NOT ALWAYS A STRAIGHT PATH

Through All the Ups and Downs, I Wouldn’t Change a Thing

Champions' TriBUne 5/27/2021 11:07:00 AM

Champions' TriBUne Archive

By: Aaliyah Miller

Champions' TriBUne is a special feature through Baylor Athletics that gives you the student-athlete's perspective and the chance for them to share their own story. Aaliyah Miller, a four-time All-American who set the meet record in winning the 800-meter title at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in March, is a fifth-year senior from McKinney, Texas. She also swept the Big 12 indoor and outdoor titles for the second time in her career and is ranked first in the region going into the NCAA West Preliminary Championships that began Wednesday in College Station:

I love when people ask me how I ended up at Baylor, because it brings me great joy thinking about my journey in this sport. It took going through cheerleading, dance, tennis, basketball and soccer before finally landing on running. Pursuing this sport has allowed me to make lifelong relationships with coaches and athletes around the world that I will cherish forever. I've been blessed to have courageous and dedicated coaches in my life that have seamlessly transitioned me from club level track and field to high school and now collegiately. The staff at Baylor has helped develop me into a better person not only on the track, but personally, mentally and spiritually as well.

The first time Baylor popped up on my radar was after the first cross country meet of my freshman year. Coach Laura Keahey, my McKinney Boyd coach, told me the head coach offered me a full scholarship from watching me run a 5K cross country race. I thought he was crazy and shrugged it off because in no way did I think he was serious. At the time, I knew nothing about Baylor, but soon after that I was informed about the reputation and "tradition of excellence" students and athletes were held to. Waco, being only two hours south of my hometown of McKinney, was a huge plus. Anytime Baylor Coach Todd Harbour offered tickets to a football game for an unofficial visit, I said yes! It's the people that make this place special, and I'm so thankful they welcomed me into the family. Baylor started to feel like my new home, and I couldn't ignore my gut telling me this was where I belonged. When it came time to choose a school, I couldn't fathom the idea of calling Coach Harbour and telling him "No, I'm not coming to Baylor."

Leading up to my freshman year at Baylor, I was fortunate enough to make the 2016 IAAF World Junior Championship team alongside former Baylor Bears Wil London and Taylor Bennett. It was a fun experience to race internationally for the first time in Poland and represent the United States with the best athletes in the world. Afterwards, I spent a few weeks at home before heading down I-35 to start training with my new teammates. Once you reach the next level, high school accolades quickly become a feat of the past. Although it may sound sad, I was excited for my freshman year, as it allowed me to start off with a clean slate and run with no expectations from anyone.

Aaliyah Miller

Once the 2017 indoor season rolled around, I opened up with a near PR in the 800 meters and continued to run faster each meet. It was exciting to score points for my team in the non-conference meets and create momentum nearing championship season. The Iowa State Classic is a well-renowned meet for distance runners, and I was ready to race some of the nation's best. I ended up placing second with an indoor PB, school record and the fifth-fastest time in the country going into nationals. Soon after finishing the race, I started to cool down and something felt wrong. I couldn't walk, let alone jog without a limp, which started to worry me. Once I was back in Waco, we immediately got an X-ray showing no signs of a break, I and continued getting treatments. Coach Harbour had his prediction of team scores for the Big 12 meet, and it was going to take every person to score in hopes of winning the conference championship. I knew what was on the line and decided to race for my team and reevaluate the possibility of competing at nationals later. Racing at Big 12's didn't feel great and solidified my thoughts of something seriously wrong in my foot. It was a special weekend to be a Baylor Bear, though, and to this day I am so thankful I was able to run for my teammates and be a part of the first team to win a Big 12 championship.

The next week, I got an MRI scan and completed an AlterG workout before heading to a follow up appointment to discuss the results. The doctor spoke the words no athlete ever wants to hear, "Sorry, your season is over." My MRI results showed a stress fracture in my navicular bone, requiring me to be non-weight bearing and placed in a cast ASAP. It was a tough pill to swallow being sidelined right when I was starting to get the hang of things, but everything happens for a reason. I knew what I wanted to accomplish and had to continue to remain patient and diligent during my recovery process leading into the new year. I was cleared to run on the grass by October of 2017, and slowly started back the new season of training.

Going into the next year, 2018 was known as my "comeback season." Although I didn't have much training under my belt, I wanted to be back on top. Easier said than done, I had to battle the mental and physical pains of starting from zero and gain strength back in my leg after the time off. Since the injury, I had a lot of doubts about myself, questioning whether or not I could get back to racing at the level the "old me" was. I am so thankful for my family, friends, and Baylor family that kept me grounded during this time, as I never felt alone during the process back to racing. Coach kept me at low mileage, and we took every race as they came, and looked to improve. Grabbing my first individual indoor and outdoor 800-meter conference titles was a reassuring feeling and the confidence boost I needed going into the national stage. I was one spot from making the indoor national qualifiers, but was able to make it through the rounds of NCAA West regionals to the outdoor national meet. By the time the national meet came around, I was mentally and physically burnt out and didn't perform as well as I wanted. Our 4x400 team ended up placing 8^th in finals, earning my first All-American honor, which was definitely something to be proud of.

Aaliyah Miller

The next track season was one of the toughest years I have faced. 2019 was the culmination of navigating through the chaos life can bring. As athletes, it's easy to push our personal problems to the side and focus solely on our sport, but in the end, our performance is the aspect that suffers. When it came time to compete, I could never get into my rhythm of racing no matter what race plan I went with. It became very frustrating to continue to put myself out there and be disappointed. But through these trials, I grew to embrace the hard times and learn from this experience. I knew I never wanted to feel this out of place again and had to re-evaluate my approach to my training. After time spent reflecting on my year, I needed to tackle the elephant in the room, which was the inconsistency between my words and actions. I had goals of becoming a national champion but didn't put in the work in the fall to earn such a prestigious accolade. I needed to recommit to my training and hold myself accountable for being a physically and mentally stronger athlete.

Leading up to the 2020 season, I had a restored mentality going into training. I took every day as an opportunity to improve and embraced the new mileage I was given. From workouts to easy runs to long runs to time trials, I was locked in. I started to feel really confident for the upcoming season and excited for what the Olympic year would bring. Going into the new year, I had one indoor and two outdoor years of eligibility, due to my injured freshman year of 2017. Through talks with family and coach, we decided it was best for me to train through the indoor season and redshirt, keeping the sole focus on building strength for the Olympic Trials in June. This would also allow my eligibility to even up and have the opportunity to come back in 2021 with one final indoor/outdoor season with Baylor. I was very eager to test my fitness indoors and raced twice unattached opening up the season with personal bests of 1:28 in the 600 meters and 2:02.55 in the 800. That 800m time was just .05 seconds off of the U.S Olympic Trials standard and was ranked #2 collegiately had I run as an attached runner with Baylor's team. It was encouraging to see the results of my training start to come to fruition in these races, but the thought of pulling my redshirt loomed over me. If I did decide to pull it, I would have had to run my qualifying mark at the Big 12 Conference meet and use my final year of indoor eligibility for the two big meets remaining in the season. I decided to stick with the original game plan and continue to train and keep my eyes set on the outdoor season.

Aaliyah Miller

That's a decision I will forever be thankful I made, given the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic canceling the 2020 indoor national championships, seasons of all spring athletes, and denying all 2020 indoor athletes the year back of eligibility. I still remember the day the news of our seasons being canceled; it didn't feel real. I felt helpless and mad that all the hard work I put in was for nothing. But through this, I remained secure that everything happens for a reason and allowed myself to feel all the emotions that came with this life-changing news. Soon after, the IOC announced the postponement of the Olympics to 2021, and training was put at a halt. When it came time to start training back up, I made sure to relight that fire I had within me the previous year and finish what I started. I didn't want the stress and negativity of the pandemic to deter me away from my goals. Through the extra time given for the new year away from competing, I was able to build upon the strength I gained and reach new triumphs in workouts and runs. Leading up to our competition season, the chaos and uncertainty were at an all-time high. From weekly COVID tests to time spent out due to contract tracing, it was a new era of not being in control. But through this, I remained fixed on the one thing I could control, which was my attitude. I chose to focus on controlling what I could control – my training – and give it my all.

Nearing the 2021 indoor championship season, I had one of the best series of racing, consistently improving my times and executing race plans. I was thankful to even have the chance to have an indoor season given all the restrictions COVID has placed on all of our lives. No opportunity was taken for granted, which was the exact mindset I took at the NCAA Indoor Track Championships. I came into the meet not favored to win, and I liked it, because my coach and I knew what I was capable of, I just had to race confidently and execute my race plan like any other race. I was ecstatic to make my first individual national final and have an opportunity to race for a title. It felt unreal to finally have a shot and, when the doubts came in, I remembered why I trained hard and sacrificed so much. It was for this moment. I thought, why not bet on myself? As long as I give it my all, I could never be disappointed.

Aaliyah Miller

When the gun went off, I just let go of any worries and went for it, running free and fast. Before I knew it, the race was over, and I realized that nobody was in front of me. When I crossed the finish line and looked up at the board, I don't know what shocked me most – the time, the place or the record? What I knew was I could finally call myself a NATIONAL CHAMPION!! The 2:00.69 time was an indoor PB and NCAA meet record and makes me the second-fastest performer in collegiate history. It's mind-blowing knowing that I accomplished such a feat in my collegiate career and can have my name in the conversation with other national champions. It's motivating to have started this year on a high note like that. There's much more racing in the tank for me, and I'm looking forward to every opportunity I have to race fast and smart leading up to the Olympic Trials.

My track career hasn't been a straight pathway of success. At different times, it has humbled me, taken me around the world and taught me many valuable life lessons. Throughout my time in summer track with McKinney Track Attack, high school track with McKinney Boyd, and now collegiately at Baylor University, my coaches have always emphasized the importance of family and unity within our team dynamic. As I am reflecting on my time as a student-athlete at Baylor, one word that comes to mind is grateful. I am grateful for the people who have invested time into me, caring for me not only as an athlete but as a growing adult finding her way into the world. This journey has been like no other and, through the ups and downs, I wouldn't change a single thing. I hope to be an inspiration to others and let them know that it's OK to fall down as long as you get back up. Continue to bet on yourself. Compete with a purpose. Fight every battle life throws at you. Most importantly, never give up on your dreams.

Aaliyah Miller