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…
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
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.
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
Growing up, I played just about every sport our small town provided: soccer, basketball, baseball, football, boxing, golf, you name it. There was only one sport that I had yet to embark upon: running; however, during my seventh grade year, I decided to try it out, and it ended up being a great decision. From the beginning, the one thing that drew me in was the atmosphere. All of the older runners on the team really embraced us younger runners, despite our youth and immaturity. As a seventh grade kid not really knowing what to expect participating in a varsity sport, this gesture really meant a lot, and it is one of the main reasons that I fell in love with the sport. I stayed with this sport throughout my high school career, and now that I am older, I have the opportunity of being on the other side of the spectrum. My teammates and I love having the middle school kids on the team, and I try my best to ensure that they have a similar experience to the one I had just five short years ago.
August 22, 2015, a day to be forever marked with blood, sweat, tears, but most importantly, triumph. That day was race day. The day when all my hours of grueling training would face the ultimate challenge. The day where I would be able to identify myself as a runner. There’s only one problem with that—I’m not a runner; I’m a tennis player.
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
I was so excited to start my new journey in school. I knew that being involved in a sport was going to help me become more confident. Running has taught me how to achieve my goals, be tough; both physically and mentally, and appreciate life. The first week of cross country was difficult.
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.
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
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.
Annually in middle school, we were required to run a mile in gym class. Although many of my classmates hated it, I loved running the mile. In sixth grade, after completing the mile, the grandfather of my classmate, Sam, approached me to ask, “Do you run track?” Since I had always thought myself an excellent athlete, I was flattered, yet having never run on a team before I replied, “No”. Even so, I cherished the idea of racing and I pondered his question all day. Nevertheless, our school did not have a team, so I was sadly unable to run track in Junior High. However, three years later, when the opportunity arose for me to join the Grand Ledge track and field team, I didn't hesitate to take advantage of it.
As a result of this intense sport that is demanding and which requires training and building endurance, athletes now view tasks as trivial, that previously would have been too great. Once one finds the determination to do their best in Cross-country, they are able to focus that determination towards other tasks. Additionally, motivation is considered therapeutic because it is giving a person new purpose and a way to improve upon one’s self. For that reason, there is nothing better and more relaxing than discovering something that inspires you to keep going, whether in academics or athletics. After running Cross-country, I was more motivated to finish homework assignments, rather than procrastinate, and more willing to do chores.
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.
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.