A lot of people have a passion, and for many of them, it's participating in a sport. I was one of those people. For me, it was running. My freshman year, I decided to try running track. I could always run decently well, and I thought Id give it a try. I was blessed enough to have some talent. I was in no way anywhere near the best, but I had the possibility to be. Thats the great thing about running; other sports require practice to master skills of the game, running involves day after day of straining and training your body to run as far and as fast as it can. There is no muscle memory in learning moves or skills, just keeping in shape and improving it too. Almost anyone can become the best with enough time of running, just practice harder and more often than the competition. It isnt talent so much as it's dedication. I noticed that, and decided to move on it.
I decided I wanted to become the best I could, and I did. It took me a little over a year, with my boost coming during a 3 month span in which my training involved a 26.2 mile marathon, but I improved dramatically. I was as good as I wanted to be. I had achieved my goal of being MVP of my cross country team. I was even invited on an AAU team that was going to Regionals in Wisconsin and Nationals in Ohio. That changed everything. When you're on the top, the only place to go is down. Some people ride the elevator, and others have their elevator cable cut and come crashing downward.
I joined the team, and trained for Regionals in Wisconsin. That race changed my life. It was 22 degrees at race time, very cold. Tank tops and shorts for runners though, because thats how we do it. But after over 1000 kids ran over the same path no wider than 10 feet, the mud started to get torn up. After the race, I was cooling down with my teammates. I was complaining about how slippery the mud was, taking for granted how blessed I was just to have the opportunity to race there. It was then that I slipped. I felt a sharp pain raise to my knee and stay there. I was forced to stop jogging, and runners dont stop until the run is over. I shortened my cool down to the distance back to the van, and after a while it felt fine. Actually it felt fine for 2 days. It was the next day that the pain returned, while I was 4 miles away from home during a run. I turned around a limped home, paranoid of the fact that I had Nationals in 4 days. I ran Nationals, after 4 days of not running because of an injured knee.
13 months, 1 week and 1 day later, I had gone through 9 doctors appointments; including surgery on my knee. At the end of that length of time, I was successfully diagnosed. I had tendonitis of the right knee, in an area that is aggravated every time the knee bends. Due to that, the injured area will never rest, and thus never heal. My knee pain will stick with me for many years or the rest of my life. My running career is over.
Anything that a person has a passion for, he or she should be willing to give blood, sweat, and tears for. I had given blood and sweat to my sport, gallons of it. I had even given tears, the excitement before Nationals was a lot to handle. But after that last doctors appointment, I vowed I would shed no more tears for the sport that was no longer my own. I couldnt hold true to that.
Taking something for granted is having it taken away. I know this now, and it is a lesson that I will never forget. I found a passion, a determination that I had never felt, and it was taken away. Now I have to deal with the loss for the rest of my life. But there is no going back, no way to undo the damage. This is my story, and now it has forcefully come to an end. After so long of trying to hold on, I now compose and accept my formal farewell.
