Personality Profile : Lamont Thomas

In Always Running, is the memoir of Luis Rodriguez battles an external conflict of having to be threatened by the police because he is involved in a gang. Luis ultimately resolves this conflict by making a huge change and leaving the gang and going back school and becoming an activist person; however, this choice also illustrates his true character as a motivation person. Luis’s decision to stay motivated also reveals the universal theme because it’s never too late to make a change in life and also fight for what is right.

Louis Zamperini, the main character of Laura Hillenbrand’s biography Unbroken, led a promising running career in his life prior to his military service and captivity. In 1931, Louis was encouraged to join the Torrance High School track team by his older brother, Pete. Running came easily to Louis, and became a force to be reckoned with rapidly in the racing world, dropping his mile time to just under five minutes by 1933. He gave some of the fastest men in the country a scare at the 1936 Olympic Trials when he nearly beat Don Lash, America’s fastest runner of the 5,000 meter race, and proceeded to compete in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Aside from the resounding fame that his running career provided him, it also instilled discipline, dedication, and astounding willpower that followed him through his life.

A choice made by Mrs.Fisher's has affected Paul by being nosey and wanting a toure of the school, the only way she could get the toure of the school was saying that Paul was blind. It says “We were hoping to see exactly where Paul will be going next week. He has problems with his eyesight- he’s legally blind- so we were hoping yo make a dry run today.” (pg.25). When Mrs.Fisher signs Paul up for IEP his first day of school he gets called up to the office for a guider around the school. It says here “All right, Paul, this is Kerri Gardner, one of our school volunteers. Kerri will act as your eyes, so to speak, until you’ve learned your way around our campus.” (pg.38). When Mrs.Fisher filled out the IEP, it ruined Pauls chance to play on the Lake Windsor soccer team. This quote says “ Coach Walski looked pained. “I’m sorry to tell you this, Paul, but you’re not eligible for the program.” (pg.62).

In the biography Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand, a troubled adolescent boy named Louis Zamperini revolves his life around his running career. Starting at such a young age, running had many impacts on Louie’s life. The high demand of training kept Louie distracted from making unintelligent choices he had previously been making. Running changed the young teenager he was and the man he was going to become.

"Did the hit you received yesterday knock out all of your brain cells?" She snaps, "You don't give patients false hope, not when it's a bad case like that."

This is Louie Zamperini’s turbulent life. When Louie was a young man, he had a very bad reputation in the community, he would steal, drink, smoke, and fight. But as he got older he realized that he should change, so his brother made him put his fast legs to good use. He made him join the track team, and made him practice hard. Eventually Louie made it to the top, the Olympics. Because of Louie’s accomplishments, especially the Olympics, all of Torrance forgave him for all his wrongs. Louie Zamperini, from Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken, exhibits the characteristic traits of strength, forgiveness, and understanding through his actions.

In our society today, it’s a rigorous challenge to survive. Consequently for the ones who live in a threatening neighborhood. Not just to survive, but also to become successful in one’s own life. Luis J. Rodriguez, the author of Always Running, is one of the many people who went through very menacing times in the 1960s as he was part of a gang. Tupac Shakur, who was affiliated with thugs. Malcolm X who was a thief. Every person had their own way of turning their life around from their adverse past life to become a better person.

Doctor Hamilton answered her, “I would never tell you that. Of course I will try and give it my all. On the bright side, I do have medicines that will help with the slurred speech, and I want Max back here once a month to check up on him.”

Steve Prefontaine-Running Legend “Some People create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make people stop and say, ‘I’ve never seen anyone run like that before.’ Its more than a race, it’s a style, its doing something better than anyone else. It’s being creative.”

He set me up perfectly with his last answer for my next question, have you ever been mistreated by a patient? Being that Beyoncé is always loud, he laughed humorously and told me there had been a couple of times this has happened to him. He wouldn’t stop laughing and told me I was not going to believe this story. I told him I couldn’t wait to hear it but he kept me hanging as he continued to snicker. He hunched over and looked around us and leaned closer to me as he talked in a softer voice. “One day a man in his 30s came in and kept saying he was smarter than me and he knew more about his body and how it works then me.” He rolled his eyes as he mocked this man. “The argument got so far that the man set up a challenge to see who was the smartest.

Edison Peña was part of the group of doers. During the sixty-nine days that Peña was in the mine, he turned to singing Elvis Presley and running up and down the spiraling tunnel of the mine instead of just sitting around and waiting for the day they were rescued. Both his fellow miners and the psychologists on the surface found his regiment odd and eccentric, as he ran four to six miles each and every day, making his workouts increasingly difficult as time went on. On the occasion of being asked why he kept running, he responded, “I am fighting. I feel that by running, I am fighting to live” (Patterson). Edison Peña’s unwavering dedication and self-determination is awe-inspiring to anyone, especially to someone who knows what the grueling miles of marathon training are like. On a good day, with the proper nutrition and hydration, it can be hard for me to make myself get up, put on my sneakers, and go for a run to train for the ever looming race date. Edison Peña’s ability to run every day despite the sweltering heat, steep incline, and lack of food and water to replenish his body is an inspiring feat. Even though his strange actions put him near the top of the watch list of the psychologists up on the surface, “Peña said he found running therapeutic” (Viera). Through his own unwavering self-determination, Peña was able to keep both a sound mind and body, or as well as could be

He said, "'Look, we’re sorry you’re in this situation. We love you,'" Dr. Phil continued. "'We’re behind you and we want you to come back 100 percent. If things need to be talked about or discussed, there’s plenty of time to do that. Now, let's get you healthy. Lets protect your life and get you as much recovery as we possibly can because you don’t want residuals here. You don’t want to stop adhering to the medical regimen one minute too soon. You want to make sure that just because you’re up and having conversation doesn’t mean that you’re fully recovered. You got to do everything necessary to make sure that your brain is back online and that you’re doing what you need to do

Oxford High School Principal Walter Simmons broke his leg during a school skiing trip. It was the second day of the trip when Simmons was skiing down the “Bunny Slope” and broke his leg. He was later rescued by ski patrol and brought to the Keystone Hospital. “The students on the trip were great.” said Simmons, “They really took care of me on the long bus ride home and made me as comfortable as possible on a bus trip like that.”

“It’s about that time son,” said my father on an early Saturday morning. “Are you ready to run? “With a blunt and confident stare I responded, “I’ve made it this far, what is there to lose?” On the car ride to the stadium, I could feel chills running up and down my spine. I had never ran at a track meet with this many participants and doubt began to creep in my head. My father, while driving could see the doubt and uneasiness in my eyes and he calmed me by telling me to “Cheer up kid. I’m taking you to a track meet, not to jail.” Usually my dad is in a very serious frame of mind when it comes to me running and he always expected me to treat it serious, but when he jokingly told me that, I knew it was time to cool down and relax.

I was walking back from lunch with my friend Matt, we were telling each other jokes about dead babies. I looked over and saw my little brother, I turned to Matt and said “watch this” then I ran up to my brother and tried to do a jumping high five. He didn’t think I was trying to high five him he thought I was trying to hit him. Out of instinct he pushed me away and I fell backwards, I landed and pivoted on the ball of my left foot. I thought I had gotten away safe and clear, I went to take a step and BAM! I had been tripped by my own untied shoelace, betrayed by my own apparel. I fell backwards and expected to hit lockers, unfortunately it wasn’t lockers or even a door. I had crashed into the glass display case, oh the utter humility. I hit the ground and leaned up on one arm, I was fine, not a scratch. Mrs. Wright come running up in total mom mode “ Oh my God, are you alright, AHH, don’t move!”.