A cross country race is exhilarating. In a cross country race, the feeling is pretty much a feeling of death, and I think to myself, “Why the hell am I doing this?” Then I remember that running is fantastic. Running a 5k race is the most amazing yet horrible feeling in the world. Some people walk during a race and that's painful to watch because I’m still running, and pushing my muscles to keep going. My muscles will burn with power as I run; they will flex on an uphill, while my knees lock on the downhill. That's when concentration becomes the key, reminding myself to loosen up and to push with an intense need to go faster, to beat the next person in front of me.  In a race I feel free.While telling myself that I can beat anyone (or that I will sure as hell will try to), I must try to beat everyone. I can’t just think it.
    

When racing it's like being in a whole new world, one of pain, freedom, and strength. The world of pain from the burn in my lungs to the burn in my muscles. I draw strength from my team, cheering and racing alongside me, telling me to go faster, having them believe in my strength to go on.
      

When pushing myself to go harder and having my mind try to tell me to slow down or to stop is hard. Being stronger than my muscle pain and stronger than the negative thoughts running through my mind, that's hard too. During a cross country race I race through mental walls: walls of pain, walls of doubt, walls of fears, and walls of disappointment. While forcing my way through a  wall of pain, I remind myself of all the training I have gone through and all the hardships of that track workout from the other day that is harder than running the race. To run through walls of doubt, where I am worried about  a good time, or worried about finishing, that is harder than running the race. Running through fears of getting tripped, hit, spiked, or even not being able to breathe, that is harder than running the race. Running through the possible disappointment of my family, team, or coach, that is harder than running the race. Now running through all of these walls as they come to me all while pushing my legs to go faster, I take time to take a deep breath, smell the clear air around me, and relax, pushing the nerves down enough to go on and finish.  
    

When seeing a racer start, I see them start with their legs. When watching a racer in the middle of a race, they are racing with their minds. But when I see racers finish, they are racing with not their legs or mind, no, they’re racing with their hearts and souls to have a fantastic finish.
          

That is a cross country race, and that is why I love cross country.