athletes got recruited because they reached out to their coach.
00:00:23.280 --> 00:00:29.839
There's nothing a coach likes more than when they see that an athlete is dedicated because that's not something you can really do.
00:00:30.160 --> 00:00:33.600
There's just so much more to like in so many ways.
00:00:33.840 --> 00:00:35.759
It really just opens my eyes to budget.
00:00:36.320 --> 00:00:37.359
So many things.
00:01:04.640 --> 00:01:05.840
But none of that came easy.
00:01:05.920 --> 00:01:06.799
And trust me.
00:01:08.799 --> 00:01:11.519
Hi everyone, and welcome to this week's podcast episode.
00:01:11.599 --> 00:01:13.200
Today we have a very special guest.
00:01:13.359 --> 00:01:19.920
She is a senior on Nebraska's track and field cross-country team, originally from Phoenix, Arizona, now representing the Corn Huskers.
00:01:20.079 --> 00:01:27.599
Academically, she is majoring in nutrition and health science with a major in psychology, aiming for a future in sports dietetics.
00:01:27.760 --> 00:01:35.519
Despite the challenges of COVID-era relocation, she balanced shifting majors, frequent family separation, and the life of a Division I athlete.
00:01:35.760 --> 00:01:46.879
Significantly, she also completed a study abroad experience, which is very rare for a D1 athlete to do, while maintaining her D1 athletic schedule, a rare and compelling experience for student athletes all over.
00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:48.959
Please help me welcome Cammy to the home.
00:01:49.359 --> 00:01:50.879
Hey guys, I'm Cammy.
00:01:51.120 --> 00:01:53.760
Like she said, I'm from Arizona.
00:01:53.920 --> 00:01:55.920
Um, and I'm currently in Nebraska.
00:01:56.000 --> 00:01:59.519
I've been here for the past four years, um, and I love it.
00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:01.519
So amazing.
00:02:01.680 --> 00:02:05.120
I'm so excited to have you on today because you have such a unique story.
00:02:05.200 --> 00:02:12.159
Not only are you an incredible track and field athlete, but you're going into your fifth year at Nebraska and you've had the ability to study abroad.
00:02:12.319 --> 00:02:14.159
So that's just a really unique experience.
00:02:14.319 --> 00:02:15.439
Most athletes don't get.
00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:16.960
What year did you do that?
00:02:17.360 --> 00:02:20.719
I actually did that last year and I did it in the summer.
00:02:20.960 --> 00:02:24.719
Um, and it was it was kind of an ongoing conversation.
00:02:24.879 --> 00:02:30.639
I I didn't want to go at first because there was a lot of I was worried about my training schedule.
00:02:30.800 --> 00:02:33.039
I was worried about, you know, my nutrition.
00:02:33.120 --> 00:02:35.199
I was worried about so many things.
00:02:35.520 --> 00:02:40.000
And um I talked to my coach and we kind of had a system.
00:02:40.400 --> 00:02:43.120
Um, I called him like once a week.
00:02:43.280 --> 00:02:46.479
We texted all the time, and we used like the garment app.
00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:50.240
So everything just uploaded to the app and he could see everything I was doing.
00:02:50.479 --> 00:03:00.879
Um, and the biggest thing is he just trusted me, and I was I'm a very dedicated athlete, so it was easy for him to say, you know, go do your thing, go live your life.
00:03:01.120 --> 00:03:04.960
And um, it was the most incredible experience of my life.
00:03:05.039 --> 00:03:06.879
So well, that well, that's amazing.
00:03:06.960 --> 00:03:10.319
And I can't wait to dive into it a little bit deeper as we get into this episode.
00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:11.520
But first, take me back.
00:03:11.599 --> 00:03:15.520
Like, what got you into track and what got you started as an athlete?
00:03:16.240 --> 00:03:26.240
So my mom actually ran track for the University of Georgia, and I grew up playing soccer, and I remember I was always begging her, like, please, I want to, please take me to a track meet.
00:03:26.319 --> 00:03:27.599
You know, I want to be in club track.
00:03:27.680 --> 00:03:35.759
And she was always a little hesitant because she didn't want to put me in it too young and kind of get me like in that stage where I got to burn out and then I like hated it.
00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:46.400
Um, but she eventually did take me to a track club, and I started running around eighth grade, seventh, eighth grade for club track.
00:03:46.639 --> 00:03:48.719
And I was also swimming at the time.
00:03:48.879 --> 00:03:50.479
I stopped playing soccer.
00:03:50.800 --> 00:03:59.360
So I was doing swimming and track, and my parents kind of said, you know, let's pick one sport for high school, let's focus on that and you know, go all in.
00:03:59.439 --> 00:04:03.120
So I picked track, which along came cross country also.
00:04:03.439 --> 00:04:11.439
So all four years of high school, I ran cross country and track, and I knew ever since I was a freshman, ever since I really started running, I wanted to run in college.
00:04:11.599 --> 00:04:13.039
So that was always the dream.
00:04:13.280 --> 00:04:14.719
So that's amazing.
00:04:14.800 --> 00:04:15.439
That's amazing.
00:04:15.520 --> 00:04:24.399
And so you played soccer for most of your life growing up, and then it was really eighth grade going into high school where you solidified, you know, I want track to be my main sport, it sounds like.
00:04:24.560 --> 00:04:24.879
Yeah.
00:04:25.040 --> 00:04:25.439
Yep.
00:04:25.600 --> 00:04:28.319
And then, but so many people get confused around track.
00:04:28.399 --> 00:04:29.920
I feel like there's a lot of misconceptions.
00:04:30.079 --> 00:04:36.480
Like, what um, how did you decide within track and field what you wanted your specialty to be in your events?
00:04:36.959 --> 00:04:42.079
So when I played soccer, my coaches would always say, like, I would be running around just everywhere.
00:04:42.240 --> 00:04:45.839
I never, I mean, I was not as out of breath as everyone else.
00:04:45.920 --> 00:04:48.399
I just loved to run the field up and down.
00:04:48.639 --> 00:04:55.839
And that was kind of when my parents and my even my soccer coaches were like, this, she's a distance runner, you know, you should get her in distance.
00:04:55.920 --> 00:05:02.240
And I started out running the mile and the 1500, um, which is a shorter distance.
00:05:02.319 --> 00:05:06.319
Um, and I always said, you know, I'm never running the two mile, that's way too long.
00:05:06.480 --> 00:05:08.560
It ended up being my favorite race.
00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:13.360
And now, yeah, there's just that's exactly why I left soccer.
00:05:13.519 --> 00:05:15.120
I was like, I can't run anymore.
00:05:15.199 --> 00:05:15.680
I need to go.
00:05:16.000 --> 00:05:21.920
I mean, beach volleyball wasn't much less, but um really, so two miles, you just loved it.
00:05:22.079 --> 00:05:25.120
Why what what do you feel while you're running two miles?
00:05:25.439 --> 00:05:37.519
Well, I feel like the two mile is so fun for me because you it's one of those races you get into it, and it's not like right from the gun if you don't get a good start, if you don't get out good, you're like toast.
00:05:37.920 --> 00:05:39.199
You know, you can settle in.
00:05:39.279 --> 00:05:42.160
There's so much strategy, it's so strategic.
00:05:42.399 --> 00:05:49.360
Um, and that's kind of what I love about it because you get into a pace, you know, you kind of like sit on some people, you move in a certain place.
00:05:49.519 --> 00:05:53.680
Like, so it's just it's really fun because it is so strategic.
00:05:54.160 --> 00:05:55.279
Can you tell me more about that?
00:05:55.360 --> 00:06:04.879
Because I especially for like a young athlete listening, I feel like you hear track and field and then you hear distance track and field, and you're like, okay, you just have to run two miles in like X amount of time.
00:06:05.120 --> 00:06:07.439
When like you said, there's strategy behind it.
00:06:07.519 --> 00:06:09.600
So what do you what do you mean?
00:06:10.240 --> 00:06:16.319
So let I'll walk you through like a typical, let me go back to my high school days of me and the two mile.
00:06:16.800 --> 00:06:18.959
Um, so it's eight laps.
00:06:19.279 --> 00:06:30.639
Um, and when I mean when I say strategy, it's you you don't want to get out too hard, you don't want to get out too slow, but you want to get out, you know, a good, comfortable pace, but you want to start building every single lap.
00:06:30.720 --> 00:06:33.759
And then when you hit that middle mark, you want to start cutting down.
00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:49.839
So you need to be at a place where where you get to the middle mark, you can start going down, but you don't want to be, you know, too exhausted to where you're gonna positive split your race because a perfect race, you know, is the definition of a perfect race in the track world, is a negative split race.
00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:54.800
So where the first part of the race would be slower than the fast the second part of the race.
00:06:55.040 --> 00:06:56.879
So really okay.
00:06:57.040 --> 00:07:02.480
So in high school, that's what you started to like learn how to do is navigate that split, essentially.
00:07:02.720 --> 00:07:03.120
Yes.
00:07:03.360 --> 00:07:07.680
And um, in high school, it's you just have a lot more competitors than you do in club track.
00:07:07.839 --> 00:07:22.959
So that just comes with a lot of like you learn who, you know, you learn who you're you should be behind, you learn when you should move, you learn, you know, maybe when someone else is gonna make a move early, someone else maybe has a kick, maybe someone is stronger in the middle.
00:07:23.120 --> 00:07:29.680
So you kind of learn to play off of other people's strengths while kind of focusing on what your own strengths are.
00:07:29.920 --> 00:07:32.240
So you're thinking about a lot while you're running.
00:07:32.319 --> 00:07:34.879
It's not just like music in your ears and you're running.
00:07:35.439 --> 00:07:37.600
There is so much going on.
00:07:37.759 --> 00:07:43.199
I mean, it like when I'm running, a lot of people I feel like a lot of people think like, oh, there's just nothing going on.
00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:45.759
No, I mean, sometimes I'm doing like math.
00:07:45.839 --> 00:07:47.519
I'm like calculating all my splits.
00:07:47.600 --> 00:07:50.160
I'm like, okay, I'm at a you know, I'm at a 72.
00:07:50.399 --> 00:07:52.319
I need to be here for my next one.
00:07:52.560 --> 00:07:53.120
Yeah.
00:07:53.839 --> 00:07:56.399
So it probably makes the run go by a little faster.
00:07:56.800 --> 00:07:57.839
It definitely helps.
00:07:58.160 --> 00:08:01.040
It definitely helps a lot going on than nothing.
00:08:02.000 --> 00:08:02.959
That's fascinating.
00:08:03.120 --> 00:08:07.199
So then when did you move away from the two mile out of high school?
00:08:07.519 --> 00:08:08.319
Out of high school.
00:08:08.480 --> 00:08:11.360
So going into college, we don't run the two mile anymore.
00:08:11.439 --> 00:08:12.720
It becomes the 3K.
00:08:13.279 --> 00:08:17.279
And so I started running the 3K, and then we we do them, it's kind of weird.
00:08:17.360 --> 00:08:21.360
We do the mile indoor and then we do the 1500 outdoor.
00:08:21.519 --> 00:08:30.639
And then outdoor, there actually is no two mile or three K, which is kind of how I got into the steeple because I loved the two mile, but there was kind of a gap.
00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:33.039
It was either the 1500 or the 5k.
00:08:33.279 --> 00:08:36.639
And it's up until last year, I was like anti-5K.
00:08:36.720 --> 00:08:41.519
I even though I ran across country, I was like, do not put me in a 5k on a track, I'm not doing it.
00:08:41.679 --> 00:08:42.960
Like that is not my thing.
00:08:43.120 --> 00:08:48.399
Um, and I actually I ended up running one last year and I ran really well, and I realized it's actually kind of fun.
00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:50.240
So really no, that's that.
00:08:50.639 --> 00:09:03.039
Can you yeah, can you for those like listening who are probably just getting into track or their parents, you know, are trying to help their kids navigate track, can you just break and explain what you said a little more right there into like what it all means?
00:09:03.919 --> 00:09:15.360
Yeah, so college and high school are the distances are a tiny bit different, which don't ask me why, it's just it's weird like how it is, but yeah, yeah.
00:09:15.440 --> 00:09:28.799
So college we run a 3k, which is 200 meters short of the two mile, which is what you run in high school, and then we do the mile, but only outdoor because indoor we run on 200 meter tracks.
00:09:29.120 --> 00:09:34.159
And um actually, no, we do the mile indoor because we run on 200 meter tracks.
00:09:34.240 --> 00:09:38.000
Outdoor run the 1500 on a full 400 meter track.
00:09:38.320 --> 00:09:41.679
Um so it it does kind of get confusing.
00:09:41.919 --> 00:09:58.559
And for the kids like me who, you know, you're just like, I love the two mile, um, you're kind of stuck in a weird spot because you either you gotta get your foot speed under you and you gotta do the mile, or you're gonna get thrown in a 5k or a 10k, which I'm really not doing that.
00:09:58.720 --> 00:10:01.039
So you're like, no, please keep me out of here.
00:10:01.360 --> 00:10:02.320
No, yeah, no 10k.
00:10:03.519 --> 00:10:06.639
So you always knew when you joined track, like, I want to be a distance runner.
00:10:06.799 --> 00:10:07.840
That was always your goal.
00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:08.639
Yeah, yeah.
00:10:08.720 --> 00:10:11.600
I mean, even I wasn't even really interested in the 800.
00:10:11.679 --> 00:10:16.480
I ran the 800 a couple times in high school, and I just sprint.
00:10:16.879 --> 00:10:17.840
It's just a long sprint.
00:10:18.080 --> 00:10:29.919
It's literally it's literally a two-lapse sprint, and I was like, this is not my thing because there is, I mean, there's obviously a lot of strategy in the 800, but it's like you get out and you're just you gotta sprint, two laps.
00:10:30.080 --> 00:10:33.440
There's no like, okay, let me settle in, let me make a move here.
00:10:33.600 --> 00:10:35.759
It's like you just need to sprint all out.
00:10:36.000 --> 00:10:37.440
Like get going, get going.
00:10:37.759 --> 00:10:38.080
Exactly.
00:10:39.360 --> 00:10:47.759
Um, so then when again taking it back to high school and you really got into track, you focused and said, This is gonna be my sport, I'm gonna do distance.
00:10:47.840 --> 00:10:50.399
I love the two mile, you kind of figured yourself out.
00:10:50.720 --> 00:10:53.600
When and what kicked off your recruitment process?
00:10:53.759 --> 00:10:54.720
Like, how did that start?
00:10:54.799 --> 00:10:56.159
Was it help from your parents?
00:10:56.320 --> 00:10:58.000
Like, can what was that like?
00:10:58.879 --> 00:11:08.240
So I would say the my parents obviously helped a lot, but my older brother, who he ran for a school in Minnesota called St.
00:11:08.480 --> 00:11:18.559
John's, um, he was a huge part of my recruitment process because I really did not know there no one from my high school went D1 track.
00:11:18.639 --> 00:11:25.519
I mean, there might have been like one other person, and there were no distance runners before me or you know, close to when I was there.
00:11:25.600 --> 00:11:27.519
So yeah, you had no mentors.
00:11:27.759 --> 00:11:30.240
Yeah, I was no one to tell you what to do.
00:11:30.559 --> 00:11:30.960
Exactly.
00:11:31.120 --> 00:11:32.879
I was like, I don't really know what I'm supposed to do.
00:11:32.960 --> 00:11:35.600
I don't even know like where I'm supposed to look.
00:11:35.919 --> 00:11:44.639
And I had, you know, some college coaches reaching out to me, and I was just like, still like, where like how am I supposed to choose like where to go?
00:11:44.799 --> 00:11:46.320
Like, like I have no idea.
00:11:47.120 --> 00:11:52.159
So my older brother, um, he actually went through and he helped me like make a list.
00:11:52.320 --> 00:12:01.440
I made a list of like college coaches that had already reached out to me, colleges that I just had interest in on my own, and we kind of like went through that.
00:12:01.679 --> 00:12:09.279
And that is Nebraska is a c a college that reached out to me, and it was like one of the places I really wanted to go.
00:12:09.440 --> 00:12:11.840
Um, I would say it was my top school.
00:12:12.159 --> 00:12:17.440
So um, but that was just a huge part of it because without him, it would have I mean, I don't really know.
00:12:17.600 --> 00:12:19.360
I would have been like so lost.
00:12:19.519 --> 00:12:27.279
Um, but he kind of just like took me out of his wing, and it's funny because he went to a D3 school, so the process is a little bit different for them.
00:12:27.360 --> 00:12:28.879
So he didn't really know what he was doing either.
00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:29.919
So it's kind of like a learning.
00:12:30.320 --> 00:12:31.840
Or just like forgive it how you make it.
00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:32.480
Yeah, exactly.
00:12:32.799 --> 00:12:38.799
So, what did you do through that process when you found like you had your list of schools that were reaching out to you, um, which is incredible.
00:12:38.879 --> 00:12:40.720
So, how did you respond to those schools?
00:12:40.799 --> 00:12:44.799
And then what did you do to reach out school to schools that weren't reaching out to you?
00:12:45.279 --> 00:12:47.440
So I responded to everybody.
00:12:47.600 --> 00:12:52.879
I made it a like a point to respond to everybody because they took the time to reach out to me.
00:12:52.960 --> 00:12:54.080
I wanted to respond to them.
00:12:54.159 --> 00:12:59.039
Even if there were a couple, I was like, absolutely, I don't think I'm interested.
00:12:59.200 --> 00:13:01.120
Um, but I did respond to everybody.
00:13:01.360 --> 00:13:05.200
And if I didn't really know, I got on a call with them.
00:13:05.360 --> 00:13:07.600
Um, sometimes it was like two or three calls.
00:13:07.679 --> 00:13:11.039
It would be like with the coach first, and then like with the team.
00:13:11.360 --> 00:13:18.320
And then for the schools that didn't reach out to me, I would send, you know, I had like kind of like an email template.
00:13:18.480 --> 00:13:20.159
My brother also helped me with.
00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:27.600
Um, and I would send an email to the coach and I would say, you know, I'm a rising senior in high school, these are my times.
00:13:27.840 --> 00:13:32.879
I'm interested in talking about, you know, your call, like your college program, whatever.
00:13:32.960 --> 00:13:34.720
And then I got some responses there.
00:13:34.799 --> 00:13:39.840
So and your template, you'd have like your base, but then you'd specialize it for the school, right?
00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:40.720
Yes, exactly.
00:13:40.879 --> 00:13:48.480
I would say why you were interested in yes, like hi, the coach's name, and then why why I was interested in that school.
00:13:48.559 --> 00:13:50.799
So always personalize it.
00:13:50.879 --> 00:13:52.879
So it has to be.
00:13:52.960 --> 00:13:54.240
They can they can test it out.
00:13:54.480 --> 00:14:02.720
Um, so then what once you got there and you pick Nebraska and you're like, okay, my dream school, you got you got so excited that those two came together.
00:14:02.879 --> 00:14:04.720
Um, what was your like when you got there?
00:14:04.879 --> 00:14:07.120
Like, what take do you remember freshman year?
00:14:07.919 --> 00:14:08.720
Oh my gosh.
00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:15.759
I I remember I was I was so eager to get out of Arizona because I didn't even look at Arizona schools.
00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:18.080
I did not, I knew I did not want to go to Arizona.
00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:28.399
I wanted to get out, and I was so excited, but it was also terrifying because I live like it's like a it's a 20-hour drive, so it's not like I can just like go home.
00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:45.919
I can get on a plane to go home, but yeah, I was very far, and I do have some family friends here, which is another reason I this was uh like a great option for me because I do have some people that are in my corner if I need them, but it was scary because I was like, I don't even know anyone, like I don't even have any friends.
00:14:46.000 --> 00:14:51.039
I'm just like flopping myself on this campus, and I've never like I don't know.
00:14:51.200 --> 00:14:54.080
So it was it was I would say like 50-50.
00:14:54.159 --> 00:14:59.200
I was like so excited, but the first week was very rough for me.
00:14:59.440 --> 00:15:02.159
Um, and I I had a great roommate.
00:15:02.320 --> 00:15:08.879
We I met her like through Instagram, um, and she was awesome, but I just there were so many teammate as well.
00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:14.000
She actually wasn't she was just like a she was in a sorority.
00:15:14.159 --> 00:15:23.840
Um really yeah, we just randomly met on Instagram and I kind of like really connected with her and I was like, I want to live with her, so that was really cool.
00:15:24.320 --> 00:15:25.200
That's not common.
00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:26.320
No, it's not.
00:15:26.399 --> 00:15:39.519
Usually you do live with your teammates, but I my recruiting class was kind of weird because we were all recruited during COVID, so we never none of us ever went on visits, we didn't even know each other.
00:15:39.840 --> 00:15:44.720
So I honestly had no idea who was in my class or what was going on.
00:15:44.799 --> 00:15:49.919
So I was like, I'm just gonna find someone myself, and I love that it will be better that way.
00:15:50.080 --> 00:15:51.279
So and I love it.
00:15:51.360 --> 00:15:53.039
Do you think that sorry?
00:15:53.200 --> 00:15:58.720
So do you think that got you closer to your teammates then because you weren't living together all the time?
00:15:59.120 --> 00:16:07.279
Yes, I definitely think so because I think with like living together freshman year with your teammates, you're with them 24-7.
00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:11.840
I mean, even my teammates now, um like the past four years.
00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:13.679
It's like you're with them all the time.
00:16:13.759 --> 00:16:20.559
So I think it's kind of hard to just go back to your room and it's like, okay, you're just surrounded by the same person literally all the time.
00:16:20.720 --> 00:16:22.879
So it's great to have like a little break.
00:16:23.759 --> 00:16:25.279
Yeah, that's exciting.
00:16:25.440 --> 00:16:26.080
That's exciting.
00:16:26.399 --> 00:16:31.279
So then moving into it, you went from Phoenix to Nebraska.
00:16:31.360 --> 00:16:33.759
You talked a little bit how that transition was for you personally.
00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:35.840
What was that like for you athletically?
00:16:36.080 --> 00:16:40.879
Um, I would say my freshman year athletically, I definitely struggled a little bit.
00:16:41.039 --> 00:16:50.799
I think there's um that's pretty typical for you know a freshman just coming in to kind of have like a harder time adjusting to the mileage.
00:16:50.879 --> 00:16:53.360
I was not very high in mileage in high school.
00:16:53.600 --> 00:16:57.919
Um, we didn't do like crazy workouts or anything.
00:16:58.080 --> 00:17:00.639
So there was a lot of adjusting that needed to be done.
00:17:01.120 --> 00:17:06.559
And my I will be honest, my freshman cross-country season was not super great.
00:17:06.799 --> 00:17:13.119
Um, and that's okay because it was, I mean, over the years I just kept getting better and better and better.
00:17:13.200 --> 00:17:17.519
And it was just, I mean, it's just part of the learning curve and part of the process.
00:17:17.839 --> 00:17:22.880
Um, but I had, I mean, my coaches were great, my teammates were great.
00:17:23.039 --> 00:17:26.079
So it was it was just part of the learning process.
00:17:26.400 --> 00:17:33.519
Was it not great in the sense of like you're just homesick, or was it not great in the sense of athletics or kind of all the above?
00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:39.359
Um, it was more just like I just wasn't performing super great.
00:17:39.519 --> 00:17:46.079
Um, I was just having a really hard time adjusting to like the mileage and the workouts and everything.
00:17:46.240 --> 00:17:52.960
I had like a couple little like nagging injuries because I had like I've kind of shot up in mileage.
00:17:53.039 --> 00:17:55.680
I was like in high school, I just didn't run.
00:17:55.759 --> 00:18:02.319
I think my long run was probably like seven miles, and then we I get to college and my long run is like 12.
00:18:02.640 --> 00:18:04.559
So it was a bit different.
00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:10.160
Um probably was like having a hard time preparing for that.
00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:14.960
Yeah, I had some back issues, had some knee problems, where there were so many issues.
00:18:15.759 --> 00:18:22.000
So yeah, you do you do you find more now that like younger athletes are starting to train the longer mileage in high school?
00:18:22.160 --> 00:18:25.839
Or if they aren't, would you highly recommend they start doing that?
00:18:26.400 --> 00:18:39.440
I think like there's a middle ground, and the middle ground is like perfect because I now I think high school athletes are definitely training and running a lot longer than I did in high school.
00:18:39.519 --> 00:18:46.720
And I mean, I was a freshman in high school so long ago, like 2018, 2017.
00:18:47.119 --> 00:18:55.680
Um, but I also think it's really dangerous to be at a super high collegiate level mileage in high school because then there's nothing to build off of.
00:18:55.920 --> 00:19:03.839
So I think you want to be in a good spot where you can make that little jump, but you can also, you know, build out a little bit farther.
00:19:04.079 --> 00:19:17.279
But if you're like super low, like I don't know, like 15, 20 miles a week, it's gonna be a lot harder to make the jump to 50 miles a week because you have a 30 gap than if you were at like 35, 40.
00:19:17.519 --> 00:19:19.680
So I'm lucky if I run five miles a week.
00:19:20.240 --> 00:19:23.839
I'm pretty sure there's stats that like people stop running after the age of the 30.
00:19:23.920 --> 00:19:26.319
So 50 miles a week is a lot.
00:19:26.559 --> 00:19:27.839
That's very impressive.
00:19:28.559 --> 00:19:41.519
So now moving away a little bit from your athletic journey and the experiences you've had as an athlete specifically, and now more to the student side, you um came into college and you're leaving college with a different major from what I read about.
00:19:41.680 --> 00:19:48.319
So, can you kind of tell us what walk through what prompted the switch and how you navigated switching majors while competing?
00:19:48.640 --> 00:19:54.720
Yeah, so I came into college um and I wanted to be a dietitian initially.
00:19:54.880 --> 00:20:01.200
Um, and actually, the thing that kind of flipped my switch was when I studied abroad.
00:20:01.440 --> 00:20:07.119
So I studied abroad um through the business college, which I'm not a business major.
00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:10.640
Um I'm in the sci the science college.
00:20:10.799 --> 00:20:15.759
Um, but I studied in the business college and I had an internship with a women's health company.
00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:31.119
Um, and I was doing like their marketing and their social media, and I was doing like the research and the analytics for a ton of like um, it was just like a very broad company, just women's health like all over the map.
00:20:31.279 --> 00:20:36.880
So we could kind of do like I did a ton of stuff on athletes, like sleep, nutrition.
00:20:37.119 --> 00:20:41.119
I was kind of have I kind of had like free will to pick what I wanted to do.
00:20:41.359 --> 00:20:46.319
Um, and that kind of slipped the switch for me because I originally wanted to be a dietitian.
00:20:46.640 --> 00:20:51.440
Um, and that was my like I kind of had like blinders on.
00:20:51.519 --> 00:20:53.599
I was like, this is like this is what I'm gonna do.
00:20:53.759 --> 00:21:00.960
And when I did that, I kind of saw like the business side of it, and I love I love nutrition, I love health and wellness.
00:21:01.200 --> 00:21:03.119
It like embodies my life.
00:21:03.279 --> 00:21:06.240
Like that's literally I like live that lifestyle every single day.
00:21:06.319 --> 00:21:08.640
So it's so easy for me to love that.
00:21:08.880 --> 00:21:13.839
Um, but when I saw the business and analytics side of it, I was like, this is so cool.
00:21:14.000 --> 00:21:25.920
Um, so I kind of got into like that side of it, and I still want to do, you know, nutrition, wellness marketing, but it's more like the business aspect of the nutrition and wellness.
00:21:26.240 --> 00:21:28.880
Um, and I just realized that last year.
00:21:29.119 --> 00:21:37.920
So that was kind of crazy for me because I was getting um to my senior year and I was kind of like, this is kind of scary.
00:21:38.079 --> 00:21:40.799
Like, I'm I'm gonna make a change, you know.
00:21:40.880 --> 00:21:43.200
I'm graduating with my this major.
00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:47.200
Um, but it still is like very integrated in what I want to do.
00:21:47.359 --> 00:21:49.839
So I'm like I'm glad I have it.
00:21:50.240 --> 00:21:59.759
So what major, um, because like we said, like so moving away a little bit, like I said, from athletics and getting into like the academic side of things, what major did you come in with?
00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:02.160
And what major are you leaving with?
00:22:02.960 --> 00:22:08.799
So I my major coming in, I believe it was pre-health.
00:22:09.200 --> 00:22:14.319
And I graduated with nutrition exercise health science, which those two are like kind of similar.
00:22:14.640 --> 00:22:19.759
But right now I'm doing a marketing, I'm getting a marketing master's.
00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:31.039
So I did end up graduating with the nutrition degree just because I kind of had this like last-minute epiphany last year before my senior year.
00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:35.839
Um and like I said, I still like love the nutrition and wellness aspect.
00:22:35.920 --> 00:22:41.680
So I still wanted to graduate with that major, just not with the intention of going to dietetic school anymore.
00:22:41.839 --> 00:22:42.559
So yeah.
00:22:42.720 --> 00:22:47.279
And that epiphany stemmed from studying abroad in this sports internships.
00:22:47.680 --> 00:22:53.440
Just kind of let's get into that because I never hear D1 student athletes.
00:22:53.759 --> 00:22:57.680
I almost quitting because I was like, I really want to study abroad one time in college.
00:22:57.759 --> 00:22:58.640
And obviously I didn't.
00:22:58.720 --> 00:22:59.599
I'm grateful I didn't.
00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:04.000
But you did something really rare there and you kept up with your D1 training.
00:23:04.079 --> 00:23:07.680
What made you and gave you that decision to pursue that adventure?
00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:10.480
And how did you structure your life to pull it off?
00:23:10.799 --> 00:23:14.160
So initially I was actually like so against it.
00:23:14.319 --> 00:23:18.319
I was like, because I'm very like, yes, I'm very type A.
00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:19.920
I'm very routine oriented.
00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:23.039
You know, I love, I love when things are like blocked out.
00:23:23.119 --> 00:23:25.359
I know what my plan is, you know, I can do it.
00:23:25.440 --> 00:23:37.519
And when you go to a different country, somewhere I've never been, it's a lot harder to sit down and be like, I'm gonna do this, this, this, and this, especially when I'm training for, you know, a cross-country season, my senior season.
00:23:37.759 --> 00:23:40.720
So I was actually like super against it.
00:23:40.799 --> 00:23:51.920
And my parents were um, they were they wanted me to go, they were very open to it, and they were kind of like trying to convince me because they were like, this would be a great opportunity.
00:23:52.079 --> 00:23:54.319
And I was like, oh, like I don't know.
00:23:54.480 --> 00:24:03.440
And then I um saw that there was a business study abroad in Barcelona, and something about Barcelona to me, I was just like, you know what?
00:24:03.599 --> 00:24:05.279
Like this sounds really cool.
00:24:05.519 --> 00:24:09.680
And I was I kind of just bit the bullet and I was like, I'm gonna push myself.
00:24:09.839 --> 00:24:12.960
Like, I was like, I need to push myself out of my comfort zone.
00:24:13.119 --> 00:24:16.319
And this, I pushed myself so far out of my comfort zone.
00:24:16.400 --> 00:24:23.920
I mean, I remember I got there on the first day, and I was sitting in my little tiny room, and I was like, what did I just do?
00:24:24.079 --> 00:24:25.119
What am I doing here?
00:24:25.680 --> 00:24:26.240
Totally.
00:24:26.480 --> 00:24:31.200
But um, so I got there and um it took me a little bit to get adjusted.
00:24:31.279 --> 00:24:33.279
Obviously, I had never been to Europe before.
00:24:33.359 --> 00:24:34.960
Um, I'd never been to Spain.
00:24:35.119 --> 00:24:40.319
I was living with um a bunch of girls from the University of Nebraska, but I didn't know them.
00:24:40.559 --> 00:24:43.359
Um, so I just kind of had like a plan.
00:24:43.519 --> 00:24:45.359
I was like, I had my training schedule.
00:24:45.519 --> 00:24:50.000
I had it, there was a gym right next to my apartment, and it was a 24-hour gym.
00:24:50.079 --> 00:24:53.119
So I had um a gym membership.
00:24:53.440 --> 00:25:02.160
And my our trip coordinator, she was she would always find like trails to send me to run because she knew I was an athlete.
00:25:02.319 --> 00:25:05.359
Um, so she always sent me like places I could go.
00:25:05.680 --> 00:25:18.319
And I loved to run, like I loved training in Barcelona, and I traveled to so many other countries, and I will die on the hill of the best way to explore a country is just run through it.
00:25:18.559 --> 00:25:20.240
Like it was so cool.
00:25:20.480 --> 00:25:22.559
Yeah, it was okay.
00:25:22.960 --> 00:25:23.279
Okay.
00:25:23.759 --> 00:25:27.759
So when you got there, you were doing an academic internship, correct?
00:25:28.559 --> 00:25:29.359
And what was it?
00:25:29.519 --> 00:25:34.880
So I had so I I believe I had I was in like three classes.
00:25:35.039 --> 00:25:42.079
I was there for three months, and my internship was with a it was with a company called Alma Health.
00:25:42.319 --> 00:25:46.480
Um, and I I think there were two other interns.
00:25:47.039 --> 00:25:52.559
So it was a very small group, but it was really cool because we all just kind of uh got to collaborate together.
00:25:52.880 --> 00:25:55.119
And again, we're we were in Spain.
00:25:55.200 --> 00:26:02.480
So and it was the coolest thing about it, honestly, was just learning like the work culture in a different country.
00:26:02.720 --> 00:26:06.400
And because I wasn't before what was the difference.
00:26:06.799 --> 00:26:11.039
So Spain, they're just like very, they're very laid back, you know.
00:26:11.200 --> 00:26:15.839
Um they don't really I mean, sometimes we never met in an office.
00:26:15.920 --> 00:26:23.359
We always met in like coffee shops, like super fun places we went out to dinner, like it was just so fun, and it's very friendly.
00:26:23.519 --> 00:26:28.880
It's not like your traditional like boss, like employee relationship.
00:26:29.039 --> 00:26:40.559
I thought I felt like my boss was like my friend, you know, we could have very, like, very meaningful, good conversations, and I didn't feel like she was like, you know, like in charge of me, you know what I mean?
00:26:40.720 --> 00:26:42.480
So um it was really cool.
00:26:42.720 --> 00:26:44.880
Um but yeah.
00:26:45.440 --> 00:26:46.400
That's so cool.
00:26:46.640 --> 00:26:52.559
And so what were the biggest academic or athletic hurdles you faced abroad and how did you overcome them?
00:26:52.960 --> 00:27:15.200
Athletic, I would just say, I mean, there were some time, I mean, uh there were a lot of times when my friends were like, oh, like we want to go out, we're gonna, you know, we're gonna do this, and you're in a different country and you want to go experience the country, but I was like, okay, like I want to do this, but I also I have these obligations, I have these goals that I want to, you know, achieve.
00:27:15.519 --> 00:27:26.640
So there were there were definitely some times where I had to kind of like sit back and be like, okay, like I'm gonna have to miss out on this because you know, I need to, I have a workout tomorrow or I need to do this.
00:27:26.799 --> 00:27:36.720
And a lot of times I did really try to like kind of make a compromise because I was in a different country and you know, I wanted to experience it and I didn't want to hold myself back.
00:27:37.039 --> 00:27:43.279
But I also like I said, I did have those goals, so it was just kind of like balance of both of them.
00:27:43.519 --> 00:27:50.240
Um, and then academically, I I honestly don't I wouldn't say I really had any challenges.
00:27:50.480 --> 00:28:00.000
I I mean maybe maybe I was in um I was in an intensive Spanish class, so that alone, I guess, was a challenge.
00:28:00.480 --> 00:28:02.319
Um really fun.
00:28:02.799 --> 00:28:03.680
That's amazing.
00:28:03.839 --> 00:28:04.319
That's amazing.
00:28:04.480 --> 00:28:08.720
So, what about you said that there was obviously you're in another country and you're trying to explore.
00:28:08.880 --> 00:28:10.559
Like, what was what was your favorite thing?
00:28:10.640 --> 00:28:11.440
Like, what'd you go do?
00:28:11.519 --> 00:28:12.880
What'd you go see while you were out there?
00:28:12.960 --> 00:28:14.319
Tell us about Barcelona.
00:28:14.640 --> 00:28:21.039
I my favorite thing, my one thing was like I need I'm gonna try like all the food, food everywhere.
00:28:21.200 --> 00:28:23.920
You know, I wanted to try just like everything.
00:28:24.240 --> 00:28:27.279
So I tried so many different and the food is incredible.
00:28:27.359 --> 00:28:31.759
I don't think I had a bad bite of food when I was there all the time.
00:28:32.000 --> 00:28:34.480
Did you go on any on that's incredible?
00:28:34.640 --> 00:28:40.160
When you were going through runs, um, you said the best way to explore a country is through running it.
00:28:40.319 --> 00:28:41.519
So, where did you run?
00:28:41.599 --> 00:28:42.960
What did you see on your runs?
00:28:43.119 --> 00:28:44.160
What was that like?
00:28:44.960 --> 00:28:51.599
So, a lot of my runs, I would like sometimes we lived, I want to say, like three or four miles from the beach.
00:28:51.680 --> 00:28:55.519
So I would just run through the city and then to the beach.
00:28:55.759 --> 00:28:59.200
And then um, like just running through the city is just so fun.
00:28:59.279 --> 00:29:02.880
I mean, there's so many people all hours of the day, especially in Barcelona.
00:29:02.960 --> 00:29:03.599
People are out.
00:29:03.759 --> 00:29:07.519
I mean, like the people are coming home from the clubs at like 5 a.m.
00:29:07.759 --> 00:29:12.160
There's there's families walking with their kids at like 12, like midnight.
00:29:12.319 --> 00:29:14.160
I mean, there's just people all the time.
00:29:14.400 --> 00:29:18.960
And I also never felt unsafe, which is one of the other reasons I really loved it.
00:29:19.119 --> 00:29:26.319
But I you can run right by all the landmarks, like the Sagrada Familia, um, just so many incredible things.
00:29:26.400 --> 00:29:32.960
And all of those, if you go early enough in the morning, you know, because I would usually run in the morning, there's a lot less people there too.
00:29:33.119 --> 00:29:37.119
So that's another really awesome thing, too, because you get to see it without the crowd.
00:29:37.359 --> 00:29:38.880
So that's so cool.
00:29:39.039 --> 00:29:42.400
So you're just immersed in this city, but you're still a student athlete.
00:29:42.480 --> 00:29:47.200
You're studying, you're learning, you're studying a different degree than you ever had previously been studying.
00:29:47.359 --> 00:29:54.480
How did being immersed in all of that culture and environment did it impact your identity ever as an athlete, especially?
00:29:54.880 --> 00:29:56.640
Um, I think a little bit.
00:29:56.960 --> 00:30:13.200
I would say my identity is very deeply rooted in being an athlete, but it also kind of gave me the perspective of like, I, you know, ever every athlete knows there's much more to life than being an athlete, but sometimes it feels like, okay, like this is my entire life.
00:30:13.359 --> 00:30:33.599
Um, and it just gave me like a much broader perspective of, I mean, like, there is so much more like out there than just being an athlete, you know, like one race, one game, especially like one bad race or one bad game, you know, like there's just so much more to life in so many ways.
00:30:33.759 --> 00:30:39.039
So I think it kind of just like it really just opened my eyes about just so many things.
00:30:39.440 --> 00:30:40.319
That's amazing.
00:30:40.400 --> 00:30:42.319
And you obviously were away from families.
00:30:42.400 --> 00:30:46.480
Like, how did you maintain that mental resilience through all of it?
00:30:46.880 --> 00:30:51.200
I called my family a lot um when I could get a hold of them.
00:30:51.359 --> 00:30:53.119
It was really weird with the time difference.
00:30:53.200 --> 00:30:55.599
I think it was like seven or eight hours.
00:30:56.000 --> 00:31:07.359
Um but and I was really fortunate to be living with the girls I lived with because they were super awesome and they were just like my best friends when I was there.
00:31:07.519 --> 00:31:09.839
Um, so that obviously really helped.
00:31:10.720 --> 00:31:16.319
But yeah, I just think like just being in contact with my family really helped.
00:31:16.400 --> 00:31:18.480
Um, and obviously calling them.
00:31:18.640 --> 00:31:20.160
So that's amazing.
00:31:20.240 --> 00:31:20.720
That's amazing.
00:31:20.880 --> 00:31:27.920
So you're in Barcelona and you're obviously focusing on like being a student athlete, making sure you hit all the milestones, your coaches tracking you.
00:31:28.160 --> 00:31:32.880
When was there there had to have been a night you just had fun and you just like went out with everyone?
00:31:33.039 --> 00:31:35.279
Like, what what was that experience?
00:31:35.680 --> 00:31:40.640
Yeah, there definitely were, and I those nights, you know, that's when I kind of was like, you know what?
00:31:40.720 --> 00:31:45.119
Like I'm in Barcelona, I need to like let loose a little bit and just have some fun.
00:31:45.440 --> 00:31:52.880
And for those nights, I or just like days, my my coach was super flexible about moving things around.
00:31:53.119 --> 00:31:59.839
So even when we would like if I would go out or like we would travel, and you know, it would just be like a late night and I was super tired.
00:32:00.000 --> 00:32:02.720
I I had one off day during the week.
00:32:02.880 --> 00:32:10.240
So I would usually save the off day for like any time I would like after I would go out or like a long travel day or something.
00:32:10.400 --> 00:32:14.240
And uh He would just let me kind of like configure my week, however.
00:32:14.319 --> 00:32:22.000
So I would kind of just like take that off day, put it there, and then kind of like switch my runs around um so I could still have that experience.
00:32:22.319 --> 00:32:26.160
So you're here though, but the entire team's still training in Nebraska.
00:32:26.319 --> 00:32:30.640
How did that with was there conflict with that, or were your teammates supportive?
00:32:30.960 --> 00:32:31.440
Not really.
00:32:31.599 --> 00:32:33.920
I mean, my teammates were super supportive.
00:32:34.079 --> 00:32:37.680
Um, they loved seeing everything I was doing, they loved staying updated.
00:32:37.920 --> 00:32:40.319
So yeah, it was it was really fun.
00:32:40.640 --> 00:32:41.680
That's really, really cool.
00:32:41.839 --> 00:32:42.960
And have you started a trend?
00:32:43.119 --> 00:32:45.039
Have there been more athletes doing it since?
00:32:45.119 --> 00:32:47.200
Or there have not, not yet.
00:32:47.359 --> 00:32:47.519
Okay.
00:32:47.920 --> 00:32:48.720
I tried.
00:32:48.880 --> 00:32:56.000
I did try to get one of my teammates to do it, and you know that it kind of fell through, but they they were like, no, it's that's way too much.
00:32:56.720 --> 00:32:57.200
That's so funny.
00:32:57.920 --> 00:33:01.119
Would you recommend to athletes that can do it to do it?
00:33:01.599 --> 00:33:02.400
100%.
00:33:02.880 --> 00:33:10.960
I mean, I it's so funny because my parents are gonna be like, Yeah, we told you it was gonna be so fun after I was like, I'm not going.
00:33:11.200 --> 00:33:14.799
But it was truly the most incredible experience of my life.
00:33:14.880 --> 00:33:25.759
I mean, just to immerse yourself in a different culture and to really just push yourself, you know, and push yourself out of your comfort zone and just do hard things because I I think about that all the time.
00:33:25.839 --> 00:33:27.359
I'm like, how did I do that?
00:33:27.440 --> 00:33:33.279
You know, like how did I live in Spain and like do all my training and all this stuff by myself, you know?
00:33:33.440 --> 00:33:36.559
But I did, and I loved every single second of it.
00:33:36.720 --> 00:33:39.279
So I would 100% recommend it.
00:33:39.519 --> 00:33:40.400
That's amazing.
00:33:40.480 --> 00:33:41.279
And I I love that.
00:33:41.440 --> 00:33:52.559
Looking back, what's something you know now that you just wish in general your pre-studying abroad self knew about balancing sports and academics and just the un I would say just like it can be flexible.
00:33:52.720 --> 00:34:04.400
I mean, as as much as it seems like it is like so just like this, this, this, this, this needs to be done like 100% this way and only this way, it's just not like that.
00:34:04.640 --> 00:34:10.320
Especially if you uh, you know, communicate with your coach or whoever you're talking to.
00:34:10.559 --> 00:34:15.840
Things can always be moved around and accommodations can be made.
00:34:16.000 --> 00:34:28.079
And it's not always as black and white as it seems because before I went, I was so like, nope, everything needs to be done a certain way, and if it's not done that way, then it's not right, which not true at all.
00:34:28.400 --> 00:34:29.199
Yeah, yeah.
00:34:29.440 --> 00:34:31.039
What is so what do you do now?
00:34:31.599 --> 00:34:34.960
So I would I mean, just communicating with my coach.
00:34:35.039 --> 00:34:39.039
I mean, like I said, things can be like moved around like with anything.
00:34:39.280 --> 00:34:46.000
I mean, just if anything comes up, I mean, it's it's not the end of the world if you know I can't do something in a certain way.
00:34:46.159 --> 00:34:49.199
So I think that's a really important thing to remember.
00:34:49.840 --> 00:34:50.719
That's really cool.
00:34:50.880 --> 00:34:51.760
That's really cool.
00:34:51.920 --> 00:34:57.199
And um, so what's one piece of advice that you would give to other D1 athletes think about studying?
00:34:57.840 --> 00:35:08.639
I would say just like your your motivation and your self-determination is so incredible and it can take you so far, like so far.
00:35:08.800 --> 00:35:09.760
It's amazing.
00:35:10.079 --> 00:35:10.960
That's amazing.
00:35:11.119 --> 00:35:11.760
That's amazing.
00:35:11.840 --> 00:35:18.000
And then something that I would love to talk to you about is your NIL journey because you've had a unique NIL journey as well.
00:35:18.239 --> 00:35:20.719
What kickstarted NIL for you?
00:35:21.039 --> 00:35:33.360
So I always wanted to do NIL, I just never started because there's always, you know, like, oh, I'm I'm gonna have to post a video of myself talking on the internet, and you know, everyone's gonna be like, what is she doing?
00:35:33.440 --> 00:35:35.360
She's posting a video of myself talking on the internet.
00:35:35.679 --> 00:35:37.440
Um so I was really scared.
00:35:37.599 --> 00:35:42.000
So from like freshman year to junior year, I did nothing.
00:35:42.320 --> 00:35:44.639
I just didn't, I didn't even buy into it.
00:35:44.719 --> 00:35:48.079
I was like, I'm not doing it, like it's not happening for me.
00:35:48.320 --> 00:35:49.360
You're like, I'm done.
00:35:49.599 --> 00:35:50.000
Exactly.
00:35:50.079 --> 00:35:52.960
I'm like, this is not my thing, I'm not doing it, you know, whatever.
00:35:53.119 --> 00:36:01.440
And then I kind of I some of my friends started doing it from other schools, and and I all started to really blow up.
00:36:01.599 --> 00:36:07.119
Um, and I kind of was like, you know, maybe I'm gonna I'm gonna start posting a little bit.
00:36:07.199 --> 00:36:18.400
So I started posting a little bit on TikTok, and then I posted a couple things on Instagram, and I kind of had a moment I was just like, this is fun for me, so I'm just gonna do it.
00:36:18.480 --> 00:36:21.679
And if people think it's weird, then whatever.
00:36:21.920 --> 00:36:25.039
Because I really, I really had a fun time doing it.
00:36:25.199 --> 00:36:32.559
I loved like the editing process, the create like the idea of like creating a video, just like the content creation, just everything.
00:36:32.639 --> 00:36:43.679
So I kind of fell in love with the process, and with that, I was kind of just like, this is something I want to do, and I need to just like again just push myself out of my comfort zone and kind of like put myself out there.
00:36:43.840 --> 00:36:54.320
And I just started posting videos of like, you know, my day in the life, just like relatable content for other athletes, and it kind of just like kickstarted from there.
00:36:54.480 --> 00:37:08.719
So so you looked and took NIL and you looked at it entirely from a social media perspective of just like, okay, I am gonna post on social media, hopefully reach a number of followers, and then start reaching out to brands, or did brands start reaching out to you?
00:37:09.119 --> 00:37:14.159
Uh, I want to say it was kind of like 50-50 when I first started.
00:37:14.400 --> 00:37:23.280
I would reach out to my I had a couple of brands that I just like loved, and I would reach out to them, but I did get some brands that reached out to me.
00:37:24.159 --> 00:37:29.280
And I want to say my first NIL deal, one of my first NIL deals was actually with Adidas.
00:37:30.079 --> 00:37:33.440
So that also gave me just yeah, it gave me like a ton of confidence.
00:37:33.599 --> 00:37:34.960
I was like, yeah, this is cool.
00:37:35.039 --> 00:37:36.000
Like, I want to do this.
00:37:36.159 --> 00:37:36.400
Yeah.
00:37:36.880 --> 00:37:37.119
Yeah.
00:37:37.599 --> 00:37:38.239
That's awesome.
00:37:38.400 --> 00:37:38.960
That's awesome.
00:37:39.119 --> 00:37:44.960
And then for those just getting started in NIL now or incoming athletes, like what advice do you have to them?
00:37:45.519 --> 00:37:48.480
I would say just be authentic, be yourself.
00:37:48.719 --> 00:37:51.760
Um, that's I mean, that's why people are gonna want to follow your journey.
00:37:51.920 --> 00:37:53.679
That's why people are gonna care about you.
00:37:53.920 --> 00:38:00.559
And that's when you're gonna have the most fun, you know, when you're not pretending to, you know, kind of have this different persona.
00:38:00.639 --> 00:38:06.000
If you just show, you know, what you're like what you're about, that's when you're gonna have the most success.
00:38:06.320 --> 00:38:08.239
And this is on posting on social media.
00:38:08.320 --> 00:38:12.000
So, what is the coolest NIL deal you've received that you just like love doing?
00:38:12.159 --> 00:38:13.599
What was that experience?
00:38:14.320 --> 00:38:19.840
Mine, I think it was with a company called Emeritas, which is a financial company.
00:38:20.079 --> 00:38:27.679
And they brought us to a salt dogs game, which is their local team in Lincoln, Nebraska for Women in Sports Day.
00:38:27.760 --> 00:38:30.559
And we got to sign posters for a bunch of kids.
00:38:30.639 --> 00:38:32.239
We got to throw a first pitch.
00:38:32.400 --> 00:38:33.920
It was just a really fun event.
00:38:34.000 --> 00:38:44.480
And those are my favorite kind of ones because I get to really interact with the community and I get to see the younger generation of athletes, especially for someone like me who does track.
00:38:44.559 --> 00:38:47.599
I don't get a lot of kids that are like, I want to do track, you know.
00:38:47.679 --> 00:38:50.639
It's always like I want to play soccer, I want to play basketball, I want to play football.
00:38:50.800 --> 00:38:53.199
I don't have a lot of kids that I want to be a runner.
00:38:53.440 --> 00:38:53.679
Yeah.
00:38:53.840 --> 00:38:55.280
So I can want to run.
00:38:55.840 --> 00:38:56.400
Exactly.
00:38:56.559 --> 00:39:02.639
So those events are always so fun for me because I just I love to just inspire the younger generation.
00:39:02.960 --> 00:39:04.239
Yeah, that's amazing.
00:39:04.400 --> 00:39:05.039
That's beautiful.
00:39:05.199 --> 00:39:14.159
Well, talking about inspiring the younger generation, what advice do you have to a kid who's going through recruitment right now and is feeling a little lost with their journey?
00:39:14.480 --> 00:39:16.159
I would say just be bold.
00:39:16.239 --> 00:39:18.159
Um, and again, just be yourself.
00:39:18.320 --> 00:39:20.400
I wouldn't hesitate to reach out yourself.
00:39:20.559 --> 00:39:26.559
I think there's a like a very big stigma behind like, I need the key the coach needs to reach out to me.
00:39:26.719 --> 00:39:30.320
But a lot of coaches love when you take initiative and you reach out to them.
00:39:30.480 --> 00:39:36.239
And I want to say a ton of collegiates got recruited because they reached out to their coach.
00:39:36.400 --> 00:39:39.760
And that doesn't make you any less good because you reached out to them.
00:39:39.920 --> 00:39:44.239
It's just there's a huge pool of athletes that all these coaches are looking at.
00:39:44.400 --> 00:39:47.119
And sometimes it's hard to look at every single one.
00:39:47.199 --> 00:39:49.599
So navigate yourself in exactly.
00:39:49.679 --> 00:39:53.440
So if you just put yourself right in front of them, you're doing yourself a huge favor.
00:39:53.840 --> 00:39:54.559
That's amazing.
00:39:54.719 --> 00:39:58.800
And what advice do you have to parents or coaches of high school athletes right now?
00:39:58.880 --> 00:40:03.840
Like, what's one piece of advice you wish that they would know or understand better?
00:40:04.159 --> 00:40:07.039
I would say just like it's a very fluid process.
00:40:07.119 --> 00:40:11.039
Um, and honestly, it's sometimes it's confusing.
00:40:11.280 --> 00:40:15.039
Um, and to just stay organized the best you can.
00:40:15.199 --> 00:40:21.199
Like if you can make a list of like, these are the schools, you know, that I want to go to, these are the schools that know.
00:40:21.440 --> 00:40:30.159
And I would say 100% respond to every single coach, college that reaches out to you because you don't want to get a bad rep from just ignoring people.
00:40:30.400 --> 00:40:35.039
And if they took the time to reach out to you, the all you can do is return the favor.
00:40:35.119 --> 00:40:36.079
So yeah.
00:40:36.239 --> 00:40:48.559
And then also get is focusing still on advice for that like younger athlete and that younger generation, or even just other athletes listening that are trying to play at a high level and navigate the what it's like being an athlete, right?
00:40:48.639 --> 00:40:51.760
What does your inner voice sound like when you're not performing well?
00:40:51.840 --> 00:40:54.320
Like, how do you navigate those hard days?
00:40:54.639 --> 00:41:06.880
One thing that I always tell myself is like, I'll tell myself you belong here because I think a lot of people have, you know, imposter syndrome of like, totally, okay, like I don't belong here.
00:41:07.039 --> 00:41:08.719
Like I'm I'm doing terrible.
00:41:08.800 --> 00:41:09.840
Like, what am I doing here?
00:41:10.000 --> 00:41:13.119
But you're there for a reason and you 100% belong there.
00:41:13.199 --> 00:41:19.599
And one bad day, one bad race does not define all the work and everything that you've put into it.
00:41:19.840 --> 00:41:24.880
So I think it's just like a very important little mantra to just like remind myself like I belong.
00:41:24.960 --> 00:41:28.719
It's I'll stand on the line of a race and I'll be like, you know, like I belong in this race.
00:41:28.800 --> 00:41:32.559
Like I'm supposed to be here because if I wasn't, I wouldn't be there.
00:41:32.719 --> 00:41:34.239
So no, I like that a lot.
00:41:34.400 --> 00:41:36.719
Imposter syndrome can be huge, and I hate the term.
00:41:36.880 --> 00:41:37.679
It should not exist.
00:41:37.840 --> 00:41:38.239
I hate it.
00:41:38.400 --> 00:41:39.920
It's so real.
00:41:40.000 --> 00:41:42.320
And I think it's especially real for female athletes.
00:41:42.400 --> 00:41:48.000
So that's really cool the way that you're able to say, like, no, I belong here, and this is where I'm supposed to be right now.
00:41:48.960 --> 00:41:49.679
That's beautiful.
00:41:50.719 --> 00:41:57.440
The last like piece of advice is kind of like, what do you think makes a coach say, I want that person on my team?
00:41:57.599 --> 00:42:01.039
Uh I would say just having initiative, dedication.
00:42:01.119 --> 00:42:08.480
I mean, there's nothing a coach likes more than when they see that an athlete is dedicated because that's not something you can really teach.
00:42:08.639 --> 00:42:17.920
I mean, when someone wants to do something, it's it's just so much more different than you have to be like, okay, you need to, you need to do this, this, this, you need to show up for this.
00:42:18.159 --> 00:42:18.320
Yeah.
00:42:18.559 --> 00:42:25.119
So when you just show, you know, you're dedicated, you're bought in, I think that is just such an incredible aspect.
00:42:25.920 --> 00:42:29.199
That's gonna get you to the team, but that's also gonna keep you on the team longer.
00:42:29.760 --> 00:42:30.239
Exactly.
00:42:30.639 --> 00:42:31.119
Totally.
00:42:31.280 --> 00:42:31.599
Okay.
00:42:31.840 --> 00:42:41.199
Well, um, now let's get into our TMI section, our too much insight, kind of rapid fire, kind of just like some fun questions, and we're gonna go one by one.
00:42:41.360 --> 00:42:42.000
Are you ready?
00:42:42.639 --> 00:42:43.119
Yes.
00:42:44.079 --> 00:42:44.639
All right.
00:42:44.960 --> 00:42:46.639
Go to snack when you're on the road.
00:42:46.719 --> 00:42:47.679
What keeps you fueled?
00:42:47.760 --> 00:42:49.039
Uh beef jerky.
00:42:49.920 --> 00:42:50.239
Okay.
00:42:50.480 --> 00:42:53.360
What's your favorite travel memory from studying abroad?
00:42:53.519 --> 00:42:55.920
Like one moment that you just love to reflect on.
00:42:56.320 --> 00:43:02.079
I would say honestly, I went on a long run in France.
00:43:02.239 --> 00:43:05.920
I ran 12 miles and I got to run part of the Tour de France course.
00:43:06.239 --> 00:43:07.760
So that was so fun.
00:43:08.000 --> 00:43:08.239
Yeah.
00:43:08.559 --> 00:43:10.480
Wait, sorry, we need to talk about this for a second.
00:43:10.800 --> 00:43:13.119
You ran the Tour de France course?
00:43:13.599 --> 00:43:14.159
Yes.
00:43:14.719 --> 00:43:16.880
How did you what was that like?
00:43:17.360 --> 00:43:24.320
It was well, it was in Nice last year, and we were staying right in Nice, and it was kind of an accident.
00:43:24.400 --> 00:43:31.599
I was like, I started seeing signs for the tour de France, and I saw like the finish line, and I was like, wait a second, like this is really cool.
00:43:31.760 --> 00:43:35.840
So I just ran the course for my 12-mile long run, and it was so cool.
00:43:36.320 --> 00:43:37.920
Oh, that's awesome.
00:43:38.159 --> 00:43:39.199
Oh, that's awesome.
00:43:39.280 --> 00:43:40.320
What a cool experience.
00:43:41.199 --> 00:43:42.079
Oh my goodness.
00:43:42.239 --> 00:43:44.000
I don't even, I feel like we need to just end there.
00:43:44.079 --> 00:43:45.920
I don't even know what's gonna have to do next.
00:43:46.159 --> 00:43:46.480
Okay.
00:43:47.360 --> 00:43:51.760
What's one habit you credit most for surviving through the transitions?
00:43:52.480 --> 00:43:56.639
I would say probably my like dedication.
00:43:57.840 --> 00:43:58.079
Okay.
00:43:58.239 --> 00:43:59.840
Your team locker room energizers.
00:44:00.159 --> 00:44:02.880
When things feel heavy, like what gets everyone excited?
00:44:03.199 --> 00:44:04.880
A good, a good playlist.
00:44:05.119 --> 00:44:06.079
We love a good playlist.
00:44:06.239 --> 00:44:06.719
Good music.
00:44:06.880 --> 00:44:10.800
And so what is that go-to song that you listen to before every game?
00:44:11.119 --> 00:44:14.559
Honestly, anything by Rihanna will get me get me going.
00:44:14.800 --> 00:44:15.679
It gets you ready.
00:44:15.840 --> 00:44:16.159
Okay.
00:44:16.960 --> 00:44:22.000
Um, if you had a dream NIL collab, be bold, who would it be with?
00:44:22.320 --> 00:44:28.559
Probably I want to say like either Lululemon or like Smartwater.
00:44:28.719 --> 00:44:29.599
I love Smartwater.
00:44:29.920 --> 00:44:30.159
Okay.
00:44:30.639 --> 00:44:32.239
Smartwater, that's a new one.
00:44:32.320 --> 00:44:34.000
I've heard a lot of Lululemon's reviewers.
00:44:34.159 --> 00:44:35.039
Smartwater, really cool.
00:44:35.199 --> 00:44:36.239
Smartwater if you're listening.
00:44:36.400 --> 00:44:37.519
Give her the NILD.
00:44:38.079 --> 00:44:38.320
Okay.
00:44:38.559 --> 00:44:41.679
If you could switch sports for a day, what would you try?
00:44:42.000 --> 00:44:43.679
Ooh, what would I try?
00:44:44.000 --> 00:44:45.679
Honestly, golf.
00:44:45.840 --> 00:44:50.320
Um, I'm horrible at golf, but it seems like a fun, a fun time.
00:44:50.480 --> 00:44:51.920
So it's the next one.
00:44:52.159 --> 00:44:56.079
What uh what's one thing in your locker bag that has no business being there?
00:44:56.559 --> 00:44:57.360
Let's see.
00:44:58.159 --> 00:45:00.480
Probably my um my iron pills.
00:45:01.360 --> 00:45:01.679
Okay.
00:45:02.159 --> 00:45:02.480
Okay.
00:45:02.719 --> 00:45:03.599
Uh last two.
00:45:03.679 --> 00:45:03.920
Okay.
00:45:04.079 --> 00:45:07.119
What's your most underrated leadership skill, do you think?
00:45:07.760 --> 00:45:12.719
I think just like I always say like the best leaders are like your big sisters.
00:45:12.960 --> 00:45:14.480
Like just be a friend.
00:45:14.719 --> 00:45:16.559
Um just be a nice person.
00:45:16.719 --> 00:45:17.199
Exactly.
00:45:17.360 --> 00:45:23.599
Like people don't need like a mom or like you know, like a like a leader, so-called.
00:45:23.679 --> 00:45:25.039
They just need, you know, a friend.
00:45:25.199 --> 00:45:26.480
So yeah, yeah.
00:45:26.639 --> 00:45:28.159
All right, and final question today.
00:45:28.239 --> 00:45:31.519
What does committed while you're off duty mean to you?
00:45:31.920 --> 00:45:36.639
To me, that means just fully buying in to what you're doing 100%.
00:45:37.280 --> 00:45:39.840
Um no matter what you're doing.
00:45:40.000 --> 00:45:54.239
So just every aspect of your life, um you are committed, and I mean, like your sleep, your nutrition, everything, especially being an athlete in season, like all the little things make the world of difference.
00:45:54.480 --> 00:45:56.719
So amazing, amazing.
00:45:56.880 --> 00:45:59.760
So you're studying abroad, but you're still training as a student athlete.
00:45:59.840 --> 00:46:03.679
So, what was an average day like for you while you were in Barcelona?
00:46:03.760 --> 00:46:05.920
Like talk walk me through your day.
00:46:06.239 --> 00:46:06.559
Okay.
00:46:07.039 --> 00:46:11.519
So typically, if I was back in Nebraska, I would run first thing in the morning.
00:46:11.679 --> 00:46:15.920
But in Spain and most of Europe, people don't go to bed until like 2 a.m.
00:46:16.320 --> 00:46:18.880
And the walls are not very thick.
00:46:19.039 --> 00:46:22.800
So I had a really hard time sleeping, like going to bed early.
00:46:22.960 --> 00:46:27.760
So I was not waking up to run in the morning because I I had like a 9 a.m.
00:46:27.920 --> 00:46:29.360
class and then I had an 11 a.m.
00:46:29.440 --> 00:46:30.239
class, I think.
00:46:30.559 --> 00:46:35.599
So I would I would wake up, eat breakfast, go to my class, I would take the metro to my class.
00:46:35.760 --> 00:46:38.159
I love the metro, I miss the metro so much.
00:46:38.320 --> 00:46:44.719
Um, and then I would, I would usually go to a coffee shop after my class and then go back to my other class.
00:46:44.960 --> 00:46:47.280
And then I would come back to my apartment.
00:46:47.519 --> 00:46:54.159
And when I got into the later months of July, I I did have to run in the treadmill a couple times because it was super hot.
00:46:54.800 --> 00:47:00.000
But in early June, I got back to my apartment around like 1 p.m.
00:47:00.559 --> 00:47:05.519
And I would just go for my run, come back, take a shower.
00:47:05.679 --> 00:47:12.000
Sometimes I would go to the gym if I had like a cross train or like a course session or something because it was right by my apartment.
00:47:12.159 --> 00:47:19.599
Um, shower, and then I would kind of hang out for a little bit, do my homework, and then me and my roommates would always go out to dinner.
00:47:19.760 --> 00:47:23.119
Um, and we would just kind of like hang out for the rest of the night.
00:47:23.280 --> 00:47:26.880
So it was very, very chill, and I kind of got into a routine.
00:47:26.960 --> 00:47:28.000
It was super fun.
00:47:28.800 --> 00:47:29.840
That's so much fun.
00:47:30.000 --> 00:47:34.639
And so while you're there and you're doing these trainings, was your strength coach sending you training every day?
00:47:34.800 --> 00:47:40.480
Like, were you following a very like clear regimen from your coach and trainers of what day by day to do?
00:47:40.800 --> 00:47:41.039
Yeah.
00:47:41.199 --> 00:47:45.840
So I had kind of like a kind of like was set out like on a week thing.
00:47:46.079 --> 00:47:46.400
Yeah.
00:47:46.639 --> 00:47:49.280
And so I kind of just went like by that.
00:47:49.440 --> 00:47:51.519
And that's kind of how I was able to switch.
00:47:51.679 --> 00:47:54.239
You know, I would say like, oh, I need my off day here.
00:47:54.320 --> 00:48:06.000
And I would just take if I had, you know, like a nine mile run on a Thursday and my off day on a Sunday, sometimes I would just switch them and take my off day Thursday, do the run on Sunday.
00:48:06.159 --> 00:48:07.280
So makes sense.
00:48:07.440 --> 00:48:07.840
Makes sense.
00:48:08.000 --> 00:48:08.880
Well, that's awesome.
00:48:08.960 --> 00:48:09.679
That's so cool.
00:48:09.840 --> 00:48:10.400
Amazing.
00:48:10.559 --> 00:48:18.000
Well, Cammy, it has been so fun getting to know you, hear all about your studying abroad journey and just like everything that you are as an athlete.
00:48:18.159 --> 00:48:19.920
This has been such a unique story.
00:48:20.159 --> 00:48:21.679
So thank you so much for coming on.
00:48:21.840 --> 00:48:26.400
If anyone's interested in learning more about you or just reaching out, like how can they get in touch?
00:48:26.480 --> 00:48:27.760
What's your Instagram?
00:48:28.079 --> 00:48:29.360
My Instagram is just my name.
00:48:29.440 --> 00:48:35.119
So Cammy Miracle, Instagram and TikTok, LinkedIn, pretty much everything is just my name.
00:48:35.199 --> 00:48:38.480
So and Miracle is spelt in her last name, everyone.
00:48:38.559 --> 00:48:44.159
Just so you know, Cami C-A-M-I-N-M-E-R-I-C-K-E-L.
00:48:44.559 --> 00:48:51.039
So please reach out if you have any questions or you want to get in touch, or you know, Smartwaters listening to reach out to get in touch with you as well.
00:48:51.199 --> 00:48:52.639
But thank you so much for coming on.
00:48:52.800 --> 00:48:58.719
Is there any last piece, one-word piece of advice you have to a younger athlete out there, current athlete listening?
00:48:59.440 --> 00:49:03.199
I would just emphasize what I already said and just be true to yourself.
00:49:03.360 --> 00:49:04.960
Um, that's your greatest strength.
00:49:05.119 --> 00:49:06.800
So thank you so much.
00:49:06.960 --> 00:49:09.199
Well, have a great rest of your day and good luck this season.
00:49:09.280 --> 00:49:10.079
We will be cheering.
00:49:11.280 --> 00:49:11.760
Thank you.
