Want to Quit D1 Team

I wouldn’t follow my lead by any means but I quit freshman year and I have no regrets other than not seeing how much faster I could run. I know I’m fast but I definitely wasn’t winning any titles. tough call to make and you already made it this far; I got out before I was too deep in.

Good thing they can just file for bankruptcy.

It's crazy, there are always levels. Most people could never train the way you did without injuries. Those that do, many could never even clock a sub 5 mile once. To say you suck doesn't seem right, you'd be a top runner at any local

That’s what can be so hard about competing at this level. You are at the bottom of the top 0.1% of runners and it made you feel like a loser.

I remember one of my first sessions after a successful tryout at a pretty solid mid-major D1. It was 12x400m with 400m jog, but 6:30 in the morning with a temperature around 0-10 degrees and snow on the ground. At my highschool, if you ran 60something reps during 400m repeats, you’d usually be top 3 if not number 1 out of about 35 guys. My first 400m of this workout, I distinctly remember hitting 63.9, looking back and seeing 3 people behind me, and 9-10 people in front of me. By the end of the workout, I had averaged 62.x and was consistently beating 4 or 5 teammates, 2 of which quit (were softly cut) before outdoor season.

I worked my butt off for 1.5 years just to end up as one of the “aerobically weak” guys on a mid major team. I’ve ended up improving a lot and my race times have placed me a lot better than my training (I came to find my team has a bit of a workout warrior mentality, lots of guys going out for 5:10 pace 20 minute tempo runs but failing to break 25:00 for 8k and what not), but I really did have a strong, demoralizing voice in my head at the end of that first workout telling me to quit. I’m glad I didn’t.

Well I gave up my D1 scholarship for a fun filled 2 years in the US Army. It was what I needed. If you are thinking of the fun you are missing out on...well this sport isn't for you at the moment.

I got out the army ran at div 3 made all American and transferred to D1 program and ran pretty well. Met my wife and now more known as a coach than ever as a runner. Good luck on your path...wherever it may take you.

Took the "opt out" option during COVID and heavily considered quitting once track came around. I had two stubborn SF's and was burnt out. Quitting seemed to be the logical conclusion to my career.

I never would have forgiven myself and the people along the years that made running possible. Not quitting was the best decision I ever made. Ever.

At the end of the day- your call. This isn't the best place to seek advice but take some time and consider those that made what once was your dream become a reality.

Best of luck, friend

I had injury issues, but pushed through. I am VERY glad I did and would hate if I didn't. Regular college life- runners have a smaller window to it, but still have it. Just remember your mindset when you started running in college.

I wish I had "quit" sooner. I found encouraging coaches where I went to school and modest success early that led to becoming invested to an unhealthy level. I wound up unbalanced and put too little into my scholastic life (and social life, for that matter) which led to being stunted for years after that. I needed a kick in the pants that nobody at that time was willing to give me, least of all myself. I chased that initial success with no improvement, in fact descended into an injury cycle. I'm perfectly happy running on my own now and wish I'd transitioned to that back then and opened myself to a fuller college experience.

This is a good discussion. I think many runner that go D1 because they were told that was the goal, find they don't fit the D1 training requirements.

I found coming from HS where I trained by myself mostly, that the grind competing for a spot in the top 7 everyday, made me depressed and thus my races were worse than my practices (which was totally opposite from HS). I couldn't handle being a 6-9 runner after being a 1-2 runner for 3 years in HS.

I found going to D2/NAIA was the best. The intrateam competition for spots didn't really exist. The training schedule wasn't as much of as intense. And overall a better experience for me.

If you aren't happy running on the team, you might consider quitting and just training on your own if you want to keep running. Your schedule will be more flexible, you can still compete at road races at whatever distance you want, and you race as frequently or as infrequently as you see fit. You can find balance with your social life and sporting pursuits. If running continues to be an injury problem, maybe switch to cycling. I ran on through college on a team, but dealt with a lot of injuries as well. Eventually in my thirties, I had to call it quits with running and became a cyclist. There are a lot of things about cycling I enjoy more than running, such as getting to see more of the countryside while out riding, and most of all, not being injured all the time. I actually regret now NOT quitting running when I was younger to avoid all the injuries and see what I could have done on the bike when I was in my 20s.

I'm in an incredibly similar position, OP. Been running collegiately for a few years now, and I have raced less than 5 times total due to various different injuries. I love to run, and it is a very big part of my identity. Because of this, I have been miserable for years. Every time that I get injured and lose another season I become extremely anxious and depressed. I very often think that it would just be easier to run on my own terms. That way if I get injured or race poorly, I can just take the required time off without worrying about eligibility and all that BS. This being said, any time that I do string together some training and manage to stay somewhat healthy, I love being with the team and all the friends that I have made. It's getting to the point where I feel that even though I know I love it when things are going well, I'm not sure how many more injuries and depressive bouts I can handle.

When you are looking for an excuse, any one will do.

It's very funny, because from an outsiders perspective, if you are even on a D1 team and not really competing - or not in the Top 7 spots - other runners still see you as an amazing runner who can dust just about everyone on the local running scene. I mean, jeez, my mid-sized town had a middle-of-the-pack D2 runner who for 10-15 years now has been running in local races and winning 80% percent of them and he's kind of seen as a legend, when in reality he'd never crack the Top 15 at a major D1 school.

For more perspective, NOBODY, outside of a very small niche of people will realize how well you ran at Virginia Tech, Colgate, Florida State, Central Michigan, San Diego State or wherever you came from. Nobody is checking the stats to see how well you ran some random 8K Invite your junior year. All they know is that you were good enough to run there and that's about it. If you didn't go to the Olympics, people care even less, and this is a true outsider's perspective.

I've won 10 road races in my life...and all it made me feel was that I was lucky someone faster didn't show up.

So enjoy YOUR experience as a runner, most people don't care or are aware anyways.

Yeah, the ol "I'm not going to Olympics" excuse is lame. You knew that when you signed the scholarship, you probably knew that in HS. So just stop with all that.

If you are talented enough to run at a D1 program you are incredibly blessed.

Good luck

Very interesting discussion. My own experience long ago was at a D3 school, but even at that level the transition from high school (4:35/9:50) to college training was more than I could physically handle. Resulted in a string of injuries and illnesses that led to quitting the team in second year. I ultimately found that training alone on my own schedule was a much better fit. Missed my teammates but basically it was my body telling me to stop.

To slightly elaborate, I wish I would have transferred to a different school. I felt trapped by the school I was at even though I wasn’t at all. I could have transferred easily to a program that would value me more and better fit my needs as an athlete. I was just too slow for the team I was on and got burnt out and thought I hated the sport and was very upset at the program for a long time.

Looking back 10 years later, it’s clear to me that I just should have transferred to a slower school. The only downside is the embarrassment and people on letsrun calling you slow lol. It’s interesting to see the variety of responses here. The answer isn’t the same for everyone.

your post is great! but also a great contradiction

you are giving great advice on the letsrun website where you are also saying there is no great advice to be found on the letsrun website.

should they take your advice (and ignore letsrun posters)

or take you advice and listen to you (a letsrun poster)

I would make the basis of your quitting consideration focus more on your coach/coaching than performance and frustration. The negative thoughts are just a part of the game and I don't think stopping because of them alone is always in your best interest. Your environment, on the other hand, could be well worth escaping. I'm someone who didn't quit and I wish I did. Never got on with my coach and whether I was running a 28 or a 25 8k I was never happy. My four years of collegiate running were just a long, droning pain in the ass that made me hate running for years after I graduated.

We can believe any number of things at any age, often illusory as evidenced in these message board posts.