How I Overcame My Cross Country Injury

Written on August 17, 2020

My most outstanding achievement is when I was the one Varsity girl to win the Gator Award for my 2019 Cross Country Season. The Gator Award is a plaque that recognizes an athlete who stood out for outstanding performance growth throughout the season. I won this award for my resilience and determination in rising from a challenging injury, which I had to take two weeks off running for in the middle of the season. It was heartbreaking to watch the girls team make significant gains when I was on the sidelines unable to run, but I focused on recovering quickly, maintaining fitness through cross training, and supporting my team. Getting back into running after my injury presented a load of difficulties as I had lost my varsity spot, mental racing mindset, and running speed. However, I leaned on my coaches’ and teammates’ support and belief in me. Through persevering through the challenging races and consistently giving my best effort at practice everyday, I made a legendary comeback. When Championship season rolled around, I crushed every single Championship race, and I earned my spot back onto the Varsity team as well as my point scorer spot at the States Championship race.