Cross Country, Then and Now
Jazmin C. Urioste
Mindy Hudson
Comp 1
September 13, 2013
Cross Country, Then and Now For the past six years of my life, I ran for the Eureka Springs High School cross country team. After graduation, I was given the opportunity to run for the Golden Suns cross country team at Arkansas Tech University. In a matter of six months, my cross country experiences and habits were changed. Often times, there are similarities between two subjects such as these, but in this case, only the differences are obvious. There are changes in not only the way that I run, but the team I ran with, the coach I ran under, and the person I am when I run. These changes have caused me to see what I can do as a runner and a college student. One of the most evident changes that I have undergone as a runner is my team. In high school I ran alone with no other girls to stand at the starting line with. Running alone was difficult, but it made it much more comfortable for me, as a runner, to stop thinking so hard about everything that surrounded me and accomplish what I needed to in a race. I didn’t have anyone to compete with and I ran for the joy of running. Nothing else mattered when I ran, not place, not time, not the runners, all that mattered was me crossing the finish line. Six months later, I now have competition that is my teammates; I have a specific time I need to meet, a specific place that I need to cross the finish line and specific jerseys to look for while on the course. I never thought the adjustment to college running would be so difficult for me, but it is changing me as a runner. I am running in my head rather than on the course. I am running against my team rather than with them and this is holding me back from being the runner and the student I need to be, but it is giving me a different outlook on how I can and should run. In high school, I was coached by one man for the entire six years that I ran. Coach Hassell Bell was the one person who kept me motivated to
Mindy Hudson
Comp 1
September 13, 2013
Cross Country, Then and Now For the past six years of my life, I ran for the Eureka Springs High School cross country team. After graduation, I was given the opportunity to run for the Golden Suns cross country team at Arkansas Tech University. In a matter of six months, my cross country experiences and habits were changed. Often times, there are similarities between two subjects such as these, but in this case, only the differences are obvious. There are changes in not only the way that I run, but the team I ran with, the coach I ran under, and the person I am when I run. These changes have caused me to see what I can do as a runner and a college student. One of the most evident changes that I have undergone as a runner is my team. In high school I ran alone with no other girls to stand at the starting line with. Running alone was difficult, but it made it much more comfortable for me, as a runner, to stop thinking so hard about everything that surrounded me and accomplish what I needed to in a race. I didn’t have anyone to compete with and I ran for the joy of running. Nothing else mattered when I ran, not place, not time, not the runners, all that mattered was me crossing the finish line. Six months later, I now have competition that is my teammates; I have a specific time I need to meet, a specific place that I need to cross the finish line and specific jerseys to look for while on the course. I never thought the adjustment to college running would be so difficult for me, but it is changing me as a runner. I am running in my head rather than on the course. I am running against my team rather than with them and this is holding me back from being the runner and the student I need to be, but it is giving me a different outlook on how I can and should run. In high school, I was coached by one man for the entire six years that I ran. Coach Hassell Bell was the one person who kept me motivated to