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I started running in high school. I didn't even know I was going to start running. My good friend Kelly (who was in every single math class I was in since freshman year) started talking about how they needed girls for the Cross Country team. I overheard and said, "YEAH! I'll join!" Mind you, I had no idea what Cross Country (XC) even was! I just figured, why not? It was my junior year, and I had only played basketball as a team sport until then. Skip ahead, and I'm headed to my first day of XC. I talked to Coach Tera's, who was also my freshman year science teacher, and I was officially written in for the day.
I began lacing up my And1's, my previous season's basketball shoes. There I was, heading into the unknown. I was wearing a baggy, adult size medium, t-shirt, and basketball shorts. That day we were running to a park up the street. (It wasn't a very long run if I'm remembering correctly, but it was so long ago that the exact mileage escapes me.) The rest of the team took off. Coach Tera's stayed with me and made sure I wasn't left alone. He talked to me as we ran. He told me that people usually walked on the first day. Once he told me that, I got a little scared. We didn't push a very hard pace, because as I know now, if you're able to hold a conversation, you're in the right effort for an easy effort.
I ended up finishing the entire run without stopping! I felt immediate satisfaction afterward, and soon, I was no longer needing to be "escorted" through runs. As more time passed, I got to know more of my teammates. I ended up buying my first pair of actual running shoes, and then I got into the real rhythm of being a cross-country runner. I learned the the warm-up work outs, mastered the stretching routine, and partner stretches! I was really feeling comfortable.
The first race was kind of like a "scrimmage." It was my first taste of the pre-race ritual that the team had. Coach passed out Tiger's Milk bars, and had a cooler full of Gatorade. The boys ran first. The girls and I would stand on the side lines and stretch and cheer our teammates on as they passed. We had some really fast guys on our team. After they finished, It was our turn.
This was where I got nervous. My first pre-race jitters came, but the girls on my team were so awesome! We'd all huddle in a circle, cross our arms, hold hands, and say a "prayer." We'd then shake each other out by taking each others' arms/hands and, literally, shake them out. Then we'd line up, single file, and wait for the gun.
I was by no means the fastest. But during that race, I remember feeling relieved that I was NOT the slowest. I was nervous at first, being directionally challenged, that I would not know where to turn, even though we warmed up on the course by walking it. But, I was with a pack of girls and as long as I could follow them, I was good. The training our coach put us through definitely helped, and I was able to finish my first official XC race. Nothing spectacular, but I finished, and to finish and have your teammates cheering you on really added to the rewarding feeling at the end.
I didn't know it then, but that was my runner's high. The same satisfaction I felt after finishing my first practice, the reward of having a whole group of people cheering for you! I loved it. My first year of cross country proved to be a success, and I ended up receiving the plaque for "Most Improved" runner during our end of the season XC Banquet. Now, it was a given, as I was the only new runner on the girls side, but I still took that plaque home and cherished it.
I had officially found a sport I thoroughly enjoyed, and I didn't even know what I was getting into! I really am glad I went into it as blindly as I did. I ran XC my senior year also, and at the end of the year banquet I received the "Most Inspirational" runner. I had recruited another friend of mine into the team, and was able to share the gift of running with a fellow former basketball team mate.
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| Leilehua Invitational 2005 |
The most interesting thing about running as a sport, is that it is still an individual effort that can be seen and felt, but when you're part of a team like I was in XC, you still are running to make the rest of your mates proud. To this day, those are the most cherished memories and friends that I keep in touch with and know I can count on.
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SO, it has been a little over thirteen years since I started running, and it brings me back to my thought of why I never called myself a runner. You'd think after so many years, even after completing my first marathon in 2014, I'd associate myself with the fact that I am a runner. But, I am finally starting to embrace the fact that I am.
I run to relax, I run for fun, I run to explore, I run to get away from the world, and I run to find myself.
One of my favorite quotes is from Dr. George Sheehan:
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