My Sport is Your Sports Punishment: Anthony Lane

 

    Let's be clear here, running is definitely not for everyone, and to be honest, most people really don't like it and I can see why people don't. It seems like your just putting yourself in pain for no reason. However, for some reason, running has really been so helpfully for me these past couple of years

    I remember in 6th grade my mom signed me up for cross country. At this point, I didn't really even know what cross country was. I knew you ran, but that was about it. Turns out, that's about it. In cross country, you run. You don't just run for conditioning, like it is all you do. Yet, turned out that after 6th grade cross country and track I really liked it and continued to do it all throughout middle school. I would go through each season, have fun with friends at practices, race, and running was just kind of this thing on the side that enjoyed doing. Not something I was necessarily super passionate about, but it was something I really enjoyed. I don't think I really fell in love with it until freshman year after my first high school cross country season. This is when running branched out of just sports and became a part of my daily life. I started to go out and run on my own which had never really done except to prep for my freshman cross country season. Now, I was just doing it because I liked it.

    Now, it was early March 2020, and track was starting off. To be honest, track isn't my favorite, but I do still enjoy it and it keeps me in shape. I had been running the past month or 2 pretty consistently so felt ready for the season. I made it through roughly a week of practices when all the sudden, we were online, COVID had hit out of nowhere. Track was delayed and later canceled, and all of the sudden I had loads of free time. Online school was just boring and was sucking the life out of me, and being able to go run after school was something I really longed for and looked forward to. To be able to just unwind and go was such a great feeling and such an escape from the chaos happening in the world. 

    From March 2020 till today, I've run more than I ever have before. Sure I've had weeks I don't get out there as much, but as a whole, I've been getting out there a lot and it payed off in my Sophomore cross country season. Although delayed and shortened due to COVID, I was able to go from a 5K PR of 20:07 freshman year to a PR of 18:37 Sophomore year and I was super proud of this, and I think it's what made me realize why I love running so much. Running is not like any other sport. Although on a team, only you control how you perform. In other sports, there are so many other factors involving a team and working together which to be clear is really great. However, with running, what you put in is what you get out and there really isn't much else too it. The more you run, the faster you'll get. That's all

    I think in the end, I love running because of the simplicity. You don't need anything and anyone can do it wherever they are. And as I said, whatever you put into it, you'll get back out.