In high school, I’m pretty sure it took me at least 13 minutes to run the mile . And, honestly, I didn’t feel bad about it. Running just wasn’t my thing. I was a dancer and too busy with ballet and tap classes.

I didn’t voluntarily set foot on a track until 2006. It was my first semester of college at Florida State University in Tallahassee, and I needed to burn off some anxious energy. I’m not sure where I got the idea, but I started running laps at my school’s outdoor track-and-field facility.

At first, I was really self-conscious and didn’t feel like I belonged there, so I’d wait until it was dark and no one was around to watch me. Despite my imposter syndrome, I stuck with it and eventually worked my way up to running six miles every night. It became a ritual that I looked forward to all day.…