Running has always been a part of my life. From a young age I began to pick up running. It all started in first grade when I ran the Turkey Trot in my town for the first time. The Turkey Trot is an annual 5 mile race that takes place on Thanksgiving morning. That year I was the youngest kid running in the race. Since that day I have only missed one Turkey Trot due to weather conditions. Starting in seventh grade I began running for my middle school team. I quickly learned the amount of work it would take to be good, but I was mostly doing it for fun so I put minimal effort into getting better. At that point I viewed running as a hobby, not a competitive sport. I continued running cross country in eighth grade but participated even less than the year before. At this point I had no real interest in continuing the sport. When the high school season rolled around in ninth grade I had no intentions of joining the cross country team. My dad ended up signing me up without me having a say. At the time I didn't know this, but that would end up being one of the best decisions my dad has ever made. Throughout my first season I was quite lazy. I tried to skip practice as much as possible, I would walk as much as I could during practice without being seen, and I had no motivation. I skipped workouts so often that my nickname became "Houdini." I ended the season off with a 24:30 5K PR.
My junior year I began to slowly work towards what everyone on the team ultimately worked towards: breaking 20 minutes on a 5K. I slowly progressed but I still had a lazy work ethic when it came to running. Breaking looked like it could not be accomplished at this point. I ended off that year with a 21:18 5K PR. I went into my senior season more motivated than ever. I had a goal in my sights and I wanted nothing more than to reach it. There was definitely a time that season where I didn't think it could be reached. My practice times just weren't aligning with what was needed to break 20. This pushed me more than ever. Come the last race, I was more nervous than I had ever been. I knew that that was the last chance I would ever have during my high school career to break 20. The gun went off and I ran faster than I ever had before. I was passing people left and right, even teammates who were faster than me. I finished the race and looked back. The digital board read 19:47. I had finally achieved my goal. I remember it like it was yesterday, I walked back to my team, tearing slightly, to see a huge grin on my coach's face. I had made him proud, but more importantly I had made myself proud. So, why do I run? The feeling I get when finishing a race. Knowing that all my hard work has just paid off and knowing that you can always do better. There are always new challenges with running. Just because you win doesn't mean you can't do better. I take pride in knowing that I was one of the most improved kids to have ever run on my high school team. It shows how I've grown, how I've matured, and how I've become the driven person I am today.