"all my friends were doing volleyball and soccer but for some reason xc stood out"

I almost didn't run cross country- I was in 6th grade deciding what sports I would play as a 7th grader, it was gonna be my first year of school sports, all my friends were doing volleyball or soccer but for some reason Cross Country stood out, why? Idk and I still don't know. I checked that box on my little paper and turned it in, that following fall, I realized my mistake, to my surprise cross country was a running sport, long distance to be exact, it was the sport from hell, crafted by Satan, but there I was showing up to each practice, checking that box every year, even coming into highschool. When I say I almost didn't run cross country I mean during my race I would think about stopping and walking away, never looking back. Why did I come back? Because even though cross country is tough and it's hard both mentally and physically, that feeling of finishing the race with a PR or passing someone the last 400m of your race makes it all worth wild, the little bus trips and the team bonding make me come back the next day and check that box every year, and I have no intentions of stopping but doesn't mean I won't think about it, when my knees are popping and swollen, and my hips can't take the pressure, but I haven't left my mark yet... So I'm not going anywhere.

- @_h_a_i_e_y_ ( Bullis )