Personal Narrative: My Joy Of Running For The Team

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)

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.

I was able to become the person I never thought I would be by running my way to being happy. My team is always there for me and continues to push me to be the best version of myself no matter what. Running was able to save my life by giving me a

I used to be able to run so fast I could fly. Racing through the woods behind my house I was untouchable, unbeatable; I imagined I was a graceful as a fox and as fast as a deer racing over bushes, logs, and ditches. Running served as an escape from the perfect student, perfect manners persona I adopted in the classroom allowing me to break out of my shy shell and go from being ¨the teacher’s pet¨ to ¨the fast girl.¨ My love of running-- as well as my parents-- drove me to play soccer; I ditched my goody two shoes for cleats and never looked back. I could chase down any opponent and outrun any defender, through sports I completely let my boundaries down.

Although running may not seem like a big sport like football, basketball or soccer, it takes a lot of courage, heart and strength to be able to run. In the article called “Cool like me” by Donnell Alexander he says, “cool is finding the essential soul, while being essentially lost”. When we feel stressed and feel like we want time for ourselves away from society, running is a solution. Running is not just considered a sport, running is a lifestyle that people choose to live. It makes them feel good, look good and it makes them happy.

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

It all started at the beginning of tryouts. The week of excitement and nervousness. Everyone was already making guesses on who was gonna be on the team. Then so it started, the first day was pretty easy and so was the next. The third was conditioning day, which was the worst. Then the last two days were fairly easy too. But those days were the most nerve racking. Those were the days when the cuts were made.

On this Saturday’s evening game, the baseball game was 2 teams in the championship game. The 2 teams that were facing were Pipe Creek (which was my team) and Mcadams the team we had to beat. Mcadams was the #1 seed and Pipe Creek was #2 seed, we were throwing back and forth and getting some practice before the game. Later we finally start the game. Pipe Creek was the Visitors and Mcadams was the home team. Pipe Creek was up to bat first and we scored 6 runs in the 1st inning.

Running has become a therapy for me. Whether to relieve stress or simply challenge myself to run, I eagerly chase my running goals. Like the careful planning and preparation of my diet and training, running in many ways has mirrored my path to medical school.

Many activities I participate in require serious commitment. Most notably, I am the captain of the Cross Country team and on the varsity Track team here at Brookfield East. To be at peak performance, I must train every day. Although running is difficult, it is how I “seize the day.” To get to where I am now, it took countless hours and substantial dedication. Now I am at the end of the road, all the time I put into acheiving my goal was not in vain. I have become faster than I ever was before and have lead my teamates to do the same as we pushed each other and met with success. The demands of race also require a straightforward mindset focused on competing. The difficulties that were tolerated during the training and race are turned

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.

Very excited to be back on the team. I hope you are also enjoying the spring holidays. Classes are getting knocked out easily. I do have a question, I forget what time my day started. I usually showed up when Graham arrived.

Lynn Jennings, an American long-distance runner, once said, “I succeed on my own personal motivation, dedication, and commitment. My mindset is: if I’m not out there training, someone else is.” (Found on www.active.com). When I saw this quote, it immediately stuck out to me. Running is not only a physical activity; it is also a mental activity. Most people think I’m crazy to run, but I think otherwise. I run because of the “runner’s high” during a race, of the friendships I’ve made, and of the beautiful places I run through.

There are copious barriers to success. As a student at the Finger Lakes College of Nursing I know that I will be faced with numerous obstacles. In order to be successful I aspire to learn added strategies, and techniques to help improve my effectiveness in learning. As I watched the array of videos provided through Kaplan there was an assortment of tactics to assist with obtaining different techniques.

Moving from one place to another is a necessity for almost every living organism. Whether it be sliding, walking, jumping, crawling, or flying, movement is bound to happen sometime. Humans like to move from place to place quickly without doing any work. Since running is work, humans generally avoid it if possible. There tends to be some unfavorable expression like a grimace or a sigh accompanying the quote, “I think I have to go running.” Although hated among many people throughout the world, the positive sides of running can be enough to turn the lazy into the hardworking. Running is an excellent choice for physical and mental enhancement because it keeps one active, relieves stress, and is a good self-esteem booster.