This is a “Letter to My Younger Self” by Neely Spence Gracey, an elite runner who will participate in this year’s The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race. One other such letters is scheduled to appear in the AJC and on AJC.com and myAJC.com in the weeks leading to the Peachtree Road Race on the Fourth of July. A similar letter by men’s elite runner Jared Ward appeared earlier.
Dear 11-year-old Neely,
You are out riding your pony Rose, unaware that your life is going to take a different direction very soon. You have always been an outdoorsy bird watcher, hiker, tree-climbing free spirit, embracing the life of adventure as you created it. When you committed to something you felt strongly about, you never stopped until it became reality. If you decided to accomplish something, you did it 110 percent and enjoyed every step of the process in meeting the goal.
Little did you know that it was the perfect preparation for you to have in developing the mind and life needed to become a professional athlete. A clear and undistracted focus on what you wanted to accomplish. Growing up with the knowledge that you create your own destiny, when you hit eighth grade, you will watch the Footlocker XC Championships on TV, and it will just click. Without hesitation, with both feet, you will jump into the world of distance running. Call me crazy, but you will soon see that this world is going to change your life for the better.
You will learn about perseverance when your main goal is to make the Footlocker XC Championships and it takes you three years of progressive training to make that dream come true. There will be surreal moments, such as your national championship in the two-mile that culminated your high school career. And very tough times, such as when Lyme disease hits you hard and takes away six months of your livelihood.
Injury will test your mental fortitude, and the comeback will be greater than ever before. Racing against the world at the XC Championships, a very strong 13th-place finish will become a poignant moment when you realize that the best way to perform is to always maximize you on that day. Healing from knee surgery, you will learn how many people have truly supported your career, and the love and encouragement will be so overwhelming that you are humbled beyond explanation.
In 15 years, you won’t remember a life without running. You will have traveled to 40 states, seven countries, and become someone who you will dream of being at 14. A high school national championship, a USA National Junior Championship, eight-time NCAA champion, the opportunity to represent your country not once, but five times! These moments become very special to you, but you will learn that it is not the races that shape who you are, it is the days, months, years of the beautiful “grind.” The unglamorous, gritty, sweaty, muddy, incredible feeling of accomplishment after a solid day of work chasing your goals.
Without the journey, the destination holds no value. Remember to embrace each stride, that nothing is guaranteed, and at the end of the day, smile because you are proud of the life you created.
About the Author
