Joining the track and field team was one of the best decisions I made during high school. Track is the most mentally and physically challenging sport. Participating in the sport pushed me past boundaries I never knew existed within me. (cheesy?)
During my sophomore year, I ran short distance competing in 100m and 200m sprints. However, this past spring, I decided to challenge myself even more and try long distance. The group of long distance runners was small -only 6 of us. Two of the runners in the long distance group didn’t even RUN long distance in events. Yet, they were faster than the rest of us. These kids only ran with the long distance group because the coach said it was a better workout. As for me, running long distance made me a better runner. I was doing longer, tougher workouts on a daily basis. It felt great to say, “Oh yeah, we just ran 4.5 miles today.”
Running is the most individual sport. Unless you’re competing in a relay, for the most part, there is no relying on your teammates to score an extra point or be your backup in case something goes wrong. The one thing your teammates can give you is emotional support from the …show more content…
You can’t escape your mind when running. It’s just me, myself, and I. You tell yourself that you must run faster, c'mon sprint! The other girl is going to beat you by 2 seconds! But oh no, your legs feel like Jell-O. It's not your body that controls how fast or far you run, it's your mind. Constantly in motion, all inside your head. My biggest opponent is myself. I always strive to beat my PR from the previous meet. If I don’t, it means that I didn’t win. Because I didn’t beat myself. However, achieving a new PR – each and every time - is the most rewarding experience. All those hours of training paid off. I now have a new time to try and break, and I know that I am only improving my capability and ability. There is nowhere to go but forward. And that’s the only direction I plan on
During my sophomore year, I ran short distance competing in 100m and 200m sprints. However, this past spring, I decided to challenge myself even more and try long distance. The group of long distance runners was small -only 6 of us. Two of the runners in the long distance group didn’t even RUN long distance in events. Yet, they were faster than the rest of us. These kids only ran with the long distance group because the coach said it was a better workout. As for me, running long distance made me a better runner. I was doing longer, tougher workouts on a daily basis. It felt great to say, “Oh yeah, we just ran 4.5 miles today.”
Running is the most individual sport. Unless you’re competing in a relay, for the most part, there is no relying on your teammates to score an extra point or be your backup in case something goes wrong. The one thing your teammates can give you is emotional support from the …show more content…
You can’t escape your mind when running. It’s just me, myself, and I. You tell yourself that you must run faster, c'mon sprint! The other girl is going to beat you by 2 seconds! But oh no, your legs feel like Jell-O. It's not your body that controls how fast or far you run, it's your mind. Constantly in motion, all inside your head. My biggest opponent is myself. I always strive to beat my PR from the previous meet. If I don’t, it means that I didn’t win. Because I didn’t beat myself. However, achieving a new PR – each and every time - is the most rewarding experience. All those hours of training paid off. I now have a new time to try and break, and I know that I am only improving my capability and ability. There is nowhere to go but forward. And that’s the only direction I plan on