Personal Narrative: My First Day At Jim Ryun Running Camp

Of the more than twenty million Americans who are running today, most who start do so for the wrong reasons, with the wrong attitude, and tend to lose interest after a few weeks or months. Many quit. This is usually because they become concerned with superficial goals such as time and distance and never discover the more profound mental benefits that running offers. (Lilliefors 15)

“Sprinters don’t even do anything,” is what the distance runners say. “You guys hardly even run,” they go on. As a sprinter, I hear this a lot. Every year we get grief from them about how they think we don’t do anything and it’s very agitating. Track and field is supposed to be a team sport, although people do run in their separate events. Having the long distance runners always talk gossip and tell us we never do anything is just adding unnecessary drama. I hope some day they can learn to stop making perceptions of us.

The Texas heat can best be described as merciless and seemingly eternal; a vicious boxer constantly rattling the track with radiation. The sound of exhausted lungs desperately trying to grasp one breath muffled the sound of my coaches screaming exactly two hundred meters away. It was a scenario I was too familiar with, yet I had no desire to quit. From my sophomore to senior year in high school I was a proud member of the Marcus Track & Field team. My inclusion in the competitions, however, were not always guaranteed to me.

A significant challenge that I thought I wouldn't have accomplished was during our biggest track-and-field meet against all of the big schools around. It was the Shawnee invitational and one of our girls on the track team ended up messing up her ankle in her first relay race, which meant she couldn't run the 800m dash or the 1800m dash. I was the only one on the team who didn’t have four events because I ran the 4x2 and the 4x1 which was the main events at the invitational. So the coach asks me to fill in for her, my first thought was ‘oh Nooooooo, i can’t”. Not only did I just finish one on my relays and had to rest up for my next one, but also I was not ready to run only distant runs that day. I had only practiced for my events prior to the

I found my love for athletic activity at a young age. When I was 7 years old, I was enrolled in a YMCA summer program in Michigan. That is where it all started. My summer days were filled with various sport activities. Unfortunately, when I moved to California at the age of 10, I stopped playing sports for at least a year. However, during the rest of elementary school, throughout middle school, and in high school, I played different sports to figure out which one I liked best, which is now, Track & Field.

Peyton Scott is a junior Husky who has been on CHHS Varsity Track Team for two years. She loves track because her parents inspired her to pursue it, and her dad is actually the varsity coach. Her goal is to continue being on varsity for her senior year and run for her dream college, which is anywhere in Southern California. If she's not at track practice, her favorite place to run is in her lovely neighborhood. Running on the track for her two hours practices really help her find her weaknesses and strengths. One of her favorite routines is running two miles a day. Peyton has learned to pursue her goals and always believe in

For the past three years I’ve been a part of a team that has shaped me into the person I am today. The John Hay cross country team has given me qualities that genuinely made me a better person such as being confident, disciplined, motivated, and a leader. Not only did running help me express these attributes, it also saved my life.

Before asking any questions, Erin starts off by mentioning how amazed she is by runners she states “ But whenever i actually talk to a runner, i see the passion for the sport eeking out of every body movement they make”. She doesn’t understand how they can run for miles and miles without getting tired while she gets tired by just simply chasing after her kids. She figured that a runner would be perfect to interview. She chose Noelle because her and Erin have a lot in common they are both mother of two kids, twins to be exact and both love to do photography. Noelle Isaak just recently began running but in such a little time she has trained hard for marathons, she even fainted at the GO! St. Louis Marathon which was held in extremely hot and humid weather she only ran 21 out of 26 miles. She explains that her training routine is a very long and rigorous process from spending 5 to 7 days a week training for up to 2 to 4 hours and still having to come home to start off her normal day. No matter how many marathons she’s run she still likes to train as if it’s her first race because she believes that running is one of the hardest sports. One question in specific that was interesting was “What do you think is the biggest misconception about the sport or runners in general?” her answer was very open and honest. She responded with “That running must come easy. Until recently i was never a runner. I never felt like i was cut

Lorena Falasco Elementary implemented a Running Club this year. Our club meets two days a week after school. We have two coaches (teachers) and parent helpers per team, which are separated by grade levels. To include community members, we invited students from our local high schools that are on the cross country team, and individuals who have participated in 5k’s and half marathons to participate in our practices, we call them our “Celebrity Runners”. The excitement from our student’s faces was priceless. It was a fantastic opportunity to get our community members involved with our school, and to interact with our student’s in a positive way. What I learned by participating in this club is that something as simple as a running club for elementary students could make such a positive and a wonderful learning experience for everyone involved (parents, teachers, students, community members). By doing so, we created a welcoming atmosphere for Lorena Falasco Elementary

In September of 1994, Mo landed his education at a secondary school named Feltham Community College (Farah and Andrews 39). It was there that Mo met the man who changed his life (“Mo Farah,” Contemporary par. 5). Alan Watkinson, the gym teacher at Feltham, quickly picked up on Mo’s amazing talent of speed in gym class (Farah and Andrews 49). The way Mo was able to slice his way through cross country courses even while wearing deficient shoes made Alan feel that Mo was something special (“Mo Farah,” Contemporary par. 5 ). Alan realized that such talent needed to be nurtured with care (“Mo Farah,” Contemporary par. 5). He quickly got Mo involved in the local athletics (running) club which at the time was called, Borough of Hounslow (Farah and Andrews 57). It was there that Mo built his foundation for his future career. Mo later on said that without “Alan [Watkinson] [he] would have never been able to take those first steps towards [his] Olympic dream” (Farah and Andrews 65). Alan was was almost like a replacement of Mo’s father, guiding and motivating him every step of the way ( ). Running made Mo “feel like that [he] was a part of school life,” even though football was his passion (Farah and Andrews 52). He used running at the local athletics club to take his mind off the troubles in his life, eventually working his way to official meets ( ). At age 13, Mo competed in his

For 2 years I was a member of the Central Toronto Athletic Club. CTAC is a competitive middle distance running club that trains its athletes to compete in track and field and cross country events. It is a year round athletic club that is a platform for talented people of almost all ages to train and to focus on their self-progress as an athlete. At CTAC I was encouraged to push myself to test the limits of my speed, endurance and strength and to discover what my body is truly capable of. Running was a very satisfying sport because my achievements were directly proportional to the amount of work that I put in. At CTAC, I learned discipline, dedication and perseverance. I had to balance my schoolwork with daily practices or workouts, I ran six

I ran as fast as I could, I was tired but knew that I had to keep going. The sun shone down ferociously making it very bright and torrid. I felt sweat drip from just above my brow into my right eye. My eye began to get a burning sensation just as I turned the corner. My muscles ached, but I knew I had to shift into overdrive and pick up the pace. I started to run faster and faster. I began to get the feeling like I was about to throw up, but knew that I couldn’t stop now. I continued to sprint to the finish, and just as I crossed the finish line I looked to the clock and noticed that I set a new PR. The feeling of happiness that swelled up inside me took me back to the practice on the tuesday of the previous week: That day it was hot as fire

“Now everybody turn to your left, now your right. I see, and you all see an abundance of members, but by the end of season this team will not be this big. Not because of my fault, but because of your own inability to want to work hard and improve. Some of you will finish this season and some of you will say, ‘I quit.’ You determine your fate. Welcome to the Monmouth-Roseville Cross Country team. I’m your coach Samuel, but you can call me Sam.” I had finally met my coach.

Ever since i’d moved to John McCrae Senior Public School in grade 5 it had been my dream to compete in the 100 meter sprint at Birchmount Stadium. So when the opportunity to qualify to go to Birchmount was approaching I didn’t leave it up to fate. I trained for a week to make sure that I was ready for the tryout.

I remember the game winning point in Van Horn Iowa. We Bump, Set, Hit.... It was a kill!. The crowd goes viral. It's 2016 and the Sailor Nation 7th graders are on there way to state!