"This I Believe: The Power of Running" by Lindsey

This December, Advanced Composition students studied, wrote, and recorded audio essays. Students wrote and recorded their own "This I Believe" essays inspired by the weekly This I Believe Podcast. While we're publishing the text of each essay below, we strongly encourage you to listen to each student's audio essay for a more intimate experience.

When I entered High School, I decided I wanted to participate in a fall sport, not so much for the athletic aspect of it, but for the team and people I would meet. I was switching school districts and didn’t know many people except for a select group of friends.  Because Field hockey, Dance Team, and Volleyball did not interest me, I decided the Cross Country team would be the best fit. Running was okay and there were no tryouts, so being cut was not an option.  I was not expecting much, as in years before I have never been very athletic.  During my first season of Cross Country, I learned I really enjoyed the sport, especially running through the woods during practice. It was something about getting places on your own two feet. A car or a bike didn’t help, it was just your legs and determination.  I did okay at my first season. I earned a varsity letter, but was not in the top seven or anything, but I was average and it was still better than I expected.

Then, in my first spring track season, it all changed. I remember my first race and how much I improved, surprising myself and my teammates. Back in the fall season, we had to do some timed miles, just to see what our paces were. I was never very good at them; my best time being around the seven minute mark. By a runner’s standard, this is practically walking. This was the first time I had run the 1600 in a race, so I was unsure of my pacing and how to run it. The 1600 is about a mile and four laps around the track. When going at a top speed, it can get pretty tiring. The mile is not a race a runner can sprint the entire time. Careful timing and speed is needed to get to the finish line in one piece. 

In my particular race, there was a pack of girls running together, none of us quite sure what we were doing, like chickens without heads. I was just trying to stay in pace with them, hoping they had a better idea of how the race was going. My main concern was I would use up all my energy in the first lap and not have enough energy to get through the other three. About halfway through the race, my coach started yelling from the sidelines, “I know you all aren’t the same speed”. I took that as my motivation to pick up the pace. I ended up pulling away from the pack and dropping forty seconds from my time; getting me a new personal record of six minutes and twenty seconds. After the race, one of the top senior varsity runners saw my race and told me I would go to districts that year. At first, I didn’t believe her, but I worked hard and ended up with a district spot and dropping more time than I ever thought possible.  

I believe people never know what they are capable of until they try. Before my race, I never knew I was capable of being a good athlete. Throughout my life, I hopped around from sport to sport, trying to get it right.  I was fairly slow at swimming and could never seemed to kick the ball in soccer. I was so close to giving up on sports. That one race boosted my confidence to try new things in other aspects of my life. I have explored new interests, such as signing up to be a tutor at the writing center and participating in National Novel Writing Month. With my new found confidence, I have tried these amazing opportunities and plan to continue expanding my horizons.

"A Reflection on NaNoWriMo" by Lindsey

10th Grade Tutor Lindsey took it upon herself to participate in the National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo. In addition to being a Varsity athlete and a stellar student, Lindsey wrote an entire novel in the month of November. Here are Lindsey's thoughts on her experience:

This past month, I participated in national novel writing month, or NaNoWriMo for short. The goal of this is to write 50,000 words in a month for a novel, or 1,667 words daily. Through the site, participants can have writing buddies and engage in conversations in forums about anything and not be limited to writing or novels. These features make it easier to focus and keep working if others are working right alongside of you, not to mention an enjoyable aspect.  Throughout the month, real, published authors give pep talks about their own experiences and tips for writing a novel. This year, Veronica Roth, author of Divergent, gave a pep talk. She was one of many, but she was the most recognizable, to me at least. I saw people participating in this last year through social media sites and always thought it was interesting. This year, I thought I would give in a try, so I created an account on a whim. I didn’t expect much, but I managed to complete my novel with two days to spare. In the end, I wrote 50,107 words taking up 82 pages, single spaced. Now that I am looking over my novel, I am noticing so many things wrong with it including plot holes and limited character development. I have a lot of editing to do before it is ready to read. I am excited to make this a completed piece and am extremely proud of myself to complete this daunting task. I was sure I would give up after a week, but 50,000 words later, here I am.

NaNoWriMo was such a great experience. I have developed as a writer and learned a lot about my writing style. I didn’t do that much planning, which was a mistake. I know for next year to plan carefully and stick to the plan. I drifted so much from my original plan that it the end didn’t make much sense. I knew this was a learning experience going into the month, so I was prepared to make many mistakes. I met so many great people through this program. I went to write-ins at my local library. Even though they were all adults and I was the only teen there, they welcomed me and I got some great writing done in that time. I also met a teen in Michigan with similar interests to me. We sent messages back and forth to encourage each other throughout the month.

Some things I learned:

• Writing in first person is difficult because it doesn’t give much freedom in perspectives. I always thought first person would be the easiest, but there were many times I wished I could write what was happening elsewhere.
• Planning is needed to know where the plot is going to go. I had a simple idea, but it ended up getting muddled with new ideas. The theme I was going for wasn’t clear.
• Think of the backgrounds of the characters and why they feel the way they do. It helps to have all their character traits written out to refer to when writing.
• It is difficult to advance the plot. Be careful on the action versus internal monologue. I found I would write an internal monologue rather than getting to the good, action parts.
• It really helps to have other writers surrounding you. If there are writing groups at school or in the community, join them.

I would highly recommend participating in NaNoWriMo. It was so creative and a unique opportunity. In school, there are little opportunities to write with no limitations. Even if you don’t consider yourself a writer, that could change when trying something new. To find out more, visit nanowrimo.org to sign up and get started.