Not only was she struggling physically, she struggled mentally with her body image and the shame put on her by her first Notre Dame coach. She went from being first in the nation to 5 th, 6 th, or 7 th on her team. While she did win Division 1 NCAA titles in Cross Country, as well as the Indoor 3k, 5k, and 10k, it took a lot of work. Recruited out of high school to run at Notre Dame on a full ride scholarship brought new and difficult experiences. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t challenges along the way. She, like many of us, developed her own personal relationship with the sport. Molly fell in love with running because it wasn’t something anyone was forcing or pressuring her to do.

Molly then went on to compete at the Footlocker National Cross-Country race, which she also won. Beginning in her freshman year and ending in her senior year, Molly had won each state championship, as well as the 1600-meter and 3200-meter track races. She had to learn to be self-driven and self-sufficient in order to further her fitness and compete at a high level.

Beginning in her freshman year, Molly was the only member of her high school cross country team. When we think of running for our high school team, we often envision there actually being a team, as well as being surrounded by training partners that will push you and motivate you to train. Molly Seidel, did just that! In her first ever marathon, after an ongoing battle with eating disorders and hampered with multiple serious injuries throughout her running career, Molly finished second at the 2020 Women’s Olympic Marathon Trial, earning herself the opportunity to represent the United States of America at the 2021 Olympics.

However, changing our mindset from fear and nervousness to confidence in our abilities and believing in ourselves can help us eliminate doubt from our minds and allow us to put forth our best effort. Were you scared? Nervous that you may embarrass yourself or even fail? Or did you feel like maybe you didn’t belong there? Any one of these thoughts would be a perfectly natural response to trying something new. Think back to the first time you tried something new.

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