By Ava Kerns
In the past, I was never a fan of running. I would’ve rather die than run a lap in gym class, even speed walking form class to class in middle school put me out of breathe. It wasn’t just running that I despised, it was all types of sports. Field hockey, soccer, swimming and even badminton, which some deem as the “easiest sport alive.” However, my body was slowly starting to pay the price of physical inactivity and I hated it. I knew I had to do something or else I would have no more motivation left in me. So I joined track.
The first week was the worst. I thought my body was gonna drop dead without warning due to shock; thankfully, it didn’t. My muscles ached for days and days on end but I actually liked the feeling: it was proof that I had actually put the work in. As time went on my body got used to the routine of stretching, running, and cool down stretching to relax out the legs and roll out our cramps.
Speed wasn’t a problem of mine until we had our first meet: that was when I realized that I sucked. I wasn’t the worst but I definitely wasn’t the best. So what did I do? I faked a cramp and left. I know that sounds awful, but I was not about to embarrass myself in front of all these people that I barely knew. It’s kinda pathetic, but by the next meet I was placing.
Track allows me to train my body’s capabilities to the max and test my limits to know how far I could push myself. I even stayed over time on the track with my mom, who was and still is my biggest fan. She would time me and compare each time to the last— with each time, I only got stronger.
When meets came around, I had been bumped up from level D to level A. When you are at a meet, coaches categorize you and placed you in a group with other individuals who have the same abilities as you speed-wise. At the beginning of the season I was D, which is the worst, but by the end, I became an A. My times went from 17.6 seconds all the way down to 13.8 seconds. For those who do not know, in track you want to have the shortest time, and if you beat your time from the last meet, that’s called a PR (permanent record), even though it’s not permanent.
Speed isn’t the only advantage of running track; you also meet incredible people who you would have never thought you’d be friends with. These people become practically your second family because you’re always with them. Meets can drag out for hours so it’s nice to have friends to go exploring with. You also get in shape, which is a plus. So, if you looking for a fun, friend-filled and fast, literally, way to lose some pounds and gain speed, I highly recommend track.
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