Personal Narrative: Coach Rojas

I never knew what coach Rojas meant by saying “you gotta push yourself to succeed” until I experienced it. I allowed these words into my life my sophomore year at Downtown Magnets High School when I decided to join the Cross Country team. The team and I approached the starting line but as we approached it I remembered what the team told me once. “Competition gets harder the further the team goes” they once said which made me realize we had made it so far in the competition. It was now league finals, the hardest meet a cross country team can run. I was suddenly in my ready position at the starting line. Then, the gun went off. We started up a small dusty hill and as I was running I noticed many runners passing me. At that moment I knew that the team and I
As I ran that hill I began to cry because of the pain. I thought my legs were going to give out from underneath me. The pain I was feeling helped me take a few strides that caused me to stumble a little, but soon regained my composure. I was at the top. All that was left was one last final turn, and then the downhill. I could see the finish line in the distance and then started sprinting. Coach Rojas was screaming at me to keep going and not to stop. At this point, my heart was pounding rapidly. My body was worn down, hot and exhausted. Crossing the finish line was the only thing on my mind. For a moment, I blocked off from the race and thought about all the hard work that went into the season. I crossed the finish line and at that moment I knew that I had put my sweat and tears into this race. I couldn’t feel my legs, all I wanted was water. Soon after I heard that we won Second place in the district which was the best the team has won. I felt no pain at this point since I was part of a group of people who loved this sport and put effort into it. It gave me happiness to be part of a team that now was like my