I ran faster than I ever thought I would. It was a regular Thursday meet, and I was running varsity that day as a freshman. I had never gone through this process before so everything that happened that day took me by surprise. The insane course, other runners, and the intimidating fans all made it something worth remembering. I saw everything from runner's fainting, the after race vomiting, and the crying from pain. That did not have an affect on me as I found myself gaining confidence every time I moved my feet. I kept passing other runners and my immediate thought was “did I go the wrong way?” or “did I miss a turn?.” I did not know that running came easier to me than it did to other people. Maybe it was the hard work I put in at practice …show more content…
or my unique long legs that gave an advantage on my strides, but all I knew was that I wanted to be the best I could be. I wanted people to know I was good at running. I wanted to impress the people watching. Realizing that I was on varsity and not junior varsity with the rest of my friends, made me anxious but at the same time motivated. I was quite unsure why I, specifically, was thrown onto varsity and not any of my friends. I soon came to realize it was because I was actually good at running. Being the freshman on varsity was frightening yet an accomplishment because it proved just how dedicated I was at wanting to be better. It was something I will always remember: starting the race with the big kids. I knew there was something special about being on the higher level team and it made me want to run like I never have before. I wanted to be good at running and I wanted this to be an opportunity that lead to a new passion of mine. I wanted to continue to better my time and I wanted to impress my coaches and parents, the ones who supported me through this exciting journey. Coming into highschool, I had no idea what to like, try, or attempt participating in.
I never knew what I would find interesting or I never knew if it was worth a shot. I never thought cross country was something I was going to take on. After this encountering of a new interest, I came to realize how prepared I was to take on anything of my desire. The first time I heard the words “cross country’’ I immediately thought it as something along the lines of “lame” or “uncool.” That obviously did not stop me as I found myself participating in this sport all four years of high school. During these years, I had one realization that I found out about myself had I not decided to pick up this activity. I was notorious for new trying things. I was obsessed with growing mentally along with physically and this helped contribute to just that. It was amazing to see the amount of growth that I got from this experience. This new interest helped me to be proud of the things I obtained from trying new things. Trying new things is an option that is offered to anyone. Anyone can try anything whenever they desire, but getting an outcome that satisfies them can only be done by them. Being able to be successful with whatever you try is only for the people who want to gain something out of it. For the people who want to grow. Had I not joined cross country my freshman year of highschool, I would have never been able to find this new passion, meet some of the coolest people I now know, and most
definitely not been able to accomplish all of the things that made me, me.
I am now officially in my Senior year of Cross Country , and am close to the end of my season. My first race of this year though was a big accomplishment for me, because I hadn`t been able to run. When I ran that race though it made me just so happy I was able to finish it, I was`nt happy with the time, but there is always time for improvement. I was glad to be racing again and being apart of the team again. I believe that my injuries were a barrier in my way, but they did not stop my sports career.
I am a runner. I was selected to be a cross country captain for my senior year and I had set myself a realistic goal of being one of the top five finishers at the state meet in the fall. I never had the thought that I could not do it; I knew I was going to be up there with the best. When the state meet came and I traveled with the team as captain, that race became one of the most memorable of my cross country career but not for the reasons I expected.
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
Running has instilled in me a mental toughness that I didn’t even know existed. I feel like I have become a stronger, happier, and confident person when I started running. I accomplished things I didn't know I was capable
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
It was an eventful summer, or you could say a summer with one major event. July sixteenth in particular was that one day that stood out bolder than the rest. It has been over a decade since the time I started investing my summers with sports practices and games. Each year, I took it up a notch. I didn’t really know how I felt about sports. When I was younger, I continually nurtured my skills for a future I didn't even see. Much like how I used to always read. The vocabulary, grammar, and structure I gained knowledge from reading didn't seem to matter back then. Until sixth grade, I really didn’t have a spark that motivated me to do anything. I believe the exact phrase my friend Emily said was, “I will teepee your house every single night until you decide to try out for Citadel.” This Citadel travel soccer team is what gave me better sense of who I was.
One thing that really bothers me is how much I changed. I used to play games all day, not focus on school, wouldn't get in serious trouble, and was very innocent compared to my present day self. There are cons and pros of my past self compared to how I am currently. I am more happy of how I am now then I am before. As time changes, so do I and I can not stop that. What’s done has already been done and can’t be changed so you always have to look towards the future and never the past. The past will not definite who you are today unless you let it. I would have never expect that I would be transferred to a continuation high school in my freshman year. It is a bad thing to many people, but I am thankful that I am sent to it because I will learn
Cross country is the best sport for many reasons. First, It is a really good work out. Second, It doesn’t matter if you're a boy or girl. Third, you don’t need to be tall or big to be good at it. Also, you don’t have to rely on other teammates as much as other sports.
My palms are sweaty, my excitement is at an all time high. For once in my life, I’m ready to leave a while before we can go, and I'm ready to fly down the hallway once I get out of the classroom.
In the earlier years, running was tough for me because of putting myself down mentally and struggling to stay determined. Over the years, I have built up crucial elements to reach a level of success that met my personal satisfaction.
The sun hit my eyes with a sharp sting blinding me as I ran out onto the roof of the building. I continued to run away from the man in black chasing me. Only to be stopped by the edge of the building’s roof. Looking down the 300 foot building my legs wobbled and I sat down. I looked behind me to see that the man came to a stop at the doorway to the roof.
The biggest one was when I made it to the OHSAA Division III State Track Meet as a part of our 4x100 meter relay team. The ultimate goal for any high school sports team is to make it to state, and that is what I and my teammates did. We made it through regionals and saw the season culminating with a trip to Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. This extended season meant a lot of extra practice, but it was okay with all of us because we were proving that we were fast. Down at state we ran an exceptional prelim race as the baton flew around the track. We had nearly flawless handoffs which helped bring our time down. We qualified as the third seed to the finals with a time of 43.68 seconds. That night we were all so excited that we felt that we were clouds floating through the air. The next day we ran in the finals and achieved something no other Kalida track and field athletes had ever done: we placed at the state meet. We got sixth place and proved that we were one of the fastest relay teams in the state. Sadly, we did not run quite as fast as in prelims, but it was okay because we still placed at state. The hard work and pain throughout the season definitely paid off with making it to the state
I replay the moment I reached the finishing line over and over in my head. The crowd cheered for the runners as they frantically shook cowbells to give us the last boost of energy. When I crossed the finished line, I felt a huge sense of relief. I was incredibly relieved that I was finally done with the marathon after being on the road for six long hours. I was more relieved because I proved my self-doubt wrong. The road to fighting self-doubt was long and exhausting. But, I look back on my experience and say that I am much more than my
...e advantage of my strengths. Since I am a better cyclist than runner, I passed two of the competitors in my age division while on the road. On the last transition, I took a deep breath and focused on my goal. There were two people in front of me. Mile by mile I got closer until I was finally able to pass one guy. Eventually, there was one mile left so I had to sprint. Two hundred feet away… one hundred feet away… fifty feet away… I barely passed the other runner. I finished the race in first place! After the race, I met the second place winner who told me he was a professional cyclist from Wimberley, Texas that traveled around the world competing. I was glad to hear this because I got very close to beating him, while being sick at the same time. I will employ this experience as a motivation that I will never make excuses nor give up on something till the very end.
Adding exercises into one’s daily routines can change their whole lifestyle. Many people look at exercise as being something just for people who want to lose weight or to become muscle bound, but there are a great deal of benefits that can be received from exercising regularly. Of course gaining muscle and losing fat are the two most popular reasons that usually attract people to the gym, but they make up a small part of the potential benefits that can be achieved with exercise. There are several ways in which I have benefited in my life from exercising regularly, besides just making me bigger and stronger. It has made me become more organized, helped me make better decisions, and motivated me to take on new challenges in life.