Why I Almost Scrapped This Entire Race Vlog

This race vlog almost never happened. When I finished that race, I decided I was going to scrap this entire video. Five days of travel, a documented piece of my life, all gone because I ran the slowest time I have clocked since high school. But something changed my mind. On the plane ride back home, I decided to have a quick peek at the footage from the race and the trip, just to see what the video might have been. And in doing that, I was reminded of something bigger than any race result. This race vlog captures the full experience.

Why I Almost Deleted Everything

This video started with a five-day trip that took me across the country, from Philly to New Jersey to New York, and finally into the middle of a race I was ready to throw away. I had traveled for days, documented every moment, and then ran an 800 meters that was the slowest I have run since high school. In that moment, the footage felt worthless. I thought nobody would want to watch a video about a bad race.

The Travel and Pre-Meet Prep

The trip itself was an experience. I started in Philadelphia, spent time exploring the city, and then made my way to the meet. Before the race, I did my usual pre-meet workout to stay sharp. The shakeout jog the morning of felt fine, and physically I was in a good place. Sometimes your body can be ready and your performance still does not match, and that is one of the hardest parts of competing at this level.

The Race That Humbled Me

Race day came and it did not go as planned. The 800 meters felt heavy from the start, and by the time I crossed the line, I knew the time was bad before I even looked at the clock. Running the slowest time since high school when you are a D1 collegiate athlete is a gut punch. In that moment, all I could think about was how embarrassing it would be to post a video documenting the entire thing.

The Mindset Shift

On the plane home, something shifted. I realized that the fundamental reason I started this channel was never about the records, the times, or the medals. It was about community. It was about telling stories that matter, about motivating someone, inspiring someone, making someone feel seen in a sport that is often invisible. If I only post the highlight reels, I am not being honest about what this sport actually looks like.

The reality is that bad races are part of the deal. Every single athlete at every level has races they want to forget. But those races are often the ones that teach you the most. They reveal what you need to work on, they test your mental resilience, and they remind you why you do this in the first place.

Growing the Sport One Story at a Time

What pushed me to keep the footage and make this video was thinking about the impact it might have. Maybe somewhere out there, a runner who just had the worst race of their life will see this and realize they are not alone. Maybe I entertain somebody through a cross training session they were about to skip. Maybe I convince a complete stranger to pick up running, get in shape, and completely reroute the direction of their life. If I can impact people, redirect them in a better way, and help grow not just the sport but the community around the sport, then it never really mattered what the clock said.

This was always the reason. A bad race does not erase the purpose behind the work. If anything, it reinforces it. The stories worth telling are not always the ones with happy endings. Sometimes the most powerful story is the one where you show up, fall short, and keep going anyway.

If you want to see more of my racing experiences, check out the race that reminded me who I am.