"On your marks, get set, go!"
I took off, listening to the crowd cheer. I smiled, feeling the rush of exhilaration that always seemed to overtake me whenever I ran. It was Tuesday afternoon, and I was engaged in yet another Cross Country meet. I always loved the feeling I got whenever I went out running like this. I felt... alive and free, like nothing could hold me back. I watched a few other girls pass me right away, but I let go, grinning to myself. Let them run ahead of me, I thought. Let them burn out quickly and not have enough energy left to finish. I can always pass them later.
I continued running, feeling completely calm and peaceful. If I was feeling sad, I would run. If I was under a lot of stress, I would run. If I was feeling any kind of negative emotions, I would run. As long as I was out there, my legs moving, my heart beating, and my blood pumping, I was happy. I had read a study once showing that exercising like this raised the level of endorphins in the brain, leading to more happiness. I could tell from experience that this was true, which was why I tried to get out and run as much as I could.
As the race went on, though, I began to feel fatigue setting in. My muscles were aching, and they seemed to be begging me to stop running and slow down to a walk. For a moment, I considered giving in. Surely it wouldn't be that big of a deal to slow down just for a little bit, right? But I wasn't going to let myself give up like that. I had trained for this all summer, running almost every day to build up my endurance. I had made a promise to myself to not slow down, no matter what. I was going to run this entire race, even if it killed me.
Soon enough, I began nearing the end. I could see the finish line stretching out in front of me, beckoning me to run across it at last! As I approached it, though, I noticed some other girls running ahead of me. I grinned, knowing that this was precisely what I had saved my energy for. I immediately broke into a full sprint, dashing for the finish line as fast as I could go. I pushed my body to the limit, thinking of nothing but sprinting across that line! I managed to pass the girls in front of me just before crossing the line, the crowd cheering for me as I finally slowed down, exhausted.
Breathing heavily, I walked back over to the finish line to cheer on the rest of my team. As I watched them come in, all looking worn out and exhausted, I looked at the placement card I had taken after finishing. Once again, I had finished in the top five. All of the blood, sweat, and tears I had put into this race had paid of, and I was glad to be on top again. Tomorrow, I planed to repeat my success, putting everything I had into running again.
"Wow... you were really fast there."
I turned to find another girl standing next to me. She seemed pretty short, with long blonde hair and a face that seemed young and carefree. She was also holding both a pencil and a notebook. "I wasn't sure you would be able to pass those girls at the end" she said. "I was pretty impressed when you did."
"Er... thanks" I said. "Sorry, but who are you, exactly?"
"Oh, my name's Katherine" said the girl. "I'm actually doing a report for the school newspaper. You're Jessica Thomas, correct?"
"Um, yes" I said. "Is there something you want to ask me?"
"Yeah, there is" said Katherine. "So... what is it you like about Cross Country? What is it that motivates you to really go out there and run? Why do you love doing it so much?"
"Well... I mostly do it as an escape" I said. "I feel like I can run off any kind of stress or negativity that I've been having. It just leaves me feeling so... relaxed, so free. The sense of freedom is the biggest reason I do it, though. There aren't any rules or boundaries out there, and I feel like I can pretty much do whatever or go wherever I want."
