"I was so sure that there would be no way I'd make it on the team"

Ok so I was on my high school cross country team for three years, captain for two. I absolutely loved my team and I enjoyed running but I wasn't super into it at the time; I always said I loved my team more than the sport. When I graduated my coach motivated me to tryout for my college's team. I ran over the summer and I thought I was in pretty good condition. One of the runners on my college's team held a few unofficial practices before the season started and I so I went because the coach said these practices were highly recommended. These practices made me doubt myself and my running ability beyond belief. I was so sure that there would be no way I'd make it on the team. I even had my first ice bath after these practices. When tryouts came, or hellweek as the returning runners called it, they had me run further than I had ever ran before. I was dragging so behind. The assistant coaches and captains tried to help encourage me to not give up but I felt terrible for making them slow down just so I didn't get lost. On the third day of tryouts as my mom was driving me to the train to get to school she offered to just turn the car around and go home; nobody would know or care. I considered it but I figured I had already put so much work in that I might as well see the last few days of tryouts through. When the last day of tryouts came, it was the time trial. The women had to run a 6k in 32 minutes or less to be considered for the team. I ran this in 36 minutes flat. I was devastated. I figured I wouldn't be receiving an email that night saying I made it. I figured all my hard work went to waste. I was wrong. I made the team. The coaches told me they saw how hard I was trying and how determined I was and they believed that with the right training I would improve. Despite hurting my Achilles tendon in the middle of the season and getting sick at the same time, by the last race of the season I shaved off six minutes from my time trial, completing the 6k in 29:48. I had to many opportunities to not join, to just give up, but I pushed through and it was worth it. I love my teammates and now I am trying for my third year on the team. One of my assistant coaches, one of the ones who held back and tried to push me forward during my first Hellweek said he wants me to even be a captain this upcoming season. I am so glad that I joined cross country back in high school and that I continued it into college. I have fallen in love with running since my first season in college when I really got a taste for how tough this sport is.

- Michelle Formato