At the sound of the whistle I ran with all my might to pass my opponents. Panting helplessly, I tried to concentrate on my breathing; that seems to be my only dilemma. I felt my legs getting heavier each time my foot comes in contact with the rocky terrain. Running up the asphalted hill resulted in my rhythmic breathing getting irregular. My nose starts to perspire then my forehead, and alas my back; the signs of hard work being put forth. I feel like I have been running for longer than I have been but I insist to keep going. My mind suddenly begins to repeat what my mother often told me as a child, “The body achieves what the mind believes”. I try to steady my heart rate but nothing seems to work. I look back and no one is behind me, no one is in front of me either. Am I last? My mind begins to drift to focus on my goal. I feel like this is a race against my endurance.

Before trying cross country, I always believed it was a sport full of athletes and competitors that could run several miles with ease. Therefore, the sport was not cut out for me; I had some difficulty passing the mile run for gym during sophomore year. It wasn’t until junior year my perspective about cross country changed. The coach was recruiting team members, and that year I wanted to get some physical exercise. This wouldn’t be the first time I would be trying a sport for the first time. In middle school I never thought I would ever play lacrosse and after our first game, I feel in love with the sport. The practices made me feel like I was a contestant on The Biggest Loser, but at the end of the day it paid off. It’s kind of like baking; going to the store and gathering all the ingredients might not be so enjoyable, but when you take that first bite into your creation you will truly value the time spent. I had never pushed myself as mentally and physically like I have done in cross country. I overcame my greatest challenge.

As I finally reached the end of the race with less than a mile to go, I pass a few girls from the arrival team; I am no longer last. I am so focused on passing that finish mark I don’t focus on anyone expect myself. I see my friends up ahead circled around my coach and along with them is my mother cheering me on. As I approached the finish line, I hear their voices get louder and louder. Concentrating on the sounds of their cheers gave me that extra push of confidence and motivation I needed. Within the last few feet from the finish mark, I ran faster than ever. I was ecstatic to have my teammates and family for support.

I finished in 39th place out of 46 runners. I certainly did not place first but in my mind I was a champion. I completed my greatest challenge and I felt good about it. Cross country molded me into the person I am today. I am hard working, passionate, and driven about everything I do. I had a few setbacks but doubting yourself never gets you anywhere. It is imperative to never limit yourself to what we can do. If you’re good at one sport you can be good at many others.