Los Angeles Marathon-Personal Narrative Report

In all my life, I’ve never had a commitment that required so much of me as track and field, both physically and mentally. Towards the end of my high school career, track and field for me meant having to push through a difficult physical condition known as tarsal coalition, a condition that causes inflammation in my feet. With help from my coaches, I had to learn to endure past physical limitation and strengthen my faith in my abilities. By doing so, I became more confident in myself and I was able to help lead other team members to do the same. Not only did track and field teach me to lead, but it also taught me how to be a part of a team. I learned the value of teamwork through building relay race teams. In all relay races, I was either the

As the sun’s nutritious rays fuel my body; sweat races down my back and accumulates into the threads of my cotton t-shirt. I peer over my neighborhood park fence and gaze over the spacious scenery. The track field was well in shape, free of small debris and ready for a test run and light jump activities in the sand-pit. Soon enough the high temperature fills my head, leaving me in a state of allusion. Images of my friends and I sporadically unfold in front of me and unto the track; as if being placed in a desert mirage. I feel a sense of peace and eagerness surge through my body, while the images continue to appear. Then, a whisper comes into the mix saying some sort of gibberish. Stepping a bit more cautiously then I regularly would I walked

A personal experience I have went through in my life would be making it to districts in track and field my sophomore year of high school. Making it to districts was a big accomplishment for me and my teammates because track is something that I take a lot of my time to focus on and do multiple hours of training so I am able to compete with the other athletes. I come from a small town in Ohio called Oak Hill. The sport track and field is something you do not hear that much about because our high school is not very big and very few athletes actually run track to make it somewhat far in competition, so for my 4x1 team to make it to regionals was a big deal for me considering it is something that does not happen that often at my local high school.

The gentle green grass embedded with turf, surrounded by eight lanes, each having a perpetual loop. This is the place where I can relax, let go, and just be me. Whether it is a team practice, meet, or individual practice, I always feel a sense of serenity and tranquility. A Track and Field has become a prominent part of my life because I don’t have to act superficial. Throughout my earlier life I always had a knack for Track/Field, but I never amounted to anything when it came to receiving accolades. As I continued to grow older, I began to become more and more interested in Track and Field and start to push myself physically and mentally to succeed in the sport. When this started to happen I familiarized myself in the vast world of Track and

On the morning of November 1, 2014, I was getting mentally prepared for the biggest cross country race of my life. I had just finished breakfast at the hotel where my team and I stayed. My team and I loaded the bus to head to the coarse at 7:30am, so we could get warmed up on what was a cold, Fall day. As we were driving to the meet, I sat nervously wondering how will I perform/don’t let your teammates down on the biggest day of your life/can a Freshman handle this kind of responsibility?

The rain had been barreling down all morning. This frightened me a great deal, for I was prepared to compete in my first official Cross Country race of the season. I waited for this day I for quite a few months. Unfortunately, previous back-to-back injuries prevented me from fulfilling my dream of running on uneven surfaces. Therefore, I was restricted to only run flat track. I spent all of my summer practicing for this year’s season. Many of my friends and family thought I was irrational for practicing on my time although I knew it would be for a great reason. The transition from flat surfaces to an off road more complex terrain was extremely challenging. There were numerous days that I struggled and just wanted to give up. However, my determination factor would not let me give up. In addition, I

Along with my specialty of running into mailboxes, I am also known for tripping over flat surfaces, eating my weight in pasta, braiding my teammates’ hair before races, and face planting at the bottoms of hills. Life is short, running makes it longer. Despite all of this, lacing up a pair of shoes and heading out the door is a passion of mine that continually challenges me day in and day out to improve myself. Running clears my head and makes me feel like I can conquer anything. I cannot wait to make more sensational memories and friendships with this sport.

When I was 5 years old I had a surgery to treat my scoliosis. My legs were affected by the surgery and I was forced to learn how to walk again. After being released from the hospital I still had little mobility of my legs. I sometimes looked outside my living room window and watch all the children in my neighborhood running freely, I told myself one day I would be running freely too.

Since I’ve helped manage the cross country team, I had an idea of what it was like to be under control. After being told that being independent is my forte; I’d like to think of myself as an individual with the ability to control, instruct and supervise a crowd. Having experienced behind the scenes of field day. I’ve come to a realization that without student volunteers the races wouldn’t have been so coordinated and smooth sailing. Throughout the entire day, my understanding of volunteer work and how crucial it is, grew stronger. Event’s such as track and field simply can’t happen without the aid of volunteers. Volunteers not only give up their time to assist people but they’re also the most supportive ones. After each and every heat, comments

The question was: how? I attended orientation and it was one of the best weekends at UNG. I fell in with the love and passion the orientation leaders had and from that moment I knew that I have to become an orientation leader. I want to share the amazing experience that orientation offers upcoming freshman. In addition, I am a commuter and want to help upcoming freshman know that they have access to resources that UNG offers even if they are commuters. I want to make them feel welcome and part of this amazing community that I have fallen in love

The track is full of anxious runners and frazzled coaches. My team and I run laps and stop near the bleachers to hear the names of competitors and their schools. With sweaty faces and eyes full of anticipation, we sit on the bleachers and wait for the race to start. I see several athletes roll onto the track. The entire outdoor stadium goes silent. Their coaches were adjusting the wheels of their slim, athletic wheelchairs. The official rose his gun up and shot. The amount of determination and pain on their faces was incalculable. The focus was on the athlete in lane two, now finishing in first place. Her coach ran, swept up her wheelchair, and placed her on the winner’s pedestal. Her smile proved defeating struggles was worth the pain. Seeing

After six months of daily training, twenty miles of the Boston Marathon, just getting over Heartbreak Hill past “the wall,” the battery in my mom’s GPS watch died. This is one of the worst parts of long distance running.

At Lake Country Lutheran my teammates sparked my interest in running. Even though most teammates may be looking in improvement on themselves during a race, ultimately in my experience, my teammates have helped me grow through their motivation. Moments before the official pulls the trigger to start the race, my 4x800 meter relay teammates tremble with fear. Even our encouraging words do not seem to conceal our nervousness. The only aspect that comforts me is that I know I am not alone. My upperclassmen and fellow lowerclassmen teammates all have one goal in mind: to win first place. Although many of the runners are sharing the same feeling of unease, ultimately the race begins we trust one another that we will do our best. That day we met our

My mother set the pot on the stove and turned to me. “You’re not varsity. You haven’t achieved anything big. Why do you run?”

I finished the Lone Star half Marathon in 2 hours & 37 minutes. Not exactly my best time, but I still have a attitude of gratitude! During these 2 hours and 37 minutes one has plenty of time to reflect on their life, and what has transpired to get them to this very moment. I never dreamed that I would be ruining at all especially in a half marathon. I am grateful to God that I am able, healthy and most of all SOBER! You see 7 years ago this month I finally decided to give my will over to God. You see I was a long time drug addict. My drug of choice was Methamphetamine! God delivered me of a severe addiction! As well as , smoking cigarettes and many more self destructing behaviors that I had become accustom too. God gave