ipl-logo

Personal Narrative: My First Cross-Country Race

585 Words3 Pages

The air burns your lungs as they fight for oxygen. Your feet pound the unsettled earth, sending shocks of pain through your legs. You can feel the microscopic tears destroying your muscles. Your body is fighting every stride, feeling the pain. Your mind begs you to stop, knowing the pain. Your heart beats faster, loving the pain. You cross the finish line with exhaustion resting in your body, fulfilment in your soul. You have no more to give the world at this moment, and the world asks for nothing. I won my first cross-country race, or so I have been told. I have searched my mind for this memory for years, wondering how I could forget an event that holds such importance. Looking back now, it was the start of the best, horrible decision I have ever made. I was pulled up to varsity cross-country, …show more content…

Not running wasn’t an option. As numerous runners do, I fell into a pattern of treating my injuries instead of preventing them. After 2 years cycling through various injuries at a constant rate, I was asked a question I could not answer. A teammate and I were talking about my expertise and following my explanation of injuries current and past she asked me why I keep running. I did not know. It was a simple question with a complex answer. I could have said because I love it or because running is fun. However, I do not love being injured; how can someone love a sport that leaves permanent damage? How can I love a sport that breaks me down physically and mentally? Running takes all of my energy, forces me to give it more than I believed I could offer. Cross-country is especially brutal. Every day, every practice, I relinquish my body’s right to recovery in the hope that I will improve. However, I couldn’t put myself through dozens of injuries just for the sake of improvement. There was more to it. Running held a power over me that kept me from

Show More
Related
686 Words | 3 Pages

As soon as I scraped my sweaty hands into the dirt and pulled myself up to go face my team a startling realization occurred to me. This loss, this heart-shattering defeat, was the ultimate test. Would I let it pull me down, or would I struggle to my feet and come back even stronger? After all, running must mean something to me if this failure hurt so tremendously, I thought.

Read More
194 Words | 1 Pages

During my final year of Cross Country around Regionals at Oglethorpe, I ran my final race for my high school career. Banks County was nearly number one in the State, the furthest we had ever ranked in history, and spirit and hopes for State Championship were high. I was nervous, like nobody’s business, I had messed up during my senior night because I was upset for my parents for not showing up and escorting me. And I was scared that I was going to do horribly. But as I ran, I realized that if I let my past mistakes and failures hold me back or get in my way, so I ran, harder and better than I ever had before and apparently even beat a “skinny kid”.

Read More
830 Words | 4 Pages

With my relay team stretched,warmed up, and ready to go, we headed towards the stadium where we would race against the fastest girls in the nation. Intimidated but not deterred we headed out of Tent City and into the gates of Turner Stadium. Knowing this was my last race I would run with my close friends and relay team, being it 's the last race of the season and we all weren’t going to be in the same age group next year, I had a whole new mind set. I was constantly thinking, “we have to make top ten because we can make top ten.” “We have the times, we have the strength, we have the speed, we just need to have the guts to walk in there like we are going to shred the track into pieces.

Read More
457 Words | 2 Pages

As I ran across the finish line for the last time I could not help but smile; all the memories and lessons learned from my years on cross country and track flashed before my eyes. Salem Cross Country and Track has impacted and shaped me into a leader, friend, daughter, and student. The competition and friendship I found on the cross country and track team is amazing and has aided me in personal growth. The challenge of running is something that I have learned to cherish the most during my years as a high schooler as it taught me to always work hard.

Read More
1180 Words | 5 Pages

“Alright, you guys have run the course before. You 've all trained hard throughout the whole month for this. For many of you, this will be your last race this season, so make it count!” Coach Guzmán announced during a whole team huddle behind the Sports Pavilion and next to the track at Tustin High School. This was the day before the race, the Empire League Finals, which determines which schools will move on to the CIF Southern Section Preliminaries, the Cross Country equivalent of the quarterfinals in other sports.

Read More
650 Words | 3 Pages

In life, not everything will go your way, not everyone will like you, and not every day will be a wonderful day, but you just have to get through it, is what I've learned. I've discovered only this year that I won't perform at my best in every event, but that's why we establish objectives. Cross country gave me the opportunity to meet the wonderful young men I now get to call my teammates, but they are more than just teammates. They are family. We share a connection that I've never known on any other team.

Read More
666 Words | 3 Pages

Our cross country teams won our first meet of the season, but there is more to the story than just the two trophies we brought back. It was an extremely unpleasant race for three different reasons. Our meet was in Snyder, Texas. As soon as we pulled up, I knew the course was not going to be the least bit enjoyable. The entire course was dirt; it was very dry and dusty.

Read More
552 Words | 3 Pages

Who would force himself through pain during training just so he could experience even more pain while racing? Runners are a peculiar group. We bond through the appreciation and respect of pain, acknowledging one another with a slight nod or wave when our paths cross. My football friends will insist that their sport is much more difficult, and that running nonstop for over three miles is kid 's stuff compared to bumping foreheads with guys in pads.

Read More
853 Words | 4 Pages

It was nice but I looked back at the football. I did not do it for the attention but rather the fact that from there on I would be able to do it. My race wasn’t for the attention, but to prove to myself that I was able to beat the odds. I challenged the preconceived notion that my team would end up last. As a JV team in a varsity race, with the odds against us, we came in 10th out of 17 teams.

Read More
467 Words | 2 Pages

To me, running is the greatest feeling I could ever feel. In my elementary days I knew I was the fastest kid on the playground. So naturally when I got to high school track was a must for me. My first track meet I was so nervous it felt like my heart was in my stomach. Then as I set myself up in my blocks, close my eyes, and wait for the gun to go off it was like everything went quiet.

Read More
1410 Words | 6 Pages

I didn’t tell my coaches or parents because I didn’t want to miss any meets. After the second meet of the season, I could barely walk. The next morning at practice, I was supposed to run a hard workout, but I knew my body wouldn’t let me. I told my coach I was experiencing some hip pain. He told me that my body probably just needed a rest and not to worry.

Read More
879 Words | 4 Pages

In those two and a half years I started racing. My first time I ever raced I got first place and it was the best feeling ever. I was so proud of what I had accomplished and wanted to keep racing. But after I placed first in that class I got bumped up to a new class that had bigger bikes and faster kids. At the time I was still on the 100 and I was racing kids on bikes twice as big as mine.

Read More
1025 Words | 5 Pages

I spent my time thinking about my life and my memories while I was running there. I also become aware of the environment that surrounded me, and how it changed. I was alone this time, I kept a slow stride analyzing the environment. I saw the changes in the field where people flew remote controlled airplanes, abandoned. I saw the dirt bike trails, blocked off by warning signs and tape.

Read More
647 Words | 3 Pages

Initially, my mind was set to join the soccer team. However, I found out there weren’t any openings available. The only team that had an opening was The Cross Country Team. I was terrified…my parents encouraged me to join as there wasn’t an option not to.

Read More
644 Words | 3 Pages

I had been working hard and really felt like a part of the team. The first real challenge I faced was trying to live in the shadow of my older brothers. Who both had success in their running careers. It was the third race of the year and I was running in the varsity race against our conference rival. To me, this race was a chance to prove I was an important member of the team and could possibly lead the team as captain in the future.

Read More

More about Personal Narrative: My First Cross-Country Race

Related Topics

Open Document