Running Personal Statement Essay

Personal Statement As I crossed the finish line, the rush of excitement and relief that overcame me was a feeling that I would never forget. As a runner, qualifying for Districts gave me the confidence to believe in myself knowing that my efforts in putting in more mileage and gaining more passion for the sport allowed me to create new goals for myself. This experience has also given me the opportunity to further my growth not only as an athlete but as an individual and to become the type of runner and person that I aspire to be from the lessons that I learned. Since 8th grade, I have participated in cross country as an alternate sport. While not being one of the top or more of the talented runners, I had never thought of cross country as anything more than just an extracurricular. However, during my junior year of high school, I began taking the sport more seriously after realizing my potential in running with the top 8 girls on the team. This season was also unlike most seasons that I had ever experienced because I felt healthier and faster. Because of this I had the hopes of qualifying for Districts. To achieve this goal, I went beyond what was expected of me by running every Saturday to incorporate extra mileage in my training and
Because I qualified, I was able to run a 5-kilometer race under 23 minutes for the very first time. To me, being able to run under 23 minutes was another important accomplishment that I thought I would never achieve. I felt as if I gained respect from both my teammates and my coach. It helped prove that I was not just an average runner participating in the sport solely for the running aspect of it, but because I wanted to further my growth as an athlete and compete with other experienced runners. Qualifying for Districts gave me the opportunity to experience running in a higher-level environment and give me the confidence to believe in