Running is a sport that most people don't enjoy. I agree that it isn't for some people because it seems like constant torture for no reason. Despite what other people say, I believe that running has helped me drastically throughout the last year.
It all started as a little 6th or 7th grader, when I signed up for Cross Country and Track and Field because I thought it would be something fun to do. I first thought Cross Country was skiing, but looked it up and realized it was also running which is something I had always loved even since I was a kid. There is even a picture of me running a 5k at 8 years old online! Disclaimer, when you run Cross Country and Track, thats literally all you do, nothing more. That is why Cross Country doesn't have a summer heat-week! Our heat-week is every week! I continued with both Cross Country and Track as time went on because it was something that I loved, and also you can do the workouts by yourself if you miss one! That is what I did, but I did the workouts, and another after because I just felt like it was something fun and soothing to do.
Then, the pandemic began and nobody was going anywhere, and everything was shut down, which meant that Track and Field was postponed, then canceled for the year. This really struck me because I had been looking forward to Track and Field all freshman year, and to have it be cut out sucked a lot. However, since I wasn't really leaving my house at all, I needed something to get myself out of my house and see what was going on around me. Running is what got me out of the house and even doing a few miles a day was good because it was some physical activity rather than none. Also, I had more time than before so this helped with consuming some time. Not only did it consume a lot of time, it was an escape from reality. The reality during that time was that we were stuck inside, guarding ourselves from COVID-19. To have something to escape from realities like this is so nice and it is something I continue to embrace. Running just became something I enjoyed to get out of the house during COVID-19.
As of March 2020 to now, I have run hundreds, probably about 500 miles or just over that in a year! That is a crazy amount, but it paid off because doing that helped me not only get stronger, but I was able to lengthen my stride and cut a lot of time off in races. More specifically, I have shaved 2 minutes off my mile time and about 2 minutes off of my entire 5k time in the past year. This makes me really happy because even though it may not seem like much, to me that shows a lot of improvement and dedication. I look at this and see that I have so much potential and that I am improving and will continue to due so. I have a reachable goal of getting under 5:30 for a mile by the end of this season, and getting about 18:00 on a 5k for next Cross Country season!
What makes me thoroughly enjoy this sport is the fact that you don't need anyone else to "play" with to get better, you just have to work on it yourself, and you can do it pretty much anywhere. What also makes me love this sport so much is that even if you're on a team, you only control your how well you do. What work you put in will be the result that you end with. Running is a great example of never say never because if you say never, you are never going to get faster or better at the sport, but if you never say never and train really hard, you will get positive results.
Good for you for keeping up with it! I ran track in High school, but I was a sprinter and I still don't love long runs, but I wish I did!
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