The Transition: Ella Johns Journey From Fort Collins To Duke

LC: Overall, what was it like transitioning from high school to college?

EJ: Obviously, your social life definitely changes because you just don't have the same friends at all - it's like a whole new life. However, honestly, it's been awesome.

I chose Duke for so many reasons, but the main reason being that I thought it was just very different from the rest of the schools I visited considering the team aspect here. The team is just so awesome, and just to live with my best friends from day one, guys and girls... Both teams are so close and having them is just so awesome.

Break is only three weeks long for us and we already couldn't wait to come back. I never would have thought that every single girl on the team would end up being my best friend.

In terms of academically, it was definitely a very hard transition - just kind of learning how to study and how to go about my classes, but by the end of the semester, it definitely was all falling into place.

The running aspect has also been so awesome... However, I unfortunately ended my cross country season with a stress fracture, so it definitely was not what I was hoping for. It's been a long process to come back, so I didn't really get much racing experience this fall. You feel like such a small fish in such a big pond, but I am here to support my team at this point - I am so young and I'm racing against people so much older than me and I have so much more to learn.

LC: When you first got to Duke, what would you say was the biggest shift that you noticed in your training? Was it difficult to re-adjust? 

EJ: I was definitely a lower mileage person in high school. I played competitive soccer through my sophomore year, so running wasn't even really a priority of mine until around junior year. I would say that I didn't track my mileage in high school... So when my coaches asked during the recruiting process what my mileage per week was, I genuinely didn't know what to tell them. However, I would say it was 35 to 40 miles a week, so definitely somewhere in the middle range.

Coming to Duke, though, I was trying to run above 50... And I think that honestly just exhausted me. So we came back down from that, but I think that overall the higher intensity just got me... Our workout days are 10 to 12 miles long.

So, although at the end of the season, I was only running around 40 miles before my stress fracture, it was just so intense. I really think it just takes adjusting to, and obviously my body just kind of struggled with that at first.

However, it definitely is a learning experience. I also learned a lot more about fueling my body - such as eating before practice rather than after. Getting enough sleep is also so important -  everything just kind of crumbled with school and running because of my lack of sleep.

Overall, it's just been a learning process. I know some people that thrive - they went through their cross country season and didn't get injured. Everything worked out for them, and that's amazing. I've never had to deal with something like this, but so many other girls on the team have, so it's been really nice to have them as a support system because they understand. 

LC: What has it been like training and competing with the Duke athletes?

EJ: I definitely trained more with the guys during my high school cross country season so that I wasn't running alone all the time - just because we had such a young team. I was the only senior on the team.

I did run with REAL Training, so that was really nice having training partners in high school during the offseason.

Coming to Duke and just having five or six girls in my group every day is just so awesome. It really makes you just think you can do so much more. It's a mindset thing - just having people with you makes it more fun.

I believe in myself when other people believe in me. The words of encouragement are just so awesome to have.

To me, it makes you so much better and having them there just makes it honestly easier - like running a four mile tempo at six-minute pace is honestly nothing when you have a team with you, but when it's by yourself you're like, oh, this is so hard. So just having great teammates is just so awesome.

Photo by Tim McDonald

LC: How did you initially get into running?

EJ: Both of my parents ran - they both ran in college and then they both ran post collegiately. They never wanted to push running on any of us, though, my three other siblings and I. They told us to do what we love, and I love soccer.

I played soccer for so long and that was my main sport. However, since it was so competitive so young, that does really burn you out at a certain age. So, since my parents were runners, I just started to run on the cross country team, still obviously focusing on soccer, but then by sophomore year, I decided, okay, I realized that I loved running and that I could go way farther with that than I could soccer. I obviously continued with that, and it was obviously one of the best decisions of my life.

LC: What was it like moving so far away from home and leaving your support system?

EJ: I definitely was really excited. I wanted to go and be independent... But the first two weeks leading up to me leaving, I was really sad. I was like, wow, why did I choose to go so far from home?

Honestly, I adore my family so much...I love my siblings and my parents, but it's been one of the best decisions of my life to come to Duke and just be super independent and be able to hang out with my friends. I love having my team around me - they're like my second family here. I just always feel like I'm at home here - I think of Duke as home. I just love it so much. I couldn't even imagine not being here.

Most schools that I looked at were on the east coast, but the transition was still definitely very hard. However, you do get through it, especially since I was so busy at the beginning that I didn't even have time to think about being homesick.

LC: Favorite high school moment/favorite college moment?

EJ: One of my favorite high school memories was state track my senior year. If anyone looked at the race results, it was one of the most amazing mile races ever.

(Editor's Note: It was..)

It was so fast and so cool to be a part of and that was my fourth race of the weekend.

I felt so exhausted warming up. I was looking at my dad and just saying 'I'm gonna give it my all, but my all literally might put me in last, like I am so tired.' I was racing girls where it was their first or second race of the weekend.

But honestly, as soon as we got on that line, I think adrenaline kicked in and I just felt so good. I didn't feel exhausted at all. It was just awesome.

Photo by Bobby Reyes

And the Colorado running community is so close, and especially my grade, like my grade was really good. All of the Niwot girls, and really just from all over, we all like having each other and just being so happy for each other. It was all of our last years and we were all so happy to be there. So it's definitely really exciting.

I would say my favorite college memory so far was my very first collegiate race. It was this really small meet, Elon hosted it, but I just felt so fit and the team swept it - we went one through six and I was just so happy with myself.

That race really showed me that I could compete against collegiate runners and it was just a big confidence booster. It was also probably the only race that went well for me in the season before my injury. 

LC: What advice would you give your younger self/current high school athletes that plan to run in college?

EJ: I would just say that, definitely for the recruiting process part of it, to just not stress. It's such a stressful process. You think that you just have to keep putting out fast times, but if you think that, you're just not going to because you're putting pressure on yourself.

Just enjoy your senior year, enjoy your junior year, just enjoy the opportunity you're getting to be able to run in college. The right decision will come.

I was devastated when the one school that I thought was my top pick ever didn't work out, but now I'm so in love with my school and I love everything about it.

Everything happens for a reason, so I would definitely just tell people not to stress about the recruiting process as it comes up. Everyone says that college is the best four years, and genuinely, I've only been here for one semester and it's been the best time of my life.

So, if you choose the right place, you'll never want to leave, and having a support system around you is the most important thing. So, for me, I'd tell people to pick the school off of the team and the people you surround yourselves around.