The past few weeks I have talked a lot about where I plan on going to college, but I failed to talk about why I run, and for that matter, why I think everyone should run. So I’m going to do somewhat of a flashback and go back to falling in love with the sport.
I guess you could say I started to tolerate the sport 8th grade year after my mother made me run track. We fought for weeks about me running, probably the biggest fight I have ever gotten in with my mom (who would've thought mom was right….). After admitting to my mom and myself that track wasn’t all that bad it was time to figure out what I would run. Me having no idea what any of the races was my coach, Mrs. Cazlet, had convinced me to run the 400, the hardest race on the track… or so that’s what’s said. It’s a full out sprint around the whole track, it's the race you see people passing out after, or puking…. that's me, I puke after every 400 I run. Weird enough I loved that race.
I guess you could say I started to tolerate the sport 8th grade year after my mother made me run track. We fought for weeks about me running, probably the biggest fight I have ever gotten in with my mom (who would've thought mom was right….). After admitting to my mom and myself that track wasn’t all that bad it was time to figure out what I would run. Me having no idea what any of the races was my coach, Mrs. Cazlet, had convinced me to run the 400, the hardest race on the track… or so that’s what’s said. It’s a full out sprint around the whole track, it's the race you see people passing out after, or puking…. that's me, I puke after every 400 I run. Weird enough I loved that race.
Going into high school I was beyond nervous, not that team sports aren’t hard, but for me the thought of being out on the track all by myself with no other teammates there to help me terrified me. Luckily Dunlap High School has a girls track team like no other, we are family, and even if we aren't physically on the track to help you during your race, were are there through every step.
Freshman and Sophomore year the seasons went well, I found a sport I was decent at and made friends I'd have forever. It wasn’t until Junior year that I fell in love with track. We had won State the previous year which was a blast, so going into Junior year we had the pressure on us to do the same thing again, to prove we weren’t a one hit wonder team.
Something was different about junior year, I was going through some friend issues, not knowing where you fit in. There was one place I knew felt right though, the track. I would spend hours on the track, staying after practice because it was the only place I felt “safe”. That was the season I knew that whatever happened I would have track there, it was MY place.
Freshman and Sophomore year the seasons went well, I found a sport I was decent at and made friends I'd have forever. It wasn’t until Junior year that I fell in love with track. We had won State the previous year which was a blast, so going into Junior year we had the pressure on us to do the same thing again, to prove we weren’t a one hit wonder team.
Something was different about junior year, I was going through some friend issues, not knowing where you fit in. There was one place I knew felt right though, the track. I would spend hours on the track, staying after practice because it was the only place I felt “safe”. That was the season I knew that whatever happened I would have track there, it was MY place.
Moral of the story is, sure winning is fun and will obviously make something more enjoyable but you need a deeper connection to love something. Something that draws you to the sport, you actually want to be out practice, it’s the place you can work out all your problems. Of course im a strong advocate for everyone to be a runner, it is a great workout, it can be done with a group of friend or individually. With that being said, if running isn’t your thing make sure to find something that inspires you, pushes you, and motivates you, that's when you will find something you love.