Running from uncertainty into the clear
Shenango senior Carmen Medvit flashes a huge smile as she captures the WPIAL cross country championship last week at White Oak Park. A year after experiencing the biggest disappointment of her young life, Carmen is feeling golden again as she heads to states this weekend. — Photo by Sally Maxson
The winning? Carmen Medvit had that down.
Dozens of cross country and track victories
Three straight Tri-County championships
A WPIAL title as a sophomore in 2018
The Shenango High junior had built quite an impressive resumé. And on an unusually warm and humid autumn day a year ago, she had built a substantial lead in the district cross country championship at California University. She needed only to break the tape to pick up her second WPIAL gold medal.
But Carmen could sense something was different this time. Her legs were moving, but she couldn’t feel them. Thoughts were flowing through her head, but she couldn’t capture them. Her lungs were expanding and contracting, but she couldn’t catch her breath.
“I was very scared. I didn’t know what was happening in my body. I felt dizzy. My legs were like jelly,” Carmen remembered. “I started to see all these girls running past me. I definitely started having a panic attack.”
While cheering on their daughter, Lottie and Jim Medvit witnessed a sight no parent would ever want to experience: They watched Carmen collapse.
Not in the figurative, athletic sense. This was real life.
She was on the ground.
Face down.
Just feet from the finish line.
Carmen was no longer fighting off a pack of runners pursuing her. She was fighting to remain conscious.
A family friend who is a physical therapist saw what happened and jumped over the fence to help her.
“I sort of remember him talking to me,” Carmen said. “He was trying to get me up to finish.”
A short time later, she was taken by ambulance to nearby Monongahela Valley Hospital where Carmen underwent a battery of tests.
That’s when she realized this wasn’t some sort of nightmare.
“It’s the worst feeling I’ve ever felt. I was just crying the whole time.”
The lesson: She had to learn to fall.
Not fail, mind you. That’s something totally different.
Fall. It’s something we all do in our lives. The truly great ones, the ones we’ll be talking about for years, they get back up.
Again. And again.
Winning race after race, often by wide margins, Carmen Medvit hadn’t yet experienced a fall.
Until October 24, 2019. That’s the day her running career changed.
And a year later, so has she.
“Young people will only aspire to reach the highest branch they can see.” ― Cathy Heller
The training? Carmen Medvit had that down.
No one was in better condition. Long runs. Tempo runs. Speed work and intervals.
Miles upon miles upon miles. In all kinds of weather.
Carmen was prepared for anything that would come her way. Except this.
The race was on a Thursday. Carmen skipped school the next day.
“I just didn’t want to go,” she admitted. I didn’t want to face people. I knew if anyone asked me about it, I would start crying.”
She returned the following Monday but learned about a video of the race during a class. Against her better judgment, she watched the final moments.
“I ran to the bathroom and starting crying.”
Even worse, Carmen wasn’t permitted to run again until other medical issues were ruled out. That meant more testing. More meeting with doctors.
Finally, a diagnosis.
“I know some newspapers have reported this, but Carmen was not dehydrated when she collapsed,” Lottie stressed. “None of her vitals or blood work pointed to dehydration.”
Instead, her condition was the polar opposite — hyponatremia, which means low sodium levels in the blood. Carmen’s electrolytes were knocked out of balance from ingesting too MANY fluids.
“It was really hot and humid that day,” Carmen remembered. “I kept drinking to stay hydrated.”
In mild cases, hyponatremia can impair athletic performance. At worst, it can be fatal.
“There was so much water in her system that it flushed the electrolytes out,” Lottie noted. “Her body had used up all the energy.”
Carmen was released to train again.
She just didn’t feel like it.
“It was definitely mental,” she admitted. “I was really nervous. I wasn’t sure what would happen.”
After years of racing away from the competition, Carmen Medvit came to a realization — there was nowhere to run.
She had to face her fears head-on if she were to regain her status as one of the top high school runners in the state.
So Carmen took a big, bold step — she began to meet with a sports psychologist.
Each time she talked with Alex Salerno of KPEX Consulting in Pittsburgh, she opened up a little more. She gained a greater sense of freedom. A greater sense of peace.
“I really felt like I had a mental block after the race last year. We focused a lot on the panic attack and the anxiety I was feeling.”
The lesson: She had to learn to trust.
Carmen laced up the spikes again in early January when the indoor track season began. As for her first race?
“I didn’t pass out,” she joked. “So that was a plus.”
She began to compete well again and was looking forward to the spring track season, where she had been brilliant in the 1600 and 3200.
Then COVID hit.
Track season was canceled.
“I had worked so hard to redeem myself, but I didn’t get a chance to compete.”
Then a hip injury forced her to shut down completely.
Carmen began running with her dad at age 7, and fell in love with the sport in junior high. Her mother had never seen her confidence, or discipline, wane like this.
“She went through so much over the past year,” Lottie said. “She started going back into her shell. Her focus wasn’t there anymore.”
Carmen needed a vacation.
“I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel his pleasure.” ― Eric Liddell, “Chariots of Fire”
The relaxation? Carmen Medvit had that down. Sort of.
Destin Beach in Florida is well-known for its sugar-white sands and emerald waters. So while she certainly enjoyed the sun and the surf with her family, there’s no doubt Carmen will remember that July respite for something else entirely.
It’s where she got her mojo back.
“That was my first full week of running again,” she reflected. “As I ran on the beach, I finally felt like myself. I felt fantastic. I knew this would be my season.”
COVID-19 pushed back the start of cross country, so the first meet wasn’t until mid-September. It was the Red, White and Blue Invitational at White Oak Park. Carmen won the Class 1A division with a time of 19:17.
“That really gave me a confidence boost,” she explained.
Victory after victory followed this fall, including her fourth-straight Tri-County title. It was time to return to White Oak Park.
Last Thursday, with another massive lead in the WPIAL final, Carmen once again raced toward the finish line. Alone.
Would panic set in? Would her legs and lungs sputter? Would all the physical and mental work she’s done to get back to this spot be wasted?
“All I remember is Queen’s ‘Under Pressure’ was blaring on the speaker. I’m a big fan of their old music. I knew no one was close to me. I just had this huge smile on my face.”
She struggled for words to accurately describe the moment.
“I can’t even express how I was feeling. I just. …”
Her voice trailed off.
(That’s quite understandable. So before reading on, scroll back up to her photo and take a long look at Carmen’s face. That will give you a good idea.)
Lottie did her best to finish her daughter’s sentence.
“I was just so elated for her. Her spirit was crushed last year. It’s awful to see your kids in that state. With all the setbacks and injuries over the past year, I was just so incredibly proud of her.”
The lesson: She had to learn to run again.
More important, Carmen had to discover why.
“I had to learn to run for myself and for God. That’s the only thing I need to run for,” she stressed.
The Medvit family attends New Life Baptist Church in New Wilmington and faith plays a major role in their lives. Carmen began to question hers after the traumatic experience last fall.
“I thought, ‘why me?’ Why would God let this happen to me?” she admitted. “Now I realize he was trying to make me a stronger, better person in the long run. He helped me to have a career vision. I never knew about sports psychology before. He closed one door, but opened that door.”
But before walking through that new door, she’s got once more race to run — the PIAA Championship on Saturday. Even though she didn’t qualify because of the fall last year, Carmen still made the trip to states to cheer on her teammates. She even made a point to congratulate state champion Haley Hamilton, who had passed Carmen at the finish to win the 2019 WPIAL meet.
“I was so proud of Carmen,” Lottie said. “That took a lot for her to do that. She genuinely was happy for Haley.”
In addition to a state title, there’s one more thing Carmen is looking forward to in Hershey.
“Free chocolate milk,” she said, laughing. “It’s one of my favorite things.”
Think this young lady isn’t feeling free and loose?
Makes sense. Carmen is the first to realize she wouldn’t be standing tall today if it weren’t for the setback a year ago. She’s not only a stronger, faster runner as a senior, but her maturity level has grown exponentially. That’s because:
•She learned to fall. You can’t shine your light without first experiencing the darkness.
•She learned to trust. You can’t have courage without first knowing fear.
•She learned to run again. You can’t truly savor the sweetness of victory without tasting the bitterness of defeat.
“My sports psychologist really inspired me,” Carmen said. “Now I want to go to college and become one, too. I’d love to help kids who are dealing with their own struggles.”
Based on what we’ve seen over the past year, I’d say she already has.
(Tim Kolodziej is the creator of EnspireU.com and author of this piece. If you would like to receive encouraging/inspiring messages, videos, and motivational stories each morning, text him at (412) 226-4977.)