Recently, DeSales University hosted the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional Cross Country Championships. DeSales University was one of the eight regional sites for the 2016 championships. My role for the event was to sell merchandise the day before the race as many of the participants arrived early. Asa a member of the DeSales cross country time and as a runner in high school, I have experienced some larger meets but this meet was at the next level of competition and working at it proved to be a very
leaves just begin to undress out of their green dresses and into their red, orange, and yellow ones. It is more favorable for athletes to compete in a fall sport due to the fact the temperatures are much cooler. Cross country consists of one event, running. Every athlete on the team trains to race together, but is separated by gender. Workouts for the whole team are the same and
varsity team. I had a hard time taking it all in. After I placed fourth overall in my very first race against almost ten other teams, I still hadn’t processed what my life would become. The training became harder, and if I wasn’t doing schoolwork I was running. It wasn’t
It was my sophomore year in high-school, and I was frantically awaiting the start of track and field season. Cross country ended about two months prior and since then training has been under way. Six days a week of heart-wrenching, sweat inducing, and exhausting runs. All to which would have never prepared me for what laid ahead. It began. The first track meet arrived. We lined up, squishing 50 runners up to the starting line. As I stood among my competitors, butterflies flew inside my stomach and
personally coached as well as many of the young runners I’ve met over the past few years while working at running camps in New England. While I’ve received an unbelievable number of varying answers to it, I’ve also received a few blank stares which translate into some form of the response, “huh?” But, the vast majority of the replies all seemed to be related to how they became interested in running in the first place and more importantly, what they have derived from the sport. I ask that question frequently
As soon as I learned how relaxing the sound of my feet striking the ground was while I run, I fell in love. Every day rain or snow I find my feet running down the road for as far as I physically can. I push through the days when it feels like I can barely go one more step, telling myself just one more mile next thing I know, that mile turns into five. Before I started running nothing seemed right, almost as if every day I was tripping over my own feet. The day I started to run I started chasing every
urge you in every step can give you a great boost of confidence and energy like no other. At West, there is at least one event that goes to State every year. Some of the runners strive themselves to break the school record by training, sweating, and running painstaking obstacles during and after practices. They may or may not win at State, but the feeling of participating
Runners, on your mark. Get set! POW! Every race starts the same. The different teams warmed up, did their stretches, checked out the course, and then proceeded to count down the final minutes until being herded like cattle to the start line. But this time was different; I remember the excitement filling the air that day. The need to get the best time of the season, to put a smile on my parent’s face, my coach’s face, and most importantly mine, took over my mind. Sitting at our campsite, I began to
Robert Brault once said “where the loser saw barriers, the winner saw hurdles”. Ever since my junior year of high school this has been my modus operates in life and sports. My main event in Track and Field is the 300 meter, you guessed it, hurdles. However, simply devoting myself to live by this “code” was not enough; actions spoke louder than words in May 2015 when, leading my heat of the race, I clipped my trail leg on the second to last hurdle and was forced down into the track at 20 mph. I didn’t
"One Stride at a Time “SET,†The starter exclaims as our 4x400 team and all the others wait in anticipation; the whole stadium is in absolute silence. Then, BANG, the starting pistol has goes off. The battle for the fastest 4x400 time in Arkansas has began. Bentonville High School’s team is composed of: Senior Billy Horton, Senior Harrison Shewmaker, Freshman Devin Dougherty, and myself. (I was a sophomore at the time.) This was my first time being on this relay team and I was petrified of
The sun beating down on my face with extreme heat is compared to the surface of the sun or hell, either way, it's hot. I was never really exceptional at running even now I still can’t do shorter runs I think longer runs are easier than shorter distances. Longer run are easier on me because I can mentally tell myself that “ I can do this,” “Don’t quit don’t quit it’s only mental.” I find what is really helpful when I do my runs, yet what really helps me during that time is the people there
this speed, this intensity, this feeling, this is great, I’m loving this! I came in first place in that little race of ours, and we walked back around and repeated the process. A series of steps that reinforced my new opinion. It felt great. The running, the adrenaline, the thrill. I couldn’t get over how I somehow managed to outrun 2 of the 7 or so fastest guys in the grade. Something unexpected to all of us just happened, but how was it possible? Me? Outrunning John R. and David? That can’t be
Running to a Peace of Mind Team sports are essential in helping young athletes make friends, learn teamwork, and discipline. What about sports with no benches, no teammates to depend on, and no half-times? I have run Cross-country for 5 years now and with each race, I learn more about the sport. Coming into the preseason for my first year of Cross-country, I had never run competitively or even ran for more than two miles. Today, I place second of the girls in my school and even became
leaf with a magnifying glass, it get’s more complicated when you take a closer look. However, if a handful of people were asked what kind of runners participated in track, most would say sprinters and distance runners. In track, sprinters focus on running as fast as they can for a short length of time. Distance runners, on the other hand, focus on strategically distributing their speed and strength throughout the race. No matter what events you choose to participate in when joining track, being a sprinter
I run cross country or would I pick up golf? Little did I know, my decision not only would change the course of my high school experience, but would also change what I stand for. Long distance running was not my number one then, nor is it now, but I have come to greatly appreciate it. In my mind, running is a big metaphor for life. It is not at all easy and one must give his or her all. Overall, it is an extremely mentally tough sport. People’s minds will give up before their bodies do and that
Palms excessively sweating, body quaking in anxiousness, heart racing a million beats per minute, my mind being overthrown by the thoughts of nervousness. Just imagined being like that before the start of your Track and Field event. Having those feelings is just the normal for me. I have been doing Track and Field since 7th grade. That is 5 to 6 years of determination and commitment. When i first started Track and Field, i thought that i wasn’t going win and just lose every time. Since I began Track
This shouldn’t be a goal to lose weight or conquer something out of the blue, there are risks that make a difference between running 6 miles and reaching mile 21. Once there is a solid foundation, the average running plan is around 12-29 weeks. A typical week of training will include a set amount of mileage (or time) to run. At first glance running plans have “3 mile runs” multiple times a week but if you look in detail there are runs ran at different paces (speeds)Farklek, a speed workout
Out With a Bang Cross country and track to an outsider, they can only be seen as running. Well, to a student of the sport they are both so much more. Runners are gathered to both, but there are plenty of variations between the two. Although I love both of these sports, if I had to side with one, I would choose track. These can commonly be seen in training, races, and people. The training in these sports is an enormous difference. In cross country a runner trains by going miles upon miles each day
people. All I had to do was finish this year up and it would be behind me. As I started my last year in cross country, I was ready for it to be over as soon as it started. Soon enough I was finally at my last race. This is the end, what I have been running for all these years, the final finish line. As we lined up all the familiar feelings started coming back, nervousness, dread, anticipation, but this time there was also
Running a marathon is argued to be one of the hardest things anyone chooses to do in their life. This article proves that the theory could possibly be true and how it can affect a person's genes. Running a marathon takes commitment. In the body, the respiratory, cardiovascular, and musculoskeletal systems really take a hit after running this event. Only the fully adept athletes can run a successful marathon. When runners run, the leg muscles deteriorate and as a result, it causes a very intense and