Running

I started running when I was six. I originally got into it because I was becoming good at soccer and I needed to be able to run faster and farther. At first, running wasn’t a usual thing, I would run on and off. The amount I was running was good enough to get me through soccer, but I started running more because I could. It was like a personal challenge to see how far I could go.

When I was 8, I debated quitting running. I had started lacrosse and I was very active anyway so I no longer needed it for soccer. For about 3 months I didn’t run, and I had no intentions of doing so ever again.

Around that time, my mom started running. Although when she started she wasn’t very fast, her persistence and determination was amazing. She would go out every morning for hours. After seeing her determination to be a runner, I got inspired to continue running. Instead of continuing short distance running,  I started doing long distance. At first, I hated it. It was boring and hard, and I hurt after doing it. But after seeing my mom’s effort, I was determined to keep doing it. I started running very frequently, and soon I started really enjoying it.

I thank my mom now for getting me into running, without her, I would have never succeeded without her, she inspired me to keep going no matter how much I didn’t want to run. I realize now how important running has been for me. It has taught me to never give up. I also really love doing it, it was a chance for me to clear my mind and really think about things.