Most people would go for Football – even Volleyball and Basketball. But not me. If you were to ask me my favourite sport, it would always be Cross Country.
With sport such as Football, you have to worry about things like tackling, control, coordination, penalties, teamwork…I could go on. However, with Cross Country you only have to do two things: push your body and mind to their full extent and pace yourself. As long as you follow those two things, you should be doing your best.
This simplicity makes it sound easy, but it’s actually pretty taxing on your body. From the first lap, I’d often see other boys sprinting past me just to be at the front as if to say “Look at me, I’m at the front! I’m so cool!” If you do that in Cross Country, you’re pretty likely to find yourself at the back and gasping for air before you know it. The sport heavily tests you on both your physical ability as well as mentally, which is what makes Cross Country such a difficult and challenging sport. But that’s why I enjoy it so much – because I love running and the thrill of it and I don’t have to worry about anyone else but myself.
My training was somewhat different to going on the treadmill in tracksuit bottoms or shorts and a T-shirt. Instead, I ran to school almost every day in full school uniform with all of my books, equipment and my P.E kit in my school bag. Despite how ridiculous I looked to the others gently ambling along, I kept going – pushing my limits further and taking myself to greater distances. And it worked.
Recently, I’ve completed a Cross Country that included other people from different schools. The race was nearly three miles and the weather was below 10 degrees Celsius. The first lap was pretty simple, but it didn’t go without losing some energy. The second lap proved more challenging and everyone, including me, was starting to feel our bodies tiring. The third and final lap was the toughest: longer than the first and second laps combined. It soon started to take a massive toll on our bodies: our throats were sore and dry, leg muscles were on fire and our brains were screaming at us to give up – some were walking at the back and others were starting to slow down. It took everything I had – and more. In the end, I came eighth.And considering I came in the top 10 and didn’t have any lunch, I’d say I did pretty good.
As a result, I’ll be running for Lewisham in the London Championships in January, so I’m going to make sure to do my best to come in the top 10 again if I can.
I’ve come to understand why a lot of the boys at my school wouldn’t be too keen for it because of how hard it is. My friends will probably think I’m insane to take part in such a demanding challenge, but even if it’s harder than my last race, I’ll make sure to do my best. Because doing your best is sure to get you far in whatever you’re doing. Fact!
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