extra curr
At school, Students Run LA was always unpopular. With the tagline "Train for the 26.2 mile LA Marathon," one can see why anyone would be scared, and easily get to running- in the opposite direction; however, I was persuaded into joining.
When they said, "We will train," they actually meant "We will train...hard." After all, it IS Students RUN LA, not Students WALK LA. Initially, it was easy- three miles a day, three days a week. Soon, things got intense as we ran thirty miles a week. We often complained of pain, but we were always assured that it would be worth it.
Soon March came along, and so did the Marathon. Once it began, I knew I was in for the experience of a lifetime. The beginning was easy- comfortable and exciting. By Mile 13, I could "Feel the Burn" Coach spoke fondly of. By Mile 16, I had swelling and blisters. By Mile 18, I was a mess. Unable to move, I joined the many that sat on the sidewalk, stretching and rubbing their wounds, trying to redirect their pain.
There, on the Mile 18 sign, I began to cry. I doubted whether I could finish. I felt inadequate. I felt...pain, and I feared it. Crying and basking in my self-pity, I was moments away from calling for Emergency Pick Up and quitting when "Eye of the Tiger" began to play. Instantaneously I was filled with Coach‘s words- "One Step At A Time," "Just Do It," "The Only Losers, Are Those Who Don’t Try." Determined, I began to run. Eventually, it felt doable- until I hit another obstacle: the biggest incline in the run.
I began to re-think quitting again, when I remembered my coach's words- "Just Do It," and so I did. I walked the incline until I saw what I had longed for: The Finish Line. I began to sprint, determined to finish, cramps and nausea ignored. My body went along until at 06:21:14 I crossed the finish line. I had ACTUALLY finished the Marathon.
Training and Running for the Marathon taught me so much. Life is like a marathon- at times it is comfortable, but when it gets hard and painful, it becomes easy to lose perspective and give up. Life is a Marathon. As such, I train and treat life like one. When something happens that make me want to quit, I always think back to Mile 18, and how I overcame it to come out on top, and I become determined to finish. I remember the words of my coach, I remember "Eye of the Tiger," and I say to myself, "Just Do It." The Marathon taught me that if I set my mind to it, all the dreams are within my reach- all within my power. I live by these words- breathe them, live them. Running is not just an activity- it has become a way of life.
When they said, "We will train," they actually meant "We will train...hard." After all, it IS Students RUN LA, not Students WALK LA. Initially, it was easy- three miles a day, three days a week. Soon, things got intense as we ran thirty miles a week. We often complained of pain, but we were always assured that it would be worth it.
Soon March came along, and so did the Marathon. Once it began, I knew I was in for the experience of a lifetime. The beginning was easy- comfortable and exciting. By Mile 13, I could "Feel the Burn" Coach spoke fondly of. By Mile 16, I had swelling and blisters. By Mile 18, I was a mess. Unable to move, I joined the many that sat on the sidewalk, stretching and rubbing their wounds, trying to redirect their pain.
There, on the Mile 18 sign, I began to cry. I doubted whether I could finish. I felt inadequate. I felt...pain, and I feared it. Crying and basking in my self-pity, I was moments away from calling for Emergency Pick Up and quitting when "Eye of the Tiger" began to play. Instantaneously I was filled with Coach‘s words- "One Step At A Time," "Just Do It," "The Only Losers, Are Those Who Don’t Try." Determined, I began to run. Eventually, it felt doable- until I hit another obstacle: the biggest incline in the run.
I began to re-think quitting again, when I remembered my coach's words- "Just Do It," and so I did. I walked the incline until I saw what I had longed for: The Finish Line. I began to sprint, determined to finish, cramps and nausea ignored. My body went along until at 06:21:14 I crossed the finish line. I had ACTUALLY finished the Marathon.
Training and Running for the Marathon taught me so much. Life is like a marathon- at times it is comfortable, but when it gets hard and painful, it becomes easy to lose perspective and give up. Life is a Marathon. As such, I train and treat life like one. When something happens that make me want to quit, I always think back to Mile 18, and how I overcame it to come out on top, and I become determined to finish. I remember the words of my coach, I remember "Eye of the Tiger," and I say to myself, "Just Do It." The Marathon taught me that if I set my mind to it, all the dreams are within my reach- all within my power. I live by these words- breathe them, live them. Running is not just an activity- it has become a way of life.