Rewards of Running
Summary
The realities of cross country and my personal experience with the sport.
Whenever I tell people I run cross country, I get one of two reactions. Some people tell me how cool that is, which is typically followed by the sentence, “I could never do that.” The other reaction I get is a question: “Why?” My typical response is a laugh and telling them I don’t know why; however, that’s not entirely true. Many people believe that cross country is only running, and they’re not entirely wrong, but they’re not entirely right either. I’ve learned through this sport how to push through the pain and strive for a goal. I’ve found people that I’ve endured the worst forms of torture with, in a time I needed a community. Cross country is a sport a lot of people don’t truly understand or have respect for when in reality, this sport is what made me who I am today.
A typical hard running day consists of either a hill workout, long run, or interval run. On this particular hill, we had one of the hardest workouts in one of the most beautiful places. Photo by Abigail Anderson.
My favorite quote about cross country is the saying, “My sport is your sport’s punishment.” I love this quote because it perfectly describes how running can feel sometimes; like a punishment. Although, if running is such a punishment, then nobody would do it. I continue to punish myself because of the physical and mental rewards. Running isn’t something you can be good at right away; the small victories are what keeps me going.
Finishing a race is one of the most physically challenging things in cross country. I’ve had friends puke during and after many meets; this photo showcases a friend of mine after a challenging meet. Photo by team photographer.
In cross country, we have family groups and communities that are interwoven into the sport. The first day of practice as a freshman was terrifying, but introduced me to what high school is like with the different dynamics between people. Freshmen are welcomed by all grades and into this new community. Our team holds competitions and plays games. We have pasta nights before meets, and I’ve had some of my favorite memories at these. We cheer each other on and help each other grow as runners. When I joined cross country, I was at a crossroads between friendships, but these people became my core group and favorite people. We love the sport because of the people that teach us and motivate us to keep going. I would have quit cross country a long time ago if it weren’t for the people.
The best people are the ones that endure the worst workouts with you. Most people think cross country is an individual sport, but as a team we push each other to go faster. Photo by Megan Collins.
A lot of people believe that cross country doesn’t have a point like ball sports have. Not only does cross country have an amazing community, but doing this sport has built my mental strength to a new level. I have pushed myself mentally to go farther and faster whenever I feel like giving up. To run cross country, you need a strong mind. There is also a large emotional toll that comes with running. I have cried after meets when I don’t do as well as I’d have hoped. What cross country has taught me is to let that disappointment motivate you in your next race, and push you to go faster.
The rule for when to get new running shoes is after about 300-500 miles on the shoes. These three shoes hold 1,500 miles worth of different paths. Photo by Abigail Anderson.
The biggest misunderstanding I’ve heard from people is that cross country is a boring, awful, and torturous sport. People question why I would put myself through that. The reason is simple: Cross country is the only sport I’ve done that has made me feel accomplished. I’ve done various team sports throughout my life, and with those sports comes competition with your peers and extremely high pressure. Cross country has pressure, but all of that comes from oneself. What people don’t understand about this sport is the sheer pride of beating your only rival: yourself. I’ve felt like I’m not good enough in all sports, but cross country is the only one where I don’t feel like I need to improve to beat my competition or to help others. There is an indescribable accomplishment of knowing however your race turns out, the only person you can beat and better is you.
I’ve run a million times at Pheasant Branch Conservancy, but never noticed how beautiful it is until recently. The individual rewards that come from running outweigh all the challenges. Photo by Catherine Anderson.
Comments
Post a commentWaunakee Community High School Advanced English 10 - 3B
Mrs. Swanhorst's Advanced English 10 students
Abigail, As a runner and a writer, I identified with so much of what your essay was about. I love how you found meaning in the extremes of the sport - the difficulty of the physicality and the comfort of the community. Thank you so much for this piece!