A track tale: Asphalt, sunburns and dreams

Editor's note: Hanna Roltgen will be a senior at Cedar Rapids Prairie in the fall. She is doing an internship at The Gazette this summer through Kirkwood's Workplace Learning Connections. 

CEDAR RAPIDS — The first sport I fell in love with always will have a special place in my heart.

I learned how to run before I walked, and once I was up and running no one could stop me.

I was just a kid with two legs that could take me anywhere.

I never thought I was an exceptionally talented sprinter; I just loved the feeling that arose in my stomach as I settled into the blocks and waited for the gun to sound. Middle school track treated me well. I was one of the team's top sprinters and placed at the city meet in the 100-meter dash. I ran the third leg on the 400 relay team, and no feeling in the world matched to taking off around the final curve, just me and the baton.

My immediate family had an unexpected health issue arise while I was in eighth grade, which took a toll on my personal mental health, ultimately affecting my sprinting. I was no longer solely focused on track and school, but on life outside the asphalt and classrooms.

I was stuck in my head. Life seemed to be on a continuous downhill spiral as my freshman track season was just beginning.

Track practice already had begun when I joined the team, my season as a wrestling manager overlapped by one week. The indoor season mostly was stripped from beneath me due to this overlap. Indoor practices went great, I felt good and prepared for the outdoor season. I was ready to compete.

When practices moved outdoors, problems arose. I couldn't breathe, which caused me to panic. No matter how big of breaths I attempted to take, the feeling in my lungs never sufficed.

I went to the doctor after practice ended. 'Exercised induced asthma,' he said as he handed me an inhaler. My health began to crumble as soon as my coach was ready to let me compete.

As I sat in English class, a sharp stabbing pain coursed through my chest. I clutched my heart and inhaled slowly, but it made the pain worse. Eventually, after a half-hour of pain, it subsided. I later learned I had costochondritis, which causes chest pain due to inflammation.

Coach put me in the meet, despite my health problems. I suppose I showed my capability through the bit of practice I was able to complete. I earned a spot on varsity as a freshman and qualified for the Drake Relays and state meet on relay teams.

My goal always had been to run on the 'Blue Oval.'

It was nice to get away from my personal problems. Des Moines was a breath of fresh air, literally and figuratively.

I ran the third leg of the 400 relay and I no longer was the girl who was struggling health wise. I was just me. Despite all the things that went wrong freshman year, I achieved my ultimate goal — to run at the Drake Relays. That was enough for me.

Sophomore year, however, was even worse.

I pulled just about everything in the hip region in the season opener. My physical therapist told me 'two weeks' and 'you should be up and running again.' Two weeks seemed like an eternity. I tried to get back to the sport I love, but during warmups an immense amount of pain arose and I had to sit out once again. This process continued. I did all I was allowed to, but whenever I tried to get back into the swing of things, the pain always came back.

As junior year came around, I weighed my choices. My life was changing whether I liked it or not, and with change came a new Hanna. Personal well-being, as well as new interests ultimately led to my decision to not compete junior year. I decided investing my energy into my music and managing wrestling was the best choice for me at that time.

I learned so much when it was just me, the asphalt, sunburns and dreams. But it was time to put my spikes away and figure out life for myself.