I just want to make you proud.
For years, I got to run for the same coach. At a small school, the middle school cross country coach is also the high school coach. Having the same coach for six years is a great thing, because the training and strategies stay almost the same all through the beginning of your career.
As an eighth grader, I decided to run cross country to help get me in shape for basketball. My dad was a huge basketball star in high school, and went on to be a pretty legendary coach. My dad was basically my idol, so I did everything I could to make him proud. He suggested running cross country to make me faster on the court, so I tried it out. I guess I was faster than I thought, because at my first meet I placed 8th out of 100 or so kids! After winning a district championship (the last big meet for middle schoolers), I was definitely motivated to run next year. I learned that no matter what sport I did, I would always make my dad proud. He’s been to every race since my first race. But that’s not who this is about.
My first year in high school cross country, I placed fourth at districts and 18th at the state meet! Track was a different story... I started the season out really strong, but started to get slower and slower every race. I wasn’t hitting a wall in my training, but I just couldn’t run fast. It hurt. Three meets were left in the season, including districts and state, and I found out I was anemic. I soon learned that it was common in runners, and did everything I could to help my body get back to normal. Once sophomore year came around, my body and my mind felt brand new. I was on the road to breaking school records in track and cross, and I was making my school and family proud. But through those three years my coach never said good job to me. I placed 11th at state cross that year and won my first state championship, but it wasn’t enough.
The summer of my junior year I ran my heart out. I believed that if I became the best runner, my coach would say “good job” to me. I traveled to Oregon for elite running camps, went to weights trainers, and I just ran. I ran so much that my joints got tired. I somehow pulled off winning another ditstrict championship in cross and placing well at state, but after that I plummeted. I rolled into track season with a sprained ankle, which never got better. There was no way I was going to earn those two worlds from my coach. I got many “are you even trying” “run faster” “you’re not good enough” from him on a daily basis. But I never got that “good job” from him, and it broke my heart. At one point, he pulled me into his classroom and said, “You’re never going to make it in college. You’re not dedicated enough and you aren’t good enough.” My dreams were crushed.
My senior year rolled around, and I wasn’t the top runner on the cross team anymore. I had no love for the sport, and no want to be at practice. I came in fourth at districts and placed 15th at state in cross. Track was a different story. Early in the season, I started to feel pain in my Achilles which resulted in an Achilles strain and almost became tendinitis. At track meets, my coach wouldn’t even talk to me before my races. During practice, it seemed like he told everyone “good job” except me. It KILLED my confidence. But I soon learned that I wasn’t running for my coach. I was running because I loved the sport. I had a fire inside that’s kept me going on hard runs. I had a dream of running for a college. And that dream was going to come true. I signed with an NAIA college to run both cross and track the next year. It turns out I do have the dedication to run in college. I am good enough. I haven’t finished my high school career yet, but I know that there’s so much more in store for me than just a”good job.” I am doing a good job. In fact, im doing a GREAT job. I’m done running for other people. I run for Jesus and myself.
- Anonymous
