Overcoming a Challenge of Cross-Country Run
It was my senior year of high school and I decided to try something new. I had previously played baseball, but due to an arm injury, that wouldn’t heal, I could no longer play. So, I thought I would try a different sport, something that would challenge me, cross-country. As my task was to write a narrative essay about overcoming a challenge, so here I will share what kind of sport I chose for this and why.
Running was not something I enjoyed, nor did I think I was particularly good at it. I did not believe I had the endurance that was necessary to succeed in the sport. This was made clear to me in eighth-grade when my basketball coach told me that I needed to run, and I struggled to complete a mile. To add insult to injury, when I tried out for baseball, my freshman year, I could not pass the required running test. Needless to say, I knew cross-country would challenge me, and challenge me it did!
The alarm went off at 6:30 AM on July 1. Rising at the crack of dawn, on a summer morning, is not my idea of fun. The summers in my town are hot and humid, and this morning was no different. When I arrived that day, I did not know what to expect. I could barely run a mile, much less the three miles the coach had instructed us to run. It was a grueling workout, but I completed it, and I was determined to show up again the next day.
I continued to show up, day after day. To say it was a bit rough on me would be a gross understatement. I was the worst kid on the team. I struggled to keep up with my teammates, and the sweltering heat of the summer was brutal. I had more sprains, aches and pains than I thought possible. Further, I learned a new term, chafing. Chafing is an irritation of the skin caused by repetitive friction. It is not pleasant, need I say more. As the season dragged on, the team would have to wait for me to finish the workout before they could leave. I felt terrible that the team had to wait for me. Thoughts of quitting were-ever present in my mind. The temperature would reach a blistering 90 degrees and above. I prayed that God would get me through the workouts. My mother, an avid runner, encouraged me to stay with it and said I would improve. I made many new friends, and they made the arduous workouts, bearable. I slowly improved, and I began to enjoy running.
In summary, running cross-country was one of the most challenging things I had experienced. This was true both from a physical and mental perspective. It was a lesson in humility, as I was the worst runner on the team. However, persistence pays off, and by the end of the season, I could keep up with my teammates and even pass a few.
