Imagine you are really good at something, but you hate doing it.

Do you quit so you don’t have to put up with it anymore? Or, do you press on and find ways to make it more interesting?

Northwestern’s Madeline Consuelos was faced with a decision of that type when she got into track and field; she hated running.

While most would think that’s entirely the wrong sport for her, Consuelos pressed on and enlisted the help of her coach and a sports psychologist to stay up and running with the Tigers track team.

So, just how does a girl who hates running wind up signing a letter of intent to run track at not only a Division 1 school, but a big D-1 school like Michigan?

First, Consuelos got help from a sports psychologist. That help not only got her past her hatred for the sport she was so good at, but it headed her on a career path that she may wind up pursuing at Michigan.

“Since I hated running, I started seeing a sports psychologist and that led me into wanting to be a sports psychologist,” Consuelos said shortly after signing her letter of intent at a ceremony at Northwestern High School. “I also have an interest in being an athletic director,”

The fact that she has dealt with her hatred of running and received a scholarship and a career path to Michigan is ultimately a happy ending.

But it gets better.

After getting into Michigan, Consuelos looked for what else she could do in the sport and found an interesting suggestion.

“I actually didn’t look at doing triathlons until I got into Michigan,” Consuelos said. “I needed a break from running and my coach said, ‘Why don’t you try triathlon and see how you do?’

“I ended up falling in love with it, putting the biking and the swimming part with the running. It’s a nice way to spend my summer so it’s not just these long, grueling miles. I didn’t think I would be doing triathlons, but it was always a goal to run D-1.”

Now, with everything set for the future — except the decision between sports psychology and sports management — Consuelos can look back on her accomplishments at Northwestern. The recent signing ceremony in the high school gym gave her the chance to celebrate with team members (Meghan McDonald, Sarah Supplee and Alyssa Zack) who also declared their college choices. It also gave her the opportunity to think back on the best times of her high school career.

“It’s very exciting and it’s fun to see my fellow senior classmates come together,” she said. “It’s kind of the final hurrah of our senior year and it’s fun to see where everyone is going.

“As for memories, I would say states this past season for cross country was probably the most fun I ever had at states with my team, and it’s something that I’m going to cherish for a really long time.”

While some students prefer to stick close to home for college, Consuelos had no concerns about being further away. As it turns out, she also had other reasons for choosing Michigan.

“Definitely, it’s distance,” Consuelos said in her preference on how far away from home she wanted to be.

“I wanted to get away from Pennsylvania, and my mom and a lot of family on her side went to Michigan, so I grew up watching Michigan basketball and football, so it was always on my radar.”