Personal Narrative: My First Track

Two years ago, on a cold Saturday morning, I prepared for my first ever track tryout. I took a shower, put on my clothes, and got into the car. On my way to practice, I felt strong physically, but I also had an undefined, jittery feeling about how the day was going to go. At 7:25am, I arrived at practice and was quickly spotted by the coach. He called me over and said, "You're a big, fast guy, and I want you to be a sprinter." I knew I was fast, but I thought that being 6'1 and 225 pounds, I would be considered overweight to be a sprinter. As the week went on, I qualified for the 200 meters in the Sophomore Invitational, which I ended up placing third in. After finishing the race, I felt energized, and my coach recognized my potential to be a 400 meter runner. The week after the invitational, we hosted our first tri-meet, and the coach signed me up for the 400 meters. After I patiently waited for an hour, the announcer called for the 400 meters runners to check-in. Walking down the bleachers, negative thoughts started to run through my mind. What happens if I fall, come in last place, or even get disqualified? I checked in; after waiting
Weighing 225 pounds, I recognized that I needed to lose weight. Losing weight wasn't that much of a challenge because I went to practice and walked five miles home. Now I weigh 170 pounds. In my first 400 meters race, I ran in 56.4 seconds, and I recently ran the same race in only 51 seconds. I went to both championships last year before I failed to qualify for the next round. However, going from nowhere to possibly breaking the school record this year has motivated me to do greater things in life. Even though track wasn't a life-changing experience, the small things I got out of it were important. For example, I lost weight and gained dedication, medals, and friends. I also learned that if I make the effort, tremendous things are