The Slacker Years



Freshman year of college at Drexel University was nothing great. I had to get to school early to do Cross Country, which was kind of cool, starting college 2 weeks early. I met a lot of great people, but I never was quite the calibre of the rest of the runners. Like any other college sport, its one step away from being pro. Its not a hobby at that point, its purely competitive. I wasn’t ready for that, and to add to that, college cross country was 6.2 miles, rather than 3.1. I decided to give it up after that season, and called it quits for about 3 years, while I focused on honing my beer drinking skills.

After I left Drexel after my first year, I went to community college for 2 years. Running was the last thing on my mind. I later transferred to Slippery Rock university where I found my other calling – partying. It was something I did just as well as running, and I found it a little more enjoyable as well. After my report card came and I nearly had to leave a second school, I decided it was best to something more constructive with my time. Cross country was perfect. It kept me to a better schedule, and I got a 3.3gpa that semester. I think I only ran a 58 minute for the 6.2 mile, which wasn’t anything great, but it got me in shape. That was the last time I ran in school. My grades stayed up for the next 2 years, never getting under a 3.1gpa for my remaining semesters.

I still ran after school and did the occasional 10k race. I did one with my dad in Philadelphia, and just mostly ran to keep fit. 1