Life as a Runner

Yesterday, August 30th, The Ohio Dominican Cross Country team suffered through a tempo run. The sun was a cool 97 degress, with a strong humidity. Before we even ran, before we even stretched, bullets of sweat glossed our foreheads. Sharon woods was the location of our torture. The 3.8 mile loop, which we all loved, felt like fire to our feet at each step. 6 miles was our task, our ambitious goal. "Water, Water, Water!" our Coach, Paul Benedict shouted from the shaded tree, and a measly 6 water bottles in a container. This would not be enough for the 20 harriers set to battle. but we knew thats all we had, and maybe, just maybe, all we needed. The watched clicked, and the iPods within our ears, the beat of "Down" by Blink 182 set my pace. Each step hurt. My feet have never felt this bad, but I must endure. Already my body is covered in sweat, and the mile mark is still half a mile away. "Why do I do this?" I ask myself. I think I ask myself this same question every day.