Imagine you are in a race, at the final 50 yards, toe to toe with your competitor. Everything comes down to this. Your fierce training, your practices, your workouts. All you need is that final 50 yards. Your heart starts rapidly pounding faster than ever. The fresh scent of grass is no longer there, as the only thing you can smell now is your overworked body boiling with heat. Your legs start aching monstrously, but your brain keeps yelling, keep going! That’s the same repetitive feeling I get every time I am in a race. It’s just the excitement and the competition of it that brings it alive. Some say running is a hobby or an activity, but I see it as a test, or as a way to express my full energy and focus.

When I was little, I loved to run. Like most ordinary kids, I was energetic and full of laughter. Right when I ran my first mile at the beginning of third grade, I knew it was going to be my passion. Every time I ran, even sometimes when it was for fun, I always tried my hardest. I wanted to prove that hard work and dedication can put me in the right mindset to achieve.

I ran my first official 5k in the early fifth grade. It was one of the most memorable days.  At that time, I didn’t really understand how to be put into the right mindset, or how to keep a good pace. All I knew to do was to run. Once the whistle blew, I took off, zooming past everyone in a flash. At only the first minute of it, I was already dead tired. One by one, everyone started to pass me. I thought to myself, what was I doing wrong? Why am I getting so tired when we haven’t even passed the first mile? One minute after another, I got slower and slower, until I was stuck at the back. When the shiny white finish line was finally in sight, I used all of my remaining strength and flew past the finish line with a time of 27 minutes.

After that point, all I wanted to do was get better. I had one thing in my mind, and that was to beat my time in the 5k. I practiced and practiced both on a treadmill and outside. Days went by. Then weeks. And then months. As time flew, my focused mind was set and ready for my next task: to beat my personal record.

The time had finally come. It was the next year, and I had signed up for another 5k. I trotted up to the starting line, feeling more ready than ever. The whistle blew, and without any hesitation, I was off. Prepared and ready, I zoomed through the first mile. I was extremely eager to get this personal record. The sun beamed at me, blinding my eyes with inevitable force. I could hear the calm rustles of the colorful leaves scattered around the side of the race course. Side issues started filing into my body. Cramps, aches, and overall pain. I slowed down a bit, but I knew that a little weakness was not going to stop me, so I zoomed past the second mile and was now on the final one. I ignored my surroundings and used all of my remaining force to charge through the finish line, like I always did, and got a time of 22 minutes. I had beaten my record by five whole minutes. After that day, I continued to do the same thing. My passion for this sport has gotten stronger and more important. Mile after mile, race after race, I got better and better. Sometimes I would gain some seconds, sometimes I would lose some seconds. All I knew was that I was trying my hardest, and that was all that mattered to me.

Despite the overall dread and tiredness running can give you, it will always come out on a positive note. The power of competitiveness and perseverance brought me to where I am today as a runner. I have learned so much from every race, and from every practice. No matter how hard it is, or how hard it can be, at the end of the day, I will always come out being glad I did it. That is the true version of running that really motivates me to keep pushing myself to my limits.

 

 

-Young