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| Even if you Were Not a Player (2010 Softball)
Grayson Keith
Gulotta- Topics D
Sports Moment
My sports moment happened just
recently. It started early on Monday morning at 6:30am. I remember setting five
alarms before going to sleep the night prior and snoozing through three of them
until I finally mustered the strength to lift myself out of bed. I took a
freezing cold shower to wake myself up and was quickly on my way over to the
Jack. I arrived 15 minutes early because I knew I would need to mentally
prepare for what I was about to do, as well as warm my body up for the beating
it was about to take. Mr. Lewton was in waiting for me when I got there, along
with Arwen, John and Josiah. I remember thinking that this little crew we had
was small in numbers but rich in spirit. As 6:30 crept closer and closer I
actually became more calm and anxious to get started. I set my watch, took a
quick sip of water, nodded to my three companions, and we were off.
Running
a marathon was something I never thought I would do. It never crossed my mind to
put my body through a grueling test like that, especially because I was never
excited about running anything over 100 yards. This was my mindset up until Mr.
Lewton announced the Remembrance Run at meeting two weeks earlier. As he
explained the challenge and the reason he was running so far, I knew I needed
to be a part of it. The run was in remembrance of Sargent First Class Andrew
Weathers and the Boston Marathon bombings. Honoring a fallen hero and suffering
myself for those in Boston two years ago that fell victim to terrorist acts was
an easy choice for me. I made the decision that morning to join Mr. Lewton in
his effort to not only raise money, but also make a personal sacrifice out of
respect for those who lost their lives.
I didn’t
prepare at all for the marathon. Reflecting back on it now, that may not have
been the best approach, but I wasn’t going to let that hold me back from
completing this challenge. In the week leading up to the 26.2 miles, I ran a
mere 6 miles. Although a daunting thought I still managed to click START on my
watch and get my legs moving. Campus loop after campus loop went by and the
miles started accumulating. I began to feel confidence fill my heart, body,
lungs and thankfully my legs. By 8am we had run 9 miles together as a group. We
kept track of this by drawing a tick mark on our arms every lap. This visual
representation of my progress gave me a sense of motivation I later would be
very thankful for. By 8am I felt great, I had 9 miles under my belt…but I had
to go to class. I ran up the stairs of Math Science to my Psychology classroom
and paced around the classroom with adrenaline. Sitting down was the hardest
part. All I could think about was running another lap, cramping up, being out
there with Mr. Lewton running. Luckily my teacher noticed my anxiousness and
allowed me to leave if I answered a question. I made sure I answered thoroughly
and made my way down the stairs to cram a few more laps in before I had to sit
down again for Monday meeting. I squeezed two more miles in before finding my
seat in Allen Theater. Once again the anxiousness kicked in. Thoughts of being
out on the road tempted me, but I pushed through. Despite the rainy weather, It
was Mountain Day and my excitement grew to a whole new level. This pleasant
announcement allotted me the time and freedom I needed to finish this
challenge.
I booked
it out the side door of Allen and was back running within seconds of meeting
ending. The next three hours were a gut check for me. I had never pushed my
body and mind as far as I did during those 15 remaining miles. Thankfully the
people around me were going through a similar struggle, and for Josiah the
exact struggle. Every two miles we would stop at the “Hydration Station” where
Mrs. Lewton would meet us with Skittles, water and other little snacks to keep
our bodies working. As she cheered us on to the next mile we immediately
thought about the next quick stop at the “Hydration Station”. As the miles
wound down, our bodies did too. I knew that my mind would soon have to take
over control to keep me going. Every miles I would think ahead and visualize
the stretch of road I would be encountering. Each hill, turn, flat and decline
were ingrained in my brain. I would look forward 100 yards and say to myself “OK,
make it too the tree and go from there”. Each checkpoint I set it my head was
reason for celebration. It helped shrink the size of the mile loop down. At
this point I had 6.2 miles left. Mr. Lewton had already finished and Josiah and
I were on our own. Thoughts of Andrew Weathers, fallen heros and the events of
the Boston Marathon bombing rushed into my head every time I felt doubt. Every
time I felt like quitting I thought about Mr. Lewton who was waiting at the
finish line for me, and I could always look to me left and see Josiah, going
through the same struggle as me. As I curved the corner of Stanley Dorm and the
“Hydration Station” my legs took off. The .2 miles of jogging I had left
quickly turned into a sprint. I was filled with life as the finish line came
into my sight. Sprinting fast across the finish line I was overwhelmed with
joy. Joy because I didn’t have to run another mile, joy because I had finished
something that seemed so impossible, joy because of the reasons I ran the
marathon and joy because I pushed my body to a place it never had been and set
a new bar for y mental toughness. It left me feeling like I could now do
anything, no matter how impossible it may seem. Running this marathon was a
defining moment for me, through the painful aftermath of sore muscles and
blistered feet, I still felt joy because I had learned so much about myself in
the process.
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