How Cross Country Changed my Life by Joshua

How Cross Country Changed my Life by Joshua - December 2019 Scholarship Essay

Growing up in an Asian family, it was tough. My parents both immigrated from China to study here in the United States, so I was always drowned in the fact that I had to do well in school, and “be the best.” Like getting good grades or taking all the hard classes. So as a child, I really did not have any friends and did not talk to a lot of people. I was, to be frank, kind of a loner. So I was surprised to hear that my mom wanted me to do cross country. Which meant running. Before, it was all about the violin and piano, and practice, practice, practice – and I hated running at the time; I mean hated. I was pretty much the most unathletic kid in school. But I did it anyway. “Maybe I could meet some new people?” I thought.
The first few weeks of the cross country season, I felt horrible. The gut-wrenching pain in the stomach, the agonizing soreness. It almost made me want to quit cross-country. Bizarrely, I kept with it. And I wanted to keep with it. In my mind, I wanted to be good at something, and this seemed like it could be it. So from then on, I decided I wanted to be a runner. But running did not come to me naturally. It was through my hard-working and determined mindset that I became the 6th runner on the state team. Characteristics I did not did not experience all through my seventh, eighth, and freshman year cross country seasons. But come Sophomore year, I knew and so did my coach, that I had the potential to be a more fit runner. With my coach's help, I found that hard work, pushing through the pain and going past my limits, will pay off.
After that, running became an enjoyment. It gives me something to look forward to when I am down and makes me happier. Getting the euphoria after finishing a run or workout just gets us on what we call a runner's high. Sure, it is tough – waking up at 5:00 am to go to morning practice on a school day, running when it is 100 degrees out, to running when it is -10 degrees out, and the pain was unbearable. But it helps build character. All that pain has become a part of me now and has shaped me into who I am now.
Running makes me forget about all the obligations, the stress that I struggle with. It makes me feel free, with no care in the world. All the thoughts of having to be the stereotypical Asian or all the homework I have to do, it all gets washed away.
Running also introduced me to many new friends. I used to hang out by myself, focus on schoolwork more than anything else. I would not really talk with anybody and would keep to myself most of the time. But when I found running, I opened up. I found people that struggled through the same things that I did because all of us were student-athletes (balancing school work and while still being an athlete). These friends that I have made will last a lifetime.
Before running came into my life, I have never experienced such a close friendship; my teammates became my second family; I spent so much time with them that we grew so close to each other. But once it did, I found a whole new life. It moulded me, shaped me into the person I am now. Now I am a runner. No, now I am living.