I’m pretty sure if everyone thinks about there first mile, everyone can all agree that it was pretty hard and at the time it was something that we thought that we would never ever do it again. That’s how I felt my first mile way back in 5th grade. I would have never thought that today I would be running and exercising  only for the pleasure and the wonderful feeling of accomplishment as a sport. This did not all happen overnight, it took me about a month to get in the habit of running and training everyday. This was not an easy choice, there was a lot I had to do before it came a part of me. Also, there is more to running then the sense of pride, it really affects your daily life and your health.
First off I just need to put it out there, running is not easy! The part that is the most difficult is that I really need to buckle down and fight towards the end sometimes, because if I don’t do that, I will never really have that sense of pride that the person in front of me has. One thing I learned is that the pain is only temporary,  but if I decide to give up, then the pain of guilt will never go away, and thats the worst kind of pain in my opinion. That is one of the things that I think about during a race. After season is over, it’s really hard to keep going when no one is making you, but just think, “If I stop now, I’m never going to be as good as I was yesterday so I have to keep going.”
Although most people don’t think about this, running can not only help with the sports, but it also helps with health. First off, people who don’t have the willpower to run tend to not do anything active, and that can be critical to a person's health. Running can help lose weight and keep and maintain a good healthy heart. It also it decreases the risk of a heart attack. Another thing that changes is that within a month of running is all the muscles in the leg will all start to look really defined and will help keep up with your running. Along with the legs, other parts of your body will start to change and look more fit and healthy. The average distance for a cross country meet is two and a half miles for girls and about three miles for guys. That may seem like a lot, but with proper training it gets easier, and even more fun.
I know it seems really hard, but trust me, it gets easier as the training goes on. Another really important thing to do is to start at your own pace. If your friend goes two miles a day and you can’t do that yet, only do whats comfortable. Everyone starts at there own pace and it’s completely fine. When I ask people who don’t run why they don’t, usually their answer is that “it’s too hard” or that they “can’t fit it into their daily life.” When I ask people who do run why they run, usually their answers are “because its fun”, or “it relieves stress”, or they just want to “keep in shape.”
Running is kind of a weird pleasure because it’s so painful sometimes, but yet I somehow can’t get away from it. Thinking about my first mile and then where I am today, I have really come far with it. It’s honestly probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and it’s something that I and won’t can’t let go of.   “A moment of pain is worth a lifetime of glory.” - Pete Zamborini.