College Admissions Essay: How Running Changed My Life

  My reasons of running and not giving up is because I know that the destructive canine will snarl at me catching up. Many kids my age say they run because they want to be famous or that they strive for riches. I would have to say that I'm a different case.

I'm a runner; I always have been and I always will be. Why? I'll tell you why. Running is the one physical activity, the one hobby, the one life style you can have that can change your life in a lot more ways than one. I started running when I was ten years old. I really enjoyed doing it and it was good for me. I started to get into it when my father married what is now my step mother. She was a runner in high school and college and told me about how she enjoyed it. At first I thought the idea was completely absurd, but then I actually tried it. I started to go out on the old county road that I lived on and just run a couple miles. It was fun to me and everything but I never understood why I did it until I grew older. I ran local 5K's and such but never ran to my full potential until I was in junior high. But even then I didn’t take it as serious as I do now. Something about doing something that no one else could at my age was enjoyable. Adults would wonder with amazement as my parents told them about how I would run miles and miles everyday. The most common comment I received was “I don't know how

If I hadn’t begun running in Middle School, I don’t know who I would be. Running has become a huge part of who I am as a person, and has shaped my life. I took a quote to heart that my Middle School cross country coach always told us, “Runners are good people” and tried my hardest to make that statement

However, it is not just a track is is our home. It is the place where memories are made and friendships are sealed. The track brings people of all backgrounds together and they create bonds and learn from each other. I love being apart of the track team because it makes me feel like i belong to something important. Since I have joined the track team I have grown has a person and a runner. The track is apart of me and I would never give it up for anything, if I didn't run I would not know what to do with myself. My mom has tried to get me to quit before since she believes that people participate in sports for the money. I run not for the fame or glory, I run for the amazing feeling get while I am racing. As I am running I can only hear the sounds of my teammates cheering me on and they fuel me to

I constantly set goals for myself that I am determined to reach. I’m very adamant when it comes to improving my times. Running could even pay off for me and my ability could possibly be even worth money, because I may get a scholarship. Also, just like Wang Lung’s land, running is extremely important in my life, it's a part of who I am as a person and no one can really take that from me or rob me of running. They can say mean things, they can take other things away, but they can’t take away my passion for running.

Running is one of the most difficult sports a human can pursue. We start running when we're about four years of age. We gain strength and get better until most people level off at a point where they cease trying to improve. There are some individuals, however, who really enjoy the sweat-beating, heart-racing intense workout that enables their bodies to get better until there is no more getting better. It then becomes a test of improving one's abilities to go hard, faster, longer and stronger, with sweat pouring off of you like rain, to make the heart race so fast it could beat a NASCAR driver in a race. Through all that pain comes success and accomplishment.

Little did I know, at the time, that the sport I was reluctant to join would soon become an escape for me. As a sophomore in high school, two friends, who were runners, invited me to join cross country. I was hesitant, but eventually remembered my father’s advice that I should try new things, and decided to join. Running became my new hobby; I found myself not only running for the team, but for my own personal joy. What made running so engaging to me was the sense of accomplishment I got when I successfully completed my workout. This may sound odd, but while going through this tiring activity, I typically ended up happy.

I love running its not only a good way to stay in shape, in fact, its good for your health physically and mentally. Whenever I finish a run, no matter the distance, I take a deep breath, knowing that I just did something to improve my health and well-being. Running will help you live longer. Anything I can do to lengthen my time on this earth, surrounded by my family and friends, I will do. Joining the cross country team has allowed me to run beautiful paths and running trails that are so easily accessible not to mention breathtaking. I love running because of the people. I can’t tell you how many races I have done where I have easily started chatting with a group of other runners, going to cross country camps and making fast friends. For this reason running has given me friends for life. This thing we have in common truly binds us all. Running can bring together, generous, like minded people. Running has given me friends for life. Even though running has given me pain, I have gotten faster, stronger, and more consistent over the years, I’m still achieving PRs, as well as taking on longer distances. In short running has taught me how to push beyond my limits and has proven to me that I can and will achieve my

Running track was a learning experience. The lessons I’ve learned from running track make me who I am today. It helped make me into a competitive, physically and mentally strong young man. Back in 7th grade my first year running track, I sometimes contemplating quitting. I’m happy I never

Running is something that has always been very important to me. When I was in the fourth grade, the intermediate school I went to had this event that occurred during gym class every Monday called the “Red Devil Run.” Basically, the Red Devil Run was this race where all of the gym kids would run from the gym doors to a tree about two hundred meters away, and then back to the gym. We would run back and forth and see how many laps we could run in twenty minutes. In the fourth grade, I could barely get in three laps. When fifth grade came around, I decided that I wanted to make a change. I started running every day over the summer just so I would be prepared for the Red Devil Run. Long story short, I did amazing my fifth grade year, but that is not the point. Since I ran every day over the summer, it turned into a habit. This habit has turned into a hobby and something I loved doing. My love for running has grown day by day. With that being said, my first cross-country meet is a day that is very important to me.

Running is a competitive sport that mixes teamwork with individual accomplishments. As a child, running never appealed to me, and I dreamt of becoming a professional basketball player. I have since decided not to participate in basketball and focus solely on cross country and track, as running has become my basis for life. During my freshman year of high school, I decided to run cross country, as I was

At the beginning of 2013, I had never successfully run a mile. In school, I was the kid that frustrated my P.E. teachers by walking the mandatory mile in twenty minutes. When I was younger, I loved to run and would sprint all over the neighborhood. To a child running is simple and fun. It is something you do to join a game faster or when playing with your friends. Running wasn’t exercising, it was freedom and joy. As I grew older it lost that joy quality and I began to see running as something purely athletic. I can honestly say I have never been an athlete. As a teenager, I participated in marching band and did community service. I was active, but in very different ways from track or soccer. The idea of running in a race of any kind honestly never crossed my mind. Then a friend of mine entered the Tinkerbell Half marathon. The costumes, the pomp, and

You'll never know until you try. This is definitely right when it comes to running; and it is how I found my love for running. Though it can be a sport of endurance or speed, running can release stress and really test your body's limits. It all started at SLV on a cool autumn afternoon. My older brother Silas’s cross-country meet was about to start.All of my family was there. My dad(who looks like a viking and is very tall), my mom(she is very tall and is like my best friend), my younger brother Ezra(cutest 7 year old ever, and loves to look at/find bugs), my younger sister Ruby(same height as me even though only in 4th grade at the time), my grandma (bakes over 2000 cookies every Christmas and always smells like fresh linen), my grandpa(watches golf and does 5 mile hikes every week), and lastly, me. I have really curly hair and I am tall for my age.The starter shot the gun and the runners were off! They did the course and came back onto the track for a great finish. I just knew,”That’s what The time for middle school had finally come. More directly, the time for cross-country had arrived. I was so excited to start practicing that I picked out my favorite shorts and shirt the night before for the occasion. But little did I know that cross-country was not just about going fast and kicking butt, but it is about going just a bit faster, a bit farther, and a bit stronger than when you went in. At practice we ran with the wild wind in our faces, as it poured through my golden

There is a secret I have found through my journey, and the secret is after you practice running for at least a week you overcome the necessity of motivation; running itself provides you

Running is a sport that is both physically and mentally demanding. The thought of running for many is dreadful, but when I think of running I think of how free it makes me feel. There are some people who become distance runners just to stay in shape or because they’re not good at other sports. While I do enjoy the fact that running is a great way to stay in shape, I also see it as something I can put my emotions into and a chance to prove to myself how strong I am. My love admiration for running started when I was young, now every time I go for a run I am reminded of the little girl who dreamed of running.