Nancy: Nothing Can Slow Me Down

Nancy is a a student at Alliance Tajima High School, she is the winner of the SRLA Beachcomber 10K Blog contest.

My first race, the SRLA Beachcomber 10k 2018. Unforgettable. I ran a fast pace. Adrenaline coursing through my veins. 6.2 miles would be my longest run yet. Difficult. I remember needing to drink water and stretch my cramping muscles. 1 hour 7 minutes. Proud. I would do better next time.

This year I was prepared to shave seconds, maybe minutes off my time. The day came. Determined. Sick the day before, nevertheless I would take off running. Up at 4:30am in the morning determined to improve.

We arrived at the beach. As usual, the coaches picked up bibs, cheered while handing them out to racers. We stretched, warmed up, prepared to race. I had memorized the course, but anxiety settled in. Doubt. “What if I don’t beat my time?” Twenty minutes before the race, I stood in line to use the restroom trying to calm my nerves. The line was taking forever. Only 5 minutes left before the start. I bolted back, late to the starting line and I was positioned behind the cluster of runners.

I squeezed to the front and once I was able to run, I took off nonstop for 3 miles. Miscalculated. I had forgotten what it felt to run 6 miles. Exhausted. I started coughing non-stop, my throat extremely sore. My body needed a break. I walked. Disappointed. I started to lose hope that I would break my personal record. I had walked for too long to be able to catch up, or so I thought.

In the distance I could see my coach. I couldn’t just give up. I had been looking forward to this race. I practiced so hard. Negativity couldn’t stop me. There was more stopping between now and the finish line. Finished.

I went to receive my medal and shirt. At that point I had forgotten about my time. Proud. Proud of myself for not losing to a cough and still deciding to run. First period. I walked into class. My coach smiled, congratulating me. She turns her phone to show me something. My time, 1 hour 4 minutes. Happy I completed the race 3 minutes faster!. Perseverance. Nothing can slow me down.

You can support SRLA students like Nancy and her teammates by making a contribution at srla.org/donate