Emily Dickson, '22
You arrive at the course, wearing your racing uniform, warm-ups, and your hair back in your favorite racing hairdo. The smell of freshly cut grass fills your nose, your feet feel warm in your shoes, and you see teams filing into the tent city. You survey the course, it is a (insert weather) day, but no matter the conditions you feel strong, rested, and ready to run a great race.
Freshman Emily Dickson has spent much of her life participating in sports. From a young age, Dickson was involved with gymnastics. As she grew older, and through several sports-related injuries, Dickson came to the conclusion that gymnastics wasn鈥檛 the sport for her. From there, she moved on to ballet.
鈥淚 tried dancing, and I really liked that and it gave me some confidence,鈥� Dickson said.聽
Looking for something she could be involved with in high school, Dickson turned to running.
鈥淚t was my freshman year of high school when all my friends were saying how nice the cross country girls were,鈥� Dickson said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 understand that until I started running. They all have a similar, hardworking personality and they鈥檙e all super nice. I started running sophomore year and I haven鈥檛 stopped.鈥�
Between gymnastics, dancing and now running, Dickson has always been drawn to sports that require a good amount of mental preparation in addition to physical preparation.
鈥淎s someone who鈥檚 struggled with anxiety most of my life, I feel like it鈥檚 funny that I drift towards these sports, but I think it鈥檚 because they鈥檙e so mentally taxing that at some point that all just melts away and you鈥檙e just doing the motions. It鈥檚 an escape鈥攐n a good day,鈥� Dickson said.
While Dickson uses running as an escape, she also sees it as an opportunity to catch up with friends.
鈥淩unning is a built-in time where you get to talk to people. I know that every day on my hour run, I get to talk with my friends and we have great conversations,鈥� Dickson said.
She made the decision to continue running in college where she is continuously inspired by cross country coach, Kathy Strecker.
鈥淐oach Strecker is a super inspirational lady,鈥� Dickson said. 鈥淪he has great knowledge about running. She鈥檚 totally inspired me so much since I鈥檝e been here. She鈥檚 an amazing person.鈥澛�
Before a race, Dickson has several pre-race rituals, much like any other runner. Whether it be sliding on her lucky whale socks or listening to a special playlist on the way to a race, she takes the time to mentally prepare before an upcoming race.
鈥淚鈥檓 a firm believer in positivity. Eliud Kipchoge, the fastest marathoner in the world, smiles when he races, so I tell my family to yell at me to smile, and I do that too,鈥� Dickson said.
Dickson loved running so much that she decided to start a blog about it this past January. Dickson considers the blog, called EvenPace, a sort-of diary. In the blog, she writes about health and wellness, mental health, running, confidence, and other topics that she has struggled with herself.
鈥淭he reason I write about that stuff is because it鈥檚 stuff I need to hear as well,鈥� Dickson said. 鈥淚 try to write about things that would be uplifting, or things I think people would need to hear.鈥�
In the blog, Dickson shares what she鈥檚 learned about health and wellness through research. From a young age, she recalls always researching and continuously learning about things, but she鈥檚 also gained this knowledge from first-person experiences.
鈥淚鈥檝e struggled with some health stuff like an iron deficiency, so I鈥檝e had doctors that explain those things to me,鈥� Dickson said. 鈥淢y mom is a dietitian. That鈥檚 influenced a lot of the things that I know about nutrition.鈥�
Since her blog鈥檚 readership is slowly growing, Dickson decided to use her platform for a greater cause. This fall, she is selling shirts to benefit the Kansas City chapter of Girls on the Run.
鈥淕irls on聽the Run is big in St. Louis and it鈥檚 really big here, too. It鈥檚 an organization that embodies everything I want to do with my blog, which is giving girls confidence and giving them tools to succeed,鈥� Dickson said. 鈥淎thletics is an avenue to get there. It teaches you skills that don鈥檛 have to deal with being in school. It鈥檚 about your body and confidence and having control over things in your life.鈥�
Dickson hopes that her blog will inspire others to find the importance of balance in their lives.
鈥淗ealth is more than just the decisions you make. It鈥檚 your outlook, too,鈥� Dickson said. 鈥淢y writing style is very personal. I hope people think about writing and sharing it with other people because that can be a really good outlet and way to grow.鈥�
