Personal Narrative: My Experience With Running Track

There have been many things that I have learned from running track. In the spring of 2015, while I ran track, I encountered many obstacles that transformed me. Each of these experiences trained me into becoming an improved athlete. One of the most difficult trials I faced put me to the test in many ways. Even though I was unsuccessful, I was able to learn from this experience. In addition, I was able to prepare myself for the next time that I faced this challenge.

I was very fortunate when I was selected to run at track invitationals. Only fifteen athletes from my school were chosen. I knew very well that I was undertaking an arduous task. The 100m, the 100m hurdles, and the 200m hurdles were tough events that I was taking part in. My goals were to place in the top five of all my events, after passing preliminaries. At my school, I was one of the best runners. However, when I arrived at invitationals, I felt like a small person in a big crowd. I started to believe that my talent was not enough compared to other athletes. My body was shaky, and I had butterflies in my stomach. My heart beat intensely, each moment that I found myself waiting for the gun to sound. Every time it did, I would take off and run my hardest. I knew I was not going to win because I did not believe in myself. During the meet,

Due to this, I became extremely nervous and pressured. The moment I saw more than 300 competitors at invitationals, I became dismayed. I admit that I doubted myself, my ability, and God. When I looked at the roster for my events, I became more discouraged. There were runners who had tremendously fast times, that knocked me out out of the competition. I was only one of two who ran more than 13s for the 100m. Whereas, other athletes held 13s or lower. From this experience and the emotions I felt, I have developed the ability to remain confident and calm in pressuring