Reflection Paper

Feeling exhausted, I focus on my breathing. I breath in through my nose and then out through my mouth, breath in and out. Repeat. After passing the mile mark, my coach is shrieking for me to relax, because I am on my way to qualify for cross country states. The top twenty girls qualify, and I have been dreaming of this day since freshman year. All I have to do is hold my position, and then I am golden. Suddenly, my legs begin to feel like jello. My running partner slowly fades ahead of me, and I cannot keep up. It feels like I am running backwards as the rest of my teammates pass me one by one. Fighting fatigue, I tell myself I am finishing this race, whether or not I have to crawl like a turtle to do so. I am crossing that finish line.

“In running, it doesn’t matter whether you come in first, in the middle or last. You can say, ‘ I finished’ There is a lot of satisfaction in that” - Fred Lebow. I began cross country in eighth grade shortly after my brother joined the year before. He enjoyed it a lot, so I thought it would be fun. I’ve been on the team for two years. I would like to run for the rest of my life. Cross country changed my life positively forever. It taught me to push myself past what I thought was my limit. It revealed to me a great community of people and it taught me to leave my comfort zone.

Every weekday during the summer before my senior year, while most kids my age were sleeping in, I awoke and began the five mile bike ride to school. Upon arrival, I jumped straight into a warm-up and then some cruel workout my coach thought up. Then, with lactic acid in my legs and sweat soaking my shirt, I began home. A routine that would repeat itself until school started. During the second day back, I recognized a friend who I had not seen since middle school track. He told me he had joined the cross country team and joked about how eager he was to race me. I wonder if he realizes how tough this sport is, I thought to myself. Nevertheless, I appreciate friendly competition and was looking forward to our race.

On September 6, 2017, I were documented for an incident that involved a University Housing policy violation. I was charged with violating the University Housing Alcohol 1.2 policy. With my violation, came consequences. I met with The Residence Conduct Coordinator to discuss my actions and came to the conclusion that I would have to schedule a meeting with The Campus Alcohol and Drug Education Center (CADEC) and with that, a reflection paper.

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

Sweat dripping from your chin, oxygen hard to find, legs feeling numb, eyesight blurred, dizziness setting in, coaches going crazy with words of encouragement and the finish line is only a few feet away. The final stretch is here and all you have to do is catch up to the kid running inches in front of you. You feel like every breath is your last, as your stride gets you that much closer to your opponent. Running out of space, moving legs at turbo speed and doing all you can to catch that kid. Your stomach feels as though as it is on fire, as you get a step the kid. Now you have to pass him and maintain your distance. You can hear the parents screaming your name, motivating you to run even faster. Now the finish is right there, with the adrenaline keeping you going you push yourself through the finish line. Once you pass it you can feel nothing, but your heart pounding like a drum against your chest. You can taste the lactic acid in your mouth, hear the ringing in your ears, see the blur of parents walking up to congratulate you on your efforts. You have done it, you have completed a cross country race.

When the stakes are high and completion is close, you have to find something deep down that know one else has, and that is heart. You soon realize that your best is not your best, and that you can always reach a new level of greatness. Countlessly, we believe that it is impossible to to aim higher, but that is where we go mentally weak. Every season, I set a goal to run a certain time by state, and work hard until I conquer it. When I am in a race, and I'm dying of pain, my goal seems to get harder to reach by the second, but that is when you dig deeper than you ever have. Falling on the ground in tears because you did the absolute best you could, despite the pain, is much greater than falling on the ground in tears because you wish you would

I am a runner. One who strives for greatness at every moment and doesn’t give in when things get tough. I have aspirations, dreams, and goals which I will stop at nothing to achieve. Unfortunately for me, the life of a runner is filled with challenges and setbacks and only the best will learn to push through the adversity. My defining moment was the summer before my Junior year, 2016. I had set the goal of becoming All-State in Cross Country, meaning placing in the top 25 of all the runners in the state meet. This is, of course, a prestigious title to have, but I had faith in myself. For the first time in my life, I finally understood that preparation is key and if I fail to prepare, I should prepare to fail

There were several other people shouting as a I approached the finish line. I could no longer feel my legs as I sprinted through the shoot at the finish. When I got out of the shoot I wanted to fall to the ground but I stayed up and walked to the camp where I was greeted by all of my fellow runners.

My four years on the cross country team taught me so much more than how to run. I learned some of the most valuable lessons of my life through cross country. Most years, we had a quote on the back of our game day shirts. One of my favorite quotes read, “Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.” This quote is not only relevant to running but to life as well. Every person will experience pain in their lives just as every person will experience pain while running and training. Suffering is often a choice. It can easily be self-inflicted, and, just as easily, be avoided. This quote encouraged me to push through

Many of my friends were on the running team, and after much convincing, I decided to join. Once I did, I fell in love. The sport of running has shaped who I am and what I believe in. The highs are really high, and the lows are really low. It’s an astonishing feeling when I am done with a race and a goal that I worked hard for has been achieved. However, when I don’t do well and I’m knocked down, knowing that the time could have been faster, or the pace could have been more consistent, that is when I think I grow the most. With the constant drive to be successful, it gets hard, and it gets stressful. Although it is not always easy, or ever easy for that matter, I have never stopped loving the sport or the atmosphere that comes with it. I hope I never

The rain 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 I for quite a few months. Unfortunately, previous back-to-back injuries prevented me from fulfilling my dream of running on uneven surfaces. Therefore, I was restricted to only run flat track. I spent all of my summer practicing for this year’s season. Many of my friends and family thought I was irrational for practicing on my time although I knew it would be for a great reason. The transition from flat surfaces to an off road more complex terrain was extremely challenging. There were numerous days that I struggled and just wanted to give up. However, my determination factor would not let me give up. In addition, I

Hearts beating in the silence, runners anxious to complete their last meet of the year with a good note. The voices of fans yelling things we already know vanishes as the man in a yellow coat with a racing gun stands in front of us giving vivid instructions about the next eighteen minutes of pain.

I ran before the morning sun rose in the sky, and after it disappeared leaving the world dark. I fell in love with running in every step I took. The next year, I made the decision to run cross country with the high school and I fell in love with running even more. The greatest feeling I have ever felt is coming around to the finish line, about to set a new personal best, and having your whole team scream out your name as you throw it all into the final sprint. But soon cross country ended, and since I wasn’t allowed to run track with them, I opted to train by myself for the next ten months before the next

Over the course of the semester, I have been fortunate enough to work with a student who is having difficulties when it comes to reading. My student does not have difficulties when it comes to hearing a word, but rather when he sees a word. My student has definitely benefited from one on one work with me as well as the additional help he’s getting from the reading specialist during their WIN (what I need) time. My student does not like to read because he knows that he is struggling and he is embarrassed about it. When my student goes to his WIN time, he does really well because the instruction is at his level and there are only two other students who are also on the same level there as well. Besides the current intervention, programs I would recommend are Direct Instruction: Reading Mastery, Letter Spacing, Wilson Reading System and the Lindamood program (LiPS).