Running is a sport that is all about control. The
definition of control is the ability to direct the flow of something. Success
in running requires control over your mind and body and the ability for them to
work together.
I learned control was key to success in my first
official two mile cross country race in sixth grade. I learned about control
the hard way. As soon as the starting gun went off, I sprinted to the front of
the pack. Bad Idea! One half mile in, runners started passing me. My response? I
sped up. Another bad idea! By the one mile mark, I was out of gas, and I still
had one mile to go. That mile felt like it was never going to end. When I
crossed the finish line, I collapsed. I was dead tired. I could barely move.
Most of all, I felt deflated. I had let myself and my teammates down. When the
times were in, I had run my fastest mile ever up to that point (6:30) in the
first half of the race, and my slowest mile ever (8:40) in the second half.
I have run hundreds of miles in countless races since
that day. The most important lesson I learned is that success in racing
requires control. First, you must control your pace. A runner must pace his
breathing to match the cadence of his steps. A runner must also control his
speed and stride so that he does not burn out or run out of energy before the
end of the race. In my first cross country race, I failed to control my speed
and pace.
Another aspect of competitive running is control over
attitude. It is proven that if you want to win the race, you must think you can
win, otherwise, you will not win. Positive thinking is essential in every sport,
especially running. As Aristotle said “self-control; what lies in our power to
do, it lies in our power not to do.”
As a teenager who often feels life is out of control,
running is a place where I feel in complete control. When I am running, I
direct the flow of the energy to my body and mind. In other sports, you must
have a position, technique, coach, or play you must follow. In running, I have
the freedom to control how we think and move, and my legs are the only playbook
I need.
