Senior Stories: Nellie, Overcoming Challenges
Nellie with her SRLA team.
Nellie is a recent graduate from Verdugo Hills High School and an SRLA scholarship recipient! She has completed 5 marathons with SRLA. Nellie found another family within SRLA, and was the team leader of her group. Nellie plans on attending Los Angeles Mission College and obtaining a degree in Biology and then transferring to a higher university to study for her bachelors.
During my entire childhood, I was never an athletic person nor did I enjoy doing any sports. I was never naturally good at them and rarely participated in any programs that required physical activity since I knew I wouldn't do well. I struggled a lot with this when trying to fit in because most of my friends would always brag about the sports they participated in. Even after I joined SRLA, I was a slow runner and I struggled a lot once our mileage increased. It affected me mentally as well since I had this barrier in my mind always wanting to pull me back. I also developed an enormous amount of stress during my first year all because I just couldn’t find the time to relax. Such obstacles like this kept me from trying to improve or from trying at all. Due to my slow pace and somewhat distracted and stressed out brain, I spent my first marathon running alone and just hoping I wouldn’t get pulled off the course.
“Through running, I’ve been able to feel free and at peace knowing that I have another family, my running family, supporting me the whole way. ”
Nellie at graduation, she will attend Los Angeles Mission College!
Although I struggled a lot during my first year, I decided to continue with the program and needless to say, I fell in love with the sport. I actually started to enjoy running as it became second nature to me. I met new people, coached a few too, and learned how to manage my time with practice schedules and early morning runs. Running 26.2 miles is one big accomplishment and with a tight schedule on my back, it was hard to keep that goal in mind. I had failures and let-downs but that didn’t stop me from crossing the finish line. Through running, I’ve been able to feel free and at peace knowing that I have another family, my running family, supporting me the whole way. SRLA has taught me the importance of goal setting, perseverance, and dedication towards something I once thought was impossible to do! Most importantly, SRLA has changed my personal life to a huge extent and has allowed me to express my athletic figure in ways I thought I never could.
Through the five years and over thirty medals I’ve earned while participating with SRLA, I’ve learned the significance of relying on my own strength and ability. It's not my place to be good at everything and sometimes being slow and collected isn’t a bad thing either. The key to success lies in distinguishing the things I can and can’t do. The most beautiful thing about my experience is all the lessons I’ve learned, all the courage I’ve gained, and all the relationships I’ve created with everyone.
Rapid Fire!
My favorite SRLA race is...
The 5k, because it’s short.
Favorite post run snack is…
A nice, warm chocolate chip cookie!
Favorite LA Marathon mile…
Mile 26 duh :)
A word to describe SRLA:
Entertaining
Someone/something that inspires me to run…
My mom because I probably wouldn’t have been doing this without her doing it first.
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Nellie with her mom and dad at the Holiday Half Marathon in 2017.