After four seasons with the Point Loma cross country team, I was bracing myself last week for my final race.
I slept well, ate well, and tried to get my legs ready for the big day. I woke up Saturday morning with my stomach in knots, but with my legs feeling good. I was mentally ready, and when the time came to stand on the starting line, I couldn't have been more excited.
Like all races, the gun went off, and we ran. But in a field of 91 runners, guess how I finished?
Eighty-ninth.
This was not what I had planned.
I could say that cross country isn't my thing, or that I've been dealing with injuries, but anyone who raced could have said the same thing. It just wasn't my day.
So now that my final season is coming to a close, I've begun to think about how I got here. It was through a phone conversation with Coach Arvin the week of my high school graduation that I agreed to give cross country a try. My high school cross country career was less than stellar, but I decided to run for Point Loma on the grounds that it might give me the strength and endurance I would need for track in the Spring.
When I arrived on campus that August for training camp, I was beyond nervous. I felt out of place, slow and homesick. This was not what I had planned.
But after a few weeks, I started looking forward to practice. I knew that everyday at 2:45 p.m. I had a place to be and people that wanted me there – and that made all the difference.
Each season has been different than the last as I've said goodbye to dear friends and welcomed new ones. But the running has always been the same. Some days feel good, and some don't.
I'm happy to say I never missed a day of cross country practice – but only because it means I never missed a moment with my team. Moments I won't get back.
Moments like Saturday [at the GSAC Championships], when our team beat Concordia for a third place finish in the conference behind two of the top ranked teams in the nation.
So when I think back to the day I hesitantly agreed to give cross country a shot, I say a big “thank you,” because this was not what I had planned.
