Moving On & Many Thanks

Well, two years have come and gone quicker than I expected.

During my senior year of college at the University of Dayton, I traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina for the Raleigh Relays track meet hosted by NC State University. Our team was always the first team at every meet and when we arrived at Paul Derr track there was a group of women doing a workout. Knowing that I was going to be coming down here for school, I researched them, discovered it was a local group called Raleigh Distance Project (RDP), and immediately thought that this team was awesome. I instantly wanted to be a part of it. So, I applied, I got accepted, and two years later I am saying my goodbyes.

The past two years have been nothing but a learning curve for me. Some days were good, and some days were a struggle. I moved roughly 600 miles away from home, not knowing one person. I was excited for the adventure but had no idea how hard it was going to be; from seeing my family almost every weekend to seeing them once every three or four months. I went from seeing my Dayton teammates every single day to seeing them once a year. I went from an exciting senior year to a vigorous and very challenging first year of physical therapy school at Duke University. I met some really great people and also struggled to balance certain aspects of self-care.

I learned how hard it is to wake up at 5am most days of the week.

I learned how hard it is to be self-motivated to go for a run every day.

I learned that I am extremely motivated by those around me.

Most importantly, I saw how amazing this sport is.

I saw the Raleigh community come together and show up for one another.

I saw people be inspired to start running for the first time in their lives.

I saw Sir Walter pop-up miles and the joy that it brought me was unmatched.

I saw a strong group of women try to be taken down, over and over again, but they keep showing up.

RDP is a group of women who are fighters, who are extremely driven, and who believe in themselves more than words can describe. I am forever grateful to RDP for being patient with me, accepting me, and allowing me to be a part of such a strong, hard-working, and inspiring group of women.

To the Raleigh community:

I will miss you! During my first year of PT school, I lived in Durham and then moved to Raleigh to be closer to you all. I am upset that during my year living here, everything was shut down. I wish I could have gotten to know more of you and form better relationships with all of you. I wish you all the best and look forward to seeing you excel in your running journeys!

To my teammates:

You have seen me go through some things. Thank you for never giving up on me. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your group. I hope you continue to build this team up stronger than it has ever been. I hope you continue to believe in yourselves and bring others along with you. I have loved getting to know each of you individually and have enjoyed being on this team. I look forward to seeing you all reach your goals and show everyone what you are made of. You are all tough as nails and such an inspiration. I will be cheering you on from afar!  

My next step is transitioning to my clinical year of PT school. First, I will be at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, then on to St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, TN, and finally the Ben Hogan Sports clinic in Fort Worth, TX. I hope I will get the opportunity to come back to Raleigh one day and experience the running community in full swing. Until then, stay safe, stay healthy, and keep running!

Much Love,

 Allie Triskett