Stay Inspired

So tomorrow is our first real meet of the season and while its an exciting moment for everyone on the team i think one thing stands out among the rest. It is finally our year to dominate.  Sure, last year we had a good season and i wouldn’t trade those moments for anything in the world but it has only been a stepping stone to the progression as runners we are today. Too long have we been over looked and now it is finally our time to put Parkway Central’s distance team on the map.  I can never help but to look back to when Eric and I were just freshman.  Brian didn’t start running until his sophmore year but nevertheless i think this is the year that we’ve always wanted.  At least in the past couple years Parkway Central (on the boys side) never proved to be anything spectacular.  Sure, we had runners such as Kevin Krumrey, Brandon Sheperd, Diane Robison, and Emily Sisson but what could PCH do as a team?  People knew that Eric was on his rise but I don’t think anyone will realize how good of a runner he really was or is going to be.  If our team cannot prove to be successful this year then i don’t think Parkway Central’s distance team will have any success as a whole for a very long time at least not as much success we could potentially have this year.  It makes everything about this season so important.  It’s not only important to us but to the school and the program.  

I couldn’t be talking about any of this if it weren’t for the hardwork and dedication we have put into this sport.  It is part of the reason why we’ve been waiting for this year for so long and why it will hurt so bad if we do not perform well.  But those thoughts cannot dwell within us and they won’t because our team aside from others carry something special that i don’t think other teams have.  One of the many reasons why Parkway Central has been able to exemplify obvious growth over the years is simply because of the bond between our runners, especially the varsity runners.  It is safe to say that Eric, Brian Myers, Bogus Brian and the rest of the varsity are some of my best friends and i wouldn’t trade any moment i’ve had with them throughout my running career for anything in the world.  It’s this relationship that continues to carry us to phenomenal success every year.  Sure we want to win our races but in a sense we are also participating in this gruesome sport that is distance running for each other.  We have to be honest with ourselves and the program which is the fact that our team carries little to no depth.  We all have a great understanding for this and because of it it puts everything on the line in the sense that if one clog of the machine falls apart then the machine is unable to function and falls apart.  

Looking back through the past couple years to the hardest workouts we’ve done, how we’ve pushed each other to keep standing and to keep encouraging ourselves that our day would come exemplifies our growth as not only runners but individuals. This proves to me that there is no excuse as to  why we shouldn’t win every race simply because we deserve it.  

I have been wanting this for nearly all of high school.  It is the force which motivated me to kick my own ass both morning and afternoon in the off-season in hopes that i would excel beyond the average distance runner and become a part of this special team.  We cannot lie to ourselves that we have wanted this for years and we knew we can make it happen: qualifiers in every single distance event to state which the sport has to offer and medals, lots of medals.  Last year we surprised ourselves and came on top of Parkway West a squad who we USED to see as untouchable.  Last year we achieved the feat of qualifying to state, something that which never really even crossed any of our minds. Today i am saying that we are a new team.  We cannot bother ourselves to reckon with teams inside this conference but outside. Why?  Because we are running this bitch.

Asperger’s Syndrome

I’m just sitting here researching about Asperger’s Syndrome both reading and watching numerous of videos about the disorder and i’m just so curious as to what it would be like to be in their shoes.  To lack the ability to read emotions and to challenge yourself to engage in conversation despite your disorder must be one of the hardest challenges.  What bothered me is that many of the people diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome are actually super bright people but bullies within society ostracize them for their talents and as a result many of these fine individuals hide themselves from their communities.