Marissa Nathe '13 Recruiting Profile

Running has brought a variety of blessings, problems, solutions, and discipline to my life. From the age of seven, when I started running, it was always something I enjoyed. I guess it was a kind of a hobby that I would do in my spare time, because it never really was the main focus of my life. It wasn’t until later on in my running career that I started thinking I want to win. By middle school, I began pushing myself, training harder, realizing I had the focus to make this happen. So I started getting serious about it, I would run every day, making it a priority. When I did this I noticed that I did get faster and better. It was then that I realized I didn’t train harder to win. I trained harder because I wanted to see how far I could push myself, what were the limits, how much could I achieve when I really put my heart and mind into it. Once I realized this, I just wanted that feeling more and more, I wanted to run more and more. It became the top priority in my life. At this same time, I started to have problems breathing and constant chest and lung pains, very likely due to the overuse of my body. What began as a blessing had now also become a problem. As with all problems, I sought a solution. I knew that for me to quit running was not possible. Running, at this point is my life, is part of me. It was during the pain involved in running, that my faith in God was deepened. So incredibly much, that I no longer question anything He does, I no longer doubt what I can do through Him; I live my life with Him, hand in hand. My Faith in God has never been this strong in my entire life and I have running to thank because of it. I don’t really know why or how it gives me the feeling it does, but because of it, I look at the world so differently than if I weren’t to run. I am a disciplined person and I realize that running has made me strive for discipline. Discipline works wonders in my life. I now look at any challenge as an opportunity to test myself. I enjoy seeing how far I can push myself, to achieve the greatest that I can become. I like that about running. I like how it’s a sport that no matter your age, fitness level, or desire to do it, it is about pushing yourself, it is about trying to see how far you can take yourself when there is nothing left. What I really know is that I expect running to take me far in life. It gives me self- confidence, a hard work ethic and hope. Hope that anything is possible in life if you work at it.