Personal Narrative-Road Race

Sitting in my frigid bleak classroom I found myself constantly looking out the window staring at the rain that 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 for quite a few months. Unfortunately, previous back-to-back injuries prevented me from fulfilling my dream of running. These injuries were so severe i had to go into surgery just to be able to walk normal again much less of running on uneven surfaces like cross country. The long months of rehabilitation were log and painstakingly hard, not just physically but mentally as well. There were so many days i knew there was no way i was ever going to be my normal self again. When I was finally able to run again I spent all of my summer practicing for this year’s season. Many of my

Spring of my junior year in high school, I joined track with wishful thinking. I’m going to do track, run sprints, and get into great shape for summer. However, with my luck it didn’t work out how I wanted. A week into the track season, I went to our school’s field to play a pick-up game of soccer. In the process of going to the field, I had to climb over a fence. Simple? I really should of thought this through, but didn’t. As I jumped over and landed, a loud pop sound came from my knee loud enough for my friends to hear. I sat there crying in front of my friends for a minute or two, but got up trying to walk it off. As you can see no is not an option for me, as I tried play a soccer game with a swollen knee cap. I was confused what happened, I didn’t know exactly happened. But sharp pains were shooting through my leg as I limped around the field. Little did I know a swollen and bruised knee meant torn ligaments.

Tires squealing, smoke streaming across the ground, and motors revving against the silent night. Two incomparable cars lined up against each other along a desolate stretch of roadway. The scent of burning rubber singed the night air, while the glare of the headlights lit the path that would soon become a motor warzone. I was sitting at the wheel of my car with my head sticking out of the window, gazing at the stars, and cringing my face at the rotten stench of my opponent's car. My adversary shouted at me, asking if I am ready to start this race or if I was afraid of losing to him. A silent smirk spread across my face, and forcing back laughter at his comment, I raised my thumb up in the air. I got back in my seat, and buckled my seatbelt, because if I was going to risk my life, I might as well be safe about it. I revved up

It was the big day, “the engineering competition” and we had to make our car go the farthest out from everyone else. “Snap” was all I could hear as I released the rat trap and the race had begun. My Car had the momentum and was the farthest out of everyone else and then all of sudden some other cart in another lane past it and I ended up coming second. During the award ceremony, all I could hear was cheers as I got up to get my second place award. I have always had a passion for fixing things since I was born.

When I was only eight years old my mom and dad made me join a track team called Lighting Links. I was furious because I hated running, I was scared I wouldn't make any friends, and I really really hated running. For me, running was like throwing away your favorite candy for no reason. I would just use up all of my energy and get no benefits from it, well at least that is what I thought.

I knew cross country would come with pain, but I didn’t realize the risk I was taking. After the Starmont meet, the pain I was having was unendurable. I didn’t think I’d be able to walk.

Exactly what I dreaded to hear in the office of my kinesiologist during my junior year cross country season. I’d already taken two self-prescribed weeks off due to pain in the calf that was making it hard to walk, let alone run. When I went into the office, I was hoping that the time I took off was enough and I could get back to racing as soon as possible. But when my kinesiologist said those six little words, my heart broke. What came after was three more weeks of off time, watching all of my closest friends running while I sat on the sidelines, and four weeks of physical therapy, where I witnessed the most excruciating “massages” of my life. During this time, I felt pretty down but knew that that was what was best for me. I made sure

I’d like you to know that I’m all right. I’m in the infirmary, and Dr. Stanpole is taking great care of me. The fall from the tree left me with a shattered leg, but the doctor says I should be able to walk again. He says sports are finished for me though. Sports mean so much to me! You know that. My dream of being an Olympian shattered with the bone. I should be able to play again! It was just a break! I could stand the leg if I would be able to play again. It also means no war for me. I was looking forward to it. I couldn’t wait to enlist with Gene! We would have had the time of our lives! But now, with the shattered leg, nobody will want me. I’m practically useless.

Throughout the active school year, I take part in cross country, track and basketball. I also played volleyball for a year, but I decided to concentrate on my main passion, cross country, instead of dividing my time and attention into two sports at the same time. I have been running cross country ever since I was old enough to run in the munchkin races. The sport has been passed down through the family, almost every single one of my siblings have run or at least tried it. In track, I have ran the mile and two mile since the seventh grade. These last couple years I joined into the long distance relays. In 2016, the first year we decided to start a relay it consisted of my sister, Victoria, Tristen Ness, and Sammy Swanson. The first time we ran

Cross Country is one of the hardest sports out there. That may be a biased opinion, but in my experience it is true. Only certain people are willing to put themselves through such physical and mental pain for a race that is less than 30 minutes. I am a very driven person. When I want to do something, I set a goal and I work towards it until I have achieved it. That’s why cross country is such a satisfying sport for me. It’s hard--harder than anything I’ve ever done--but it’s so much more rewarding when you look back and see how much progress you’ve made. Cross country may seem like an individual sport, and it can be, but to succeed, you need your whole team’s effort. I have learned that not everyone is as driven as I am. Few people are willing to put in the hard work in practice to do well at meets.

When times get tough, don’t give up. If you want to be the best you can be you don’t have a choice but to push your limits and try. As these words of encouragement have made me become who I am, cross country has shaped me into the person I am today.

It all started when my track coach had said “You should go out for cross country next year.” I had thought about it long and hard because I’ve never pictured myself as a runner. So thought to myself and decided that I’m not a very good volleyball player and took the chance to join cross country at the beginning of my eighth grade year. At first it was a little weird and we had to run more distance than we did in track season. We ran about 3 miles and lifted after we arrived back at the school. Of course I was sore the next day because I was not in shape and haven’t ran since the beginning of the summer. After the first practice was out of the way, I had to sit and think about what I was doing. “I have to do this every day” I thought to myself. I was thinking about dropping out because the first practice was hard enough and doing it every day made me want to give up.

I enjoy doing cross country in the fall of the my school year and track in the spring of my school year. I love running cross country after school because it’s a time I find relaxing and nice to breathe in the fresh air after running 3 miles. It’s also enjoyable to talk and bond with my friend on our 3 mile runs together. In the spring, I love hurdling because I enjoy the feeling of jumping over one obstacle after another. My favorite nonacademic activities are playing tennis and American Sign Language. During my free time, I like to play tennis with my friends, especially during the summer and at Weymouth Club. I also enjoy watching ASL videos on YouTube in my free time and learning how to sign new songs. It’s an awesome hobby I like to do

I first started running Cross Country in 7th grade. I had never run before, so I was on the low end of the team in terms of speed. I got faster as I ran, and could run longer as I increased my endurance. Soon the races commenced.