From Burnout to Breakthrough: The Athlete’s Perspective of a Semester Abroad
- Adele Alexander
- May 5
- 5 min read
Marist University, located in Poughkeepsie, NY, boasts an impressive #1 spot in the nation in participation of Study Abroad opportunities among U.S. master’s degree granting institutions. With destinations offered in Scotland, Spain, Italy, Ireland, France, England, Japan, Australia, Argentina, Czech Republic, and more, it is without a doubt an enticing benefit for students. In fact, 50% of students take advantage of the study abroad programs offered at Marist at some point during their undergraduate career each year. That means of a 5,062 undergraduate student population, around 2,500+ are leaving the small confines of Poughkeepsie, NY annually!
The school also supports 23 full rosters of competitive Division 1 NCAA teams in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).
What struck me most about the benefits of attending this school was the opportunity I saw in doing both; being a student world traveler and a competitive Division 1 athlete. Although these two lifestyles made sense to me, it’s often not that simple in the eyes of others. High-level college coaches tend to discourage the idea of an athlete missing a season until they are forced to due to injury.
While studying abroad has historically been an ‘off the table’ idea for Division 1 student athletes, I am an athlete who went abroad for a semester and came back stronger because of it. And I’d like to put it back on the table by sharing my story.
After officially making my commitment to Marist for a multitude of reasons, freshman year was a pretty good one, earning one of the few top spots on the team invited to compete in some of the biggest Division 1 meets around the country. Towards the end of my sophomore season of cross country my body fought back from the constant state of work with no rest I put it under, as I faced a looming barrier that distance runners are unfortunately all too familiar with: a stress fracture.
I finished off my sophomore year cross country season the strongest I could by racing our regional cross country meet on a broken foot. The winter that followed was a long and strenuous one, where miles were swapped with hours spent in the pool ‘aqua jogging’ to stay in shape as I let my foot heal. While that season was a tough one physically and mentally, it provided a harsh wakeup call for me to take both a literal and metaphorical step back from the constant school-train-work-compete cycle that I had been so used to for years.
It was at this time that I circled back to my coach's words to me during one of our recruiting calls that emphasized that I am a person first, and then a student before an athlete. His willingness to support me as more than just an athlete is ultimately was drove me to this school - and I'm extremely thankful for that.
So I filled out an abroad application for Florence, Italy and decided to study abroad during the fall semester of my fall 2023 junior year. Not only did I have the absolute time of my life, but it truly did make me a better person, student, and athlete; three big parts of my identity that work in tandem to complement each other.
When I first arrived in Florence, it was an adjustment to settle into a life that was completely different from what I had known for so long. I had to embrace a long series of ‘new’s. New language, new transportation, new people, new food, and ultimately a new way to maintain fitness as a dedicated athlete.
But amidst all of the unfamiliarity I was presented with through living in a new country, running actually proved to be a stress reliever, rather than a stress inducer. I found joy in getting out of the door any day I could to log miles,and enjoy the beauty of the locations around me in the process. I got a gym membership to keep up with ‘the little things’ considered stretching, lifting, and cross training where I could. While it was enjoyable for the most part, and a disciplined grind at other points, the beautiful thing that nobody talks about enough is that after I’d finished my run each day, I wasn’t an athlete. I spent my days in the company of friends who wanted to enjoy an afternoon pastry with me, who bonded over similar interests such as food and travel, and running for the first time in my life just felt like something I did vs something I was.
By the end of my time there, I kept up with enough of a base to return giddy to run hard again and get back on a starting line. I worked my way back into even better shape than I was in before going abroad - running the best workouts I had ever run, hitting my highest mileage week ever of almost 70 miles this summer, and even breaking a school record this past season. While training to reach high-level goals as a Division 1 athlete is never a physically easy process, sometimes the key is shifting the focus for a little to mentally come back stronger.
Studying abroad provided me with the opportunity to give my body and mind what it needed after 4 years of non-stop strenuous training and competition in highschool, continued straight into college. Most importantly, it provided me with the perfect hiatus in my usual routine to remind me that my sport is just something I do, not something I am.
When I faced a stress fracture and burnout, I needed to experience a fresh lifestyle and challenge my perspectives, which a semester spent in Italy was absolutely able to provide.
Athletes are not machines meant to function on the same routine for years on end. We’re people - we need space to grow and reset, explore hobbies, meet new people, and challenge ourselves beyond just physical abilities. For me, studying abroad gave me the break I needed to find balance, reconnect with myself, and experience life in a way I hadn’t before. For others, I hope this can also serve as a reminder that stepping away for a little doesn’t make you weaker, it can make you stronger. I came back not only mentally refreshed, but with a renewed drive that has allowed me to perform as a stronger, faster, and overall happier athlete.
XX,
Adele :)
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