Blogs About My Life 3: XC + 10th Grade = DEATH

What Did I Get Myself Into!?!!?!

It would've been easier to just say no and go on with my inactive, lazy life. Actually, no it wouldn't have been, BECAUSE I CAN'T SAY NO!

Whoa whoa whoa. Hold on a minute. Hi. My name is Madaline, and I'm going into 10th grade in just a few weeks (wow, summer is too short). Now, you may be completely new, you may be a fan of the other Blogs About My Life, or, you might even be someone who comes from my time in The Pals fandom. So, welcome to Blogs About My Life 3!

If there is one thing all of my readers have in common right now, it is confusion regarding literally everything I just wrote (except for that paragraph you just read). That's the point. I guess I'll be nice and explain what the heck is going on. And I should probably explain some things that happened while I was in ninth grade because I left you guys in the dark about a lot of things. (For a book called "Surviving Freshman Year" I didn't really talk about school that much.) Let me take you back... 

One summer ago was the WORST summer of my life. By the last month or two of eighth-grade things were already going downhill. I've only told one person about this extremely dark time for me, and it's going to stay that way for a while. I will tell you guys that it was awful and it didn't start getting better until a few months after I started ninth grade. I'm so glad to say that I've been doing a million times better this summer. 

My sister, Marry (we're using fake names now- except for mine, lol) decided that she wanted to do cross country that fall, So she started going to practices twice a week during the summer. I'm not totally sure how it happened, and I'm sure my family pushed me to do so, but I decide to join her for a practice. Oh boy, oh joy... The coach was happy, because he wants everyone to do cross country. But, I on the other hand, after running-- COMPLETELY OUT OF SHAPE. Needless to say, I hated it. He told me to don't quit on him and that I have to keep running to get in shape. I did the exact opposite of what he told me to do. In other words: I quit on him and tried to avoid anything to do with cross country for the rest of the summer; retreating to my room and my deep dark mind. But life... had other plans for me. 

My mom comes home and tells me that the coach thought that I was responsible and wanted me to help him out. I objected, being in the state of mind that I was in, and tried to hide from everything. A few practices later, this coach still hasn't taken no for an answer, and finally, my mom convinced me to do it. I went to a practice at the farm, which was our home course. Coach had me write down all the times, and I started learning names.

One day was team picture day, where everyone took pictures individually and with their teams (high school girls, middle school boys, etc..). I was in a horrible mood. Actually, I was probably sulking and thinking about how my life couldn't be any worse. Anyways, when they were taking all the team pictures, I was sitting off to the side, but apparently, I had to be in one. That one would be the middle school girls photo even though I was going into ninth grade. I had to put on a shirt that didn't match what the runners were wearing; it was sunny out and my glasses are transition lenses so you can't see my eyes, and I look like I'm trying to smile, but I also look like I could kill someone. Which, let's be real, I probably really wanted to. And that's how I ended up in the middle school yearbook despite not being in middle school. 

When the school year officially started, I went and got water bottles for everyone before practice started, but after that, I was pretty much useless. During meets, I'd write down everyone's times, which was definitely a huge help to the coach. I was extremely bored every single day after school and it didn't help that I had zero friends on the team or that practices would last 'till five pm, meets would last longer, and that I'd sometimes have to sacrifice my Saturdays. So, managing the team was boring. Good thing it only lasted from August-Novemeber-- just about HALF THE SCHOOL YEAR!

This coach-- ah, we need to name him. How about... Coach Wall! So, Coach Wall wanted me to do indoor track (actually run in it) after cross country was over, to which I said that I needed a break. So, got out of that. He also wanted me to do track in the spring, which, personally, track has way too many people in it (especially what I assume to be the popular kids) and I am never going to do it. But I was forced to go with my sister to the first practice because she was scared. She obviously found a friend by the end of the day, so I had to awkwardly stand by the fence IN THE FREEZING COLD! I thought my thumbs would fall off. I had to wait like an hour for my mom to come. And she had the nerve to go to the grocery store when she KNEW I was stuck out in the cold. 

Near the end of the year, Coach Wall was substituting my science class. So, we talked, and I told him that I'd do Cross Country. I went to the information meeting with Marry. And yeah...

Now, I'm signed up for Cross Country for the rest of my high school career. Do I have regrets already? Yes. It's called not running every day and still not being in shape. I'm also one of the worst on the team (don't worry, I'm not beating myself up about that). But luckily I have someone to keep me company. I'm just really wondering, WHAT DID I GET MYSELF INTO!?!?!?!

Oh, and guess who I got to join me in this torture?