Overcoming Obstacles

"We all have dreams. In order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline and effort." Running has been a part of my life for four years now and in my short involvement in the sport, it has completely changed the kind of person I am, and the kind of person I want to be. Throughout the past few years, people always ask me "why do you run? What motivates you? And to be honest, I have a variety of reasons for why I am 100% committed and dedicated to being a runner.

Running is much more than it seems. People view it as a way to get in shape, lose weight or even just a hobby. It is much more than that, running is a dumbed down version of a psychologist. Two miles in, a lifetime to go, came directly from what someone's mind wants them to believe during a run, it wants them to quit, cut it short. Why would someone keep going if the only reward they could maybe receive is a shiny piece of metal or to lose a few pounds? Why would someone go to practice and push themselves to the point of exhaustion, get up, and do it again everyday? For most, this would be absurd, but a select few realize the undercover benefits that come with this kind of self induced trauma.

Running is in my blood. If you ask my parents, they will tell you as soon as I learned to walk, I ran everywhere I went.There are pictures of me at 18 months old chasing my dad as he mowed the lawn. It was difficult to convince me to walk anywhere. I’m a little bit older now but not much has changed. I’ve been running for PD since 8th grade, and it was a mistake that I didn’t start in 7th. Every year I have shown growth in not only my times, but also my character and attitude toward the team. As each season went by, I’ve come to realize how PDXC is more than just a team: it’s a family. During my freshman year at camp in Boone, Coach Hovis had a speech that conveyed how and why PDXC is a family. I remember almost scoffing at that in 9th grade,

Running has always been a passion of mine, along the way it has helped me overcome and push towards my goals in life. My cross country and track teams have become more like a family, than a team. We win together, and we lose together. Becoming the distance runner I am today has allowed me to have a purpose in life and to always try to be the best that I can.

These runners run just for fun or to pass the time between meet days. These runners live for meet days and it by far is their favorite day of the week. The rest of their week they spend preparing for this day. They usually run about five miles every practice, but never more than 10. They try to weight train and carbo load on the days leading up to meet day, but their intense desire to eat everything in their path usually ends up defeating the plan. They are team players and need others to help them keep going. They take many aspects of what the team does very seriously and lose all ambition when having to anything by themselves. The Average Runner is commonly surrounded by others of their kind being that 90% of their friend group consists of other runners and most of them are on the same team or running group as they are. They consider the act of running to be one of their hobbies and only participate in the physical movement when they are in the right mood, either bored or extremely bored, or when they are at practice. The Average Runner does not own much for gear besides their immense collection of meet shirts. These runners are easily identifiable in the average social setting, they can usually be found wearing a pair of sweatpants, one of their numerous meet shirts and a cheap set of brightly colored running

Most runners experience something called a “runner’s high.” To me, my runner’s high makes me feel invincible. All the aches and pains I had at the beginning of my run drift away, and my body feels as if I am floating on a white, fluffy cloud. I crave for that feeling because it gets me through long, awful runs and tough races. Runner’s high creates the possibility of doing anything imaginable. It is a wonderful experience; I have never felt anything like it

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.

Running has been a crucial part of my development as a person and a student. I was a terribly unathletic child growing up. Truly focused on academics, music, and art, I was weak and skinny. Gym class would cause me stress as my peers looked down upon my skills and did not pick me to participate in their team. I still remember my seventh grade gym teacher laughing at my terrible volley ball skills. However, I started track and field in seventh grade. I was definitely not the best runner and it took a while for me to become used to moving after years of idle activities. I was still seen as an un-athletic person, but I decided to persevere and continue to run. I joined the cross country team in eighth grade and continued to run ever since. By

Surprisingly, there are multiple factors that will guide a person to become a runner. Genes have a way to influence running, but they are not the deciding factor if an individual will be talented. A “Runner’s Body” is an advantage that may push a person to run, although this on its own is not what will make an individual succeed. Society also decides if a person will be successful or if a person will try to be a runner. Genes have a way to influence running, but in America, they are not what determines if a person will be a successful runner. As said by runner, David Bradford (2017, pgh 29), “Talent isn’t destiny decipherable from DNA; it waits to be realized hard work, like a sculpture inside of a boulder.” Running is based upon the amount

It was one of those times that, once again, reminded me that “Runners are different.” For most, It doesn’t really matter how successful they are and despite being competitive athletes - above all else - they are good and decent human beings first.

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.

After a week of exhaustion, I had come up with one complex conclusion: running was not fun. I could never catch up to my brother and was regularly filled with a fear of rolling my ankle, not to mention I was constantly dripping with sweat and riddled with cramps.

When I run I feel numb, not numb as in without feelings, not numb as in freezing. I feel numb with the joy of sweat, aching joints, unhealthy air, and blazing 100 degree weather. The grand moment when I can hear the cheering crowd at the finish line just a couple meters away. Before cross country, my definition of dedication was finishing a complete television series on Netflix. My new meaning of dedication is now the endurance, commitment, and persistence I experience through running. I consider running my greatest talent, not only because of my times or records, but what it has taught me. Attaining fifth place in my junior varsity race at the league championships, improving my 3 mile time by 4 minutes, and becoming the fifth runner at my school were all important milestones for me. Sophomore year was my first year of running on a team.

Many see the foible of running, for they believe it is repetitive and boring. Those who say that have a good point. After all, one is just moving quickly down a long, straight, unchanging asphalt road with no electronics to play with or nothing to eat or drink. They do not understand that running is very versatile