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Recommended: Overcoming obstacles
The air burns my lungs as they fight for oxygen. My feet pound the unsettled earth, sending shocks of pain through my aching legs. My muscles tear with each foot strike. My body fights every stride. My mind begs me to stop, but my heart beats even faster as I pick up the pace. I will not back down. I embrace the pain and push on. When I finally cross the finish line, exhaustion rests in my body, but I could not feel more alive. I have no more to give the world, and the world asks for nothing in return. Running had always been the one thing I could count on to get me through hard times. When the power to strive for my best began to break down, and I was settling for mediocre accomplishments, running gave me the strength and perseverance to realize I could do anything, no matter how hard it was. When my …show more content…
When I was unable to run during those never-ending months, I learned the most valuable lesson running could offer me. Life is like a race. In a race, you must push through the burning pain and exhaustion to get to the finish. I now conquer my goals and setbacks as if I am running a cross-country race. The beginning is fast, full of ambition and promise. Before long, it gets hard, and doubt seeps into even the smallest of cracks in my determination to get to the finish. Then I must remember what I am working to achieve, how hard I have worked to get there, and why I started. I refocus my mind to listen to my heart and push on. With each step, I gain ground and confidence. As I near closer and closer to my goal, that beautiful finish line, I am exhausted but cannot wait to get there because I know I can make it. When I finally cross the finish line exhaustion rests in my body, but I could not feel more alive. I realize that all of the work that brought me to that finish was worth it. I am happy to be there but hungry for more as the next race
They race against themselves: to conquer their wills, to transcend their weaknesses, to beat back their nightmares" (603). This quotation shows that running is not always competition, but it helps runners overcome their
I enjoy running but I am definitely not a runner. I’m the girl that’s loudly gasping for air after running just 1 lap around the track in gym class. So why did I decide to run cross-country? Honestly, I just wanted to get in shape. I wanted to feel like an athlete. I am always up for a challenge and this was definitely one. Running 5 miles a day became the new normal for me. It was agonizing. I was used to running 1 slow mile and nothing
I signed up to run track in the spring and went to summer conditioning for cross country. That’s when my coaches, teammates, and myself noticed that my running has improved significantly from when I first started. I knew that I had to work hard my senior year to achieve my goals for running. Running is a mental sport. The workouts I had to do were brutally painful and I had stay positive throughout the run because I know the training I had to do will help me during a race.
My first week of school, everyone encouraged me to join a club or a team. Of course I did not want to, until I heard we had a track team, and even then I did not know if I wanted to pursue it. In my mind, debating if I should dedicate myself to track was a hard decision. I was about to not only give this sport my time but also nothing but
Not only have I had a great experience with running, but it has also taught me many valuable lessons
“A race is like a work of art that people can look at and be affected by in as many ways as they’re capable of understanding.”(70) Here the author quotes Steve Prefontaine, and in this quote it explains that humans can enjoy and appreciate running with there minds and feeling, unlike animals. “I’m moved by others dreams and by their devotion and courage in the pursuit of excellence. I get choked up when I see a kid or anyone else, fighting against hopeless odds. Someone who goes out there to run the lonely roads with a dream in the heart, a gleam in the eye, and a goal in mind.”(74) Then, later on the author concludes that completing a race is not about having a fit and healthy body, but a dream, an “antelope”, or a goal in mind. To back that up, is the mental courage to fight for your dream, your
With amenities such as cars and buses, I have no pragmatic reason to use my feet, especially if I lack a destination. I do not run to the gym to acquire a stylish figure, for my slender frame does not require it. And this grueling run differs from a relaxing jog to a coffee shop. I am pushing myself constantly to run faster and farther, for my team as well as for personal glory. Somehow with tireless effort and unflagging commitment, I run through the sleeping streets of my neighborhood with the awareness that I am steadily reaching my goal-maintaining the discipline that cross-country demands. In my mind I see a victory line that symbolizes the results of perseverance and hard work. This line makes me realize that ambition and tenacity do not go in vain.
Upon making this resolve, I looked up a list of upcoming half marathons in which I found one: Madison scheduled for late August. At that point I had five months to train. Foolish as I am, I didn’t start until August 1st. I didn’t think I needed the previous four months, because I had wildly overestimated my athleticism; for after running three miles on that hot and humid first day of August, I wished to collapse. I wanted to surrender the challenge. But that’s not who I am. I set an objective and I was going to achieve that objective.
The start of the 2002 track season found me concerned with how I would perform. After a disastrous bout with mononucleosis ended my freshmen track season, the fear of failure weighed heavily on my mind. I set a goal for myself in order to maintain focus and to push myself like nothing else would. My goal for my sophomore track season was to become a state champion in the 100 meter hurdles. I worked hard everyday at practice and went the extra mile, like running every Sunday, to be just that much closer to reaching my goal. The thought of standing highest on the podium in the center of the field, surrounded by hundreds of spectators, overcame my thoughts of complaining every time we had a hard workout. When I closed my eyes, I pictured myself waiting in anticipation as other competitors names were called out, one by one, until finally, the booming voice announced over the loudspeaker, "...and in first place, your 2002 100 meter hurdle champion, from Hotchkiss, Connie Dawson." It was visions like these that drove me to work harder everyday.
The exhaustion you feel after finally crossing the finish line at a marathon is like nothing you have felt before. You are completely drained physically, mentally, and emotionally. Your legs hurt to the bone, at the same time you are gasping for air while your throat screams for moisture. All of this is a small price to pay for the overwhelming feeling of self pride and accomplishment you are overcome with. Running the marathon is only half of the process. Training is very important with steps such as finding motivation, diet, safety, stretching, and last preparations the day of the marathon. With many physical, mental, and social benefits the hardship is well worth it. I greatly enjoy running and hope to one day run a full marathon.
I began running faster than I had ever run before. Running with heavy legs, drenched in sweat, I made my way through the woods. The dryness in my mouth was overwhelming. The taste of iron crept up from the back of my throat and into my mouth. My throat felt a swarm of bees was periodically stinging me, but I kept running. I could see my little homestead coming into view, and I gathered myself enough to actually let out a sigh of relief. I was going to make it. All of a sudden my stomach began to turn, my muscles tensed, and I knew what was coming. I doubled over as if in pain, only to think better of it. I can’t. Not now. I made it this far. I will not be that girl that crapped her pants twenty feet from the outhouse. I stood up and began running again. I made a mad dash to the old wooden outhouse, jumping over a watering can and some assorted garden tools to avoid running two feet around them. I entered the outhouse and before I knew it I had
These single words of encouragement have a huge impact when running in Completions. During that final stretch of the run, as you are spent and exhausted, just one single encouraging word can give you all the energy you need to pass your competitors at the finish
At 5:50 when I was running up on the track at the SRC (Student Recreation Center) I saw this women running, almost sprinting on the outside lane. She was listening to music and holding her phone in her right hand so tight you could see the veins popping out of her hand for the split second you saw her next to you. With every lap she ran, she looked more and more exhausted, with a very stern and determined look on her face. They way she was running made an impression that she she was a force to be reckoned with, and that no one could stop her from finishing her goal of not giving up.
The miles increased each week and before I knew it, the last long run before the marathon was only twenty miles. Then came the marathon, 26.2 miles of runners’ high, pain, agony, and unstable weather.
Running hurdles has proved to be one of my greatest passions in life. I love the fear, unpredictability, and brief feeling of flying over the hurdles, just barely hovering over the top of each one. Most importantly, I am infatuated with the feeling after each race: my heart beating intensely in my chest and the feeling of relief and accomplishment washing over me. Although I cannot say running hurdles has been the greatest adversity I have faced in life, I have found that my life has always been like a race, running from one hurdle to the next, always having to figure out how to get up after each fall or to overcome each obstacle in front of me.