The Importance Of Success In Cross Country

When I decided to join cross country team my freshman year, I never envisioned myself being a part of what would become known as “the best team in Hammonton history.” Three years ago, I finished the season as one of the very worst on the team, with no expectations being placed on me for the future. Fast forward to one month ago, when I along with my fellow six varsity teammates lead Hammonton to its first Atlantic County Championship in school history. While much of my improvement can be attributed to my physical growth over the years, I would have never reached that level of success if I did not realize how important it is to maximize my effort in everything that I do. My success in Cross Country was not as much caused by my physical development, but more so by the evolution of my mentality. During my first three years of cross country, I was always content with just being an average runner. Despite my intense dislike for running itself, I enjoyed the health benefits that running offered,
I realized how much potential I had been concealing over the years, and this only motivated me to continue giving it my all. Even before the first meet of the season, my newly found work ethic and ability had astonished my coaches, and before I knew it, I had lofty expectations placed upon me. I fully intended on fulfilling those expectations, and from the first meet of season until the last, I was a part of the top seven, the seven runners that would that become known as the best in Hammonton history. I improved my 5k time by over a minute, and achieved goals that I would have never thought possible even a few months prior. When my season came to an end, I finally took the time to understand what I had accomplished, and took pride in results that came from all the hard work and determination. I had first hand results of what was possible if I put in all my