Have you ever dedicated so much to something that when it finally pays off it seems all worth it? That feeling that you know that you’ve done something big and you’ve achieved something? It’s happened to me before, at my final race of last cross country season, the Suburban Council Championships at Saratoga State Park. That race was my best race of the season. I felt high glory after completing that race. The lesson I learned was to put in hard work in the moment.

     The bus came to a stop to let us off at the park; I quickly got my things and hopped off. Today would be my biggest and last race of my seventh grade cross country season, and I could only hope for the best.

     I was really nervous, but I always was before cross country races; this felt a little different. I guess I felt more nervous because I felt I had to end the season really well. But at least the weather was nice that day, perhaps one of the things keeping me calm.

     After the team had gotten all settled, we went on our course walkthrough and warmup. This two mile race would start off with us going down the side of the central part of the park, and then sharply turning right to a road that would lead us to a steep hill going down. What one of my assistant coaches pointed out was that people will try to go crazy down the hill. But you can’t be going too fast. Do not get caught up with the people going too fast. You don’t want to burn yourself out too early. Then after that most of the race would be in the woods. That was the best. Being in the woods during a race felt relaxing even though you’re running in a race.

     It was almost race time, and I still felt really nervous, like my insides had been squeezed and then turned upside down. Before the race we had a huddle as we usually do. We had to get ourselves ready to run. Then before you know it, I nervously stepped up to the starting line, and any second now we would be told to step up to the line. And then to go.

     Right then we heard the booming “On your marks!” command, and everyone took a step up to the starting line. In just a few seconds we would be released like hounds.

     “GO!”

     The race had started.  Everyone started aggressively dashing out through the path like a stampede of 100 animals. As we took that sharp corner and went down the hill I remembered what I was told. Do not push yourself too hard on the hill, and people may go crazy down there. But you have to keep yourself at a good pace. So I didn’t let myself go too hard.

     We got into the woods, and I started to feel really good. I felt like I could go much longer, like I could go as fast as I was going forever.  Throughout the course, passing and running past others, person by person, it felt like I was gliding. As I went further through the course I was even passing some of my own teammates, and it felt great. I knew as we came to around halfway this race would be something special. But still like a machine doing the same thing over and over again, I kept passing people.

     As I realized we were getting closer and closer to the finish I started to steadily speed up, and I was accelerating slowly while trying to keep my place and get ahead of others.  We were almost out of the woods and so close to the finish. We would just have to rush down the side of the park. 

     As I accelerated like a race car I felt like I could go even faster, so I did. Faster… faster… faster…and soon I was in a full on sprint as fast as I had left. It had been a two mile race, but still, I couldn’t slow down as I sprinted down the line, passing everyone I could. My body was anguished in exhaustion, and it grieved to shut down and relax. It felt like having to carry bowling balls as bone. But I kept pushing… pushing… and as I crossed that finish line, I let loose the exhaustion of muscle as I desperately attempted to catch my breath. Sweat grew on my body like dew on windows. 

     My finish was pretty good for a kid only in seventh grade. I was 24th overall in the Boy’s Freshman race but also third on my team. Only two kids from my team who were both freshmen had beaten my time of 11:34.7. Maybe the biggest point was that I was the first seventh grade runner to strike the finish line in that race. 

     It didn’t really come to me how I got here, and that all the effort I had put in throughout the course of this race had led to this. Only later did I realize that what I learned was to work for every single moment. It was how I worked through the pain in the moment that brought me there.  If you try hard enough in the moment you can perform well and you can achieve that for which you reach.

-Zach S.