Reflecting on a Memory from 6th Grade Track Tryouts

This is a memory from 6th grade track tryouts.

It was my first year trying out for track and I was still testing the waters. I wasn't sure what I was good at, but I kind of knew I wasn't fast or strong enough to throw the shot put far enough. The team had made it through tryouts and were pretty sure we all made the team(the track team at Lumpkin County Middle School wasn't that big). On the last day of tryouts our coach said, "If you want to make the team you need to run around the gym for the entirety of practice.

The gym was a hot and humid place. It didn't help that it was raining and they had the heater on.

We started running. The first 10 laps or so were okay. I felt I was inching toward the farthest I had ever ran(2 miles) and the clock was still ticking.

What felt like hours went by. I kept my legs moving, even though my some of my peers were walking. These peers were also getting yelled at by the coach. I wanted my coach to see that I was strong and that I could perform in the hardest of conditions.

One or two other kids had more laps than me, but I didn't care. They were better runners than me and had more experience. I was just focusing on myself.

Finally, after doing what felt like 100 laps the coach blew the whistle and told us that we all made the team.

For the remainder of track I was put in the 2 mile run group(the longest distance available). I wasn't the fastest, but I always finished and had gas in the tank. I learned a lot about myself during that run though. I found that I had an inner strength to just keep going, even in the most strenuous of conditions. Sure I have a permanent memory of the wresting mats we ran past every lap, but it was all worth it. Never, in a millions years, would I have though it would pay off some time later when I decided to start running ultra marathons.