A Letter To A Cross-Country Race

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I am writing this letter to you, my future running self. Yesterday, you ran your second ever college cross country race. I have to say you did not do your best, and I am disappointed. I went into the race knowing my time would not be fast, because the wind was strong. I was not disappointed in my final time, but I am disappointed that I gave up halfway through the race. There is not a list of reasons to justify giving up and telling yourself “I can’t do this.” You have not completed all of that training just to give up during the races. I understand you will have bad days, but I never want you make the conscious decision to not try. I don’t want you to have to watch each runner pass by, while you are unable to keep up with them. I will explain why you should not give up in the middle of a race, by reminding you of how far you have come. At first,…show more content…
Track was popular amongst students because it was a new sport. I may have chosen the right sport, but I chose the wrong events. I was still convinced I would be a sprinter, and I had this new idea that I could be a discus thrower. I was only 4’9” and 86 pounds at this point; the discus was not going to travel far. I believe my farthest throw was forty feet, while other throwers threw over a hundred feet. In other words, it was a dream I easily gave up by the eighth grade. My sprinting career ended much sooner. I switched to distance by the seventh grade. In eighth grade, I barely missed going to the IESA State Meet. My coach still asked me to go as an alternate, but I instantly refused. I was worried that I was only being asked out of pity, and I did not want to go if that was the case. Looking back on the moment now, I feel slightly embarrassed for my younger self. I was chosen because I worked hard at practice; I was not chosen out of pity. Now, I try to work hard, in order to avoid the possibility of gaining someone’s

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