It was a dreary day at Cenntenial Park in Etobicoke, but my ticket to the next cross-country meet was shining about 50 metres away from me.
The top 22 runners moved on to the regional race in a weeks time. I was runner number 23. The guy I had to catch was 50 metres away and not slowing down as he entered the stadium, the last leg of the race.
At that moment I couldn’t help but feel defeated. Negative thoughts poured into my oxygen-starved brain. There was no way I could catch him. That runner was the fastest man alive. This was my last chance to make it on in elementary school and I was wrecking it.
Running is 90 per cent mental and I was failing in that department, big time.
Suddenly another thought came into my brain, one that wiped all the others off the table with a quick and confident swipe; always finish fast.
In pre-run pep talks my dad had always told me to finish a race fast and that if I felt strong at the end of a run, it meant I could have gone faster.
All of a sudden I was in ‘The Zone’, that mythical place athletes go when they are at their best, when nothing can stop them. I had always thought it was like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate factory; really cool, a little scary, but in the end just a made up place. That day I proved to myself it is real.
I passed the other runner, came 22nd and went on to the regionals.
The advice I used that day will never leave me. It is something I use every time I go for a goal, do any work or try to achieve something, big or small.
This is my last post in this blog, my final stretch before the finish line. I am going on to other races, other courses with different obstacles and moments of exhaustion and glory. So here goes my last kick, hopefully I can leave everything on the course.
If I have learned anything in my ventures in life, whether it is running, chasing a story for journalism, volunteering, making smores or writing this blog, it is that hard work, a belief in yourself, a sense of humor and love for others will carry you through some of the best and worst moments of your life.
If you work hard and give everything you have to something, like that moment all those days ago when I qualified, you will reach your goal, because having no regrets and being proud of yourself, no matter the outcome, should always be a top priority.
Believing in yourself will tear off all the negative words and actions that are trying to grab you and bring you down. When you start believing in yourself, others will believe in you, even when things don’t always go as planned.
Humor makes you an optimist. When you laugh, it’s easier to notice others laughing. When you smile, it’s easier to notice others smiling. And when you start to notice these things that make you happy it just builds and soon the thousands of little things blot out a lot of the bad things.
And finally, loving others helps the world love you back, and more importantly it helps you to love yourself. It’s not always easy to love people. I’ve seen enough bullying, racism, prejudice and hate to realize it is almost impossible sometimes. But hate only breeds hate. And if that’s true, than love must breed love.
So in this race that is life, follow your dreams. When a runner falls, give them a hand. When you reach the top of a mountain, admire the view. And when you reach the final stretch give it your all, finish fast, be proud and keep it going in your next race. One day soon, you will, not might, you will reach your goals, one stride at a time.
