The Choice to Run

Zach Barry '20

Long distance running is not your average sport, as I found out on my first day of middle school.  I had always played competitive team sports, such as basketball and baseball, but had never tried running, as there were not many ways to compete bedsides your local yearly 5k on the fourth of July. Making the decision to run took many nights of deep thought and brainstorming. In the end, what pushed me over the starting line to begin the long journey was a gut feeling, entrenched deep inside of me and whispering that choosing another sport besides running would be the wrong one. In the end, I am extremely glad about my decision and truly believe the sport and the people I have surrounded myself with through the sport have influenced my life for the better. Running has become a deep passion of mine and is not only a sport, but a lifestyle. In running, not only is it essential to focus on keeping your body in the best of shape, but it is also crucial to pay attention to what you eat, how much water you drink, and how much sleep you get. Choosing to run has created a deeper feeling of dedication inside of me that has led me to become a better athlete, student, and person. It has led me to aspire to run in college and to be careful by going through a deep process and placing trust in myself when making decisions. You never know how deep of an effect the choices you make on a daily basis can have on you and the people that surround you everyday.

The reason I want to run in college is not only because I have a love for the sport. If running could possibly help me solidify a position at a top notch academic school, then I would love to do so. The team aspect would be an all round amazing experience and would truly inspire me to make the decision to run in college in the near future. Although it would not necessarily ease the stress of college, I believe it would be a great way of getting to know people and help with the social aspect. One experience that solidified my desire to run in college was when I competed at nationals for the junior high mile in 7th grade. This was an extremely large meet that hosted some of the top athletes in the country. Being able to watch these athletes compete showed me the hard work they put in and the hard work that I have to put in in order to be at the level they are one day in the near future. Going to practice every day, early in the morning every summer may not to appeal to many, but the few who are willing to wake up before dawn find others that are willing to put the mileage in on long, fast runs with them. On daily runs it is predictable to go through terrain ranging from hilly forests with a dirt covered surface with an occasional root, to sidewalk pavement along a busy intersection. The type of people that would be willing to run along with me and show the tremendous amounts of dedication needed to thrive in the sport would be the classmates I would hopefully have running in college.

The decision I made to run at a young age has led me to be thoughtful when making resolutions, big and small, that affect my life and the lives of the people I hold close to me. Having the ability to make choices is something I took for granted every day. One choice that stands out was making the move up from Naples, Florida to Wellesley, Massachusetts. Both of my sisters will be in college this year, so I’m all alone in a new house with my parents giving me more attention then I bargained for. While the decision to move was primarily based off of the reasoning for my dad’s career in investing, it was also focused on my education and future as an adult. Additionally, my parents wished to give me the feeling of being raised in a more traditional environment. I had many good friends in Naples and I had lived there for the majority of my life. While this factor pulled me towards staying, there was always something in the back of my mind that told me that I would regret that decision. As my eighth grade school year was dwindling away, and the second semester had begun, it was time to make a final decision. During those crucial moments, I thought of all of the potential outcomes of staying and leaving for a new town, and one perspective that drew me to Wellesley was that I believed that more like-minded people would come my way. From running I have learned that you cannot half- commit to something; you either dive right in, or you back off and call it a day. Day in and day out, I pondered moving up to Wellesley. In the end, what was truly important for me in making the decision to move was that if I was going to take this leap of faith, I would have to jump right in and prove to the people in this new environment and community and show them my strongest traits. After four years here at Wellesley High and in Wellesley itself, I hope I will feel happy with the decision my family and I made, and maybe a smile will cross from ear to ear on my face.

Not only making the choice to run, but also running itself, has created a deeper feeling of aspiration and dedication inside of me. As a child, I had always been a driven student and athlete.  While I competed at a high level in sports such as basketball and baseball, I had never really found a sport where I could truly dominate the field and stand out. When trying out for cross country in sixth-grade, I though that I had the potential to be that stand-out athlete that I had strived to be all of my childhood. I attended a K-12th grade school, meaning that middle school students could participate in high school athletics. In the first days of practice, I was well ahead of my middle school peers, and the coach decided to move me up to the high school team. While it was a scary thought to have to train with high school athletes, the relationships I had with them came fluidly as both of my sisters were in high school at that time, and also were captains of the cross country and track teams. Toeing the line on my first race, a mixture of nervousness and excitement boiled in my stomach. After around 20 minutes of a constant blur, I was done. I had run sub-par. I hadn’t trained hard enough and I lacked effort and dedication. The feeling of not being prepared for an athletic event was one of the greatest lessons I have learned to this day. I was sure I would never make that mistake again. Even though I had been surrounded by high school athletes who were much larger and stronger, they were not exactly a dedicated group of people, which in part influenced my view of the amount of work is necessary to not only succeed in cross country but also in life. While how I display the team’s character might sound harsh, it comes to my mind after being with the group of Wellesley High school runners that are such a committed and impressive group. Between my sixth and seventh grade years, I began to train harder and harder, but I stayed within the limit my body had set for me because I was nowhere near full development. My muscles were scrawny, my bones small and fragile. During that season, I learned of a competition called New Balance Nationals for track. There were extremely difficult qualifying standards and the junior high qualifying time for the mile was a five-minute.  I had a new goal to reach. Every track workout, long run, every second of every day was focused on achieving that goal. And I did it. After completing my second year of running, I had improved by over two minutes in the 5k and moved my mile time down to under five minutes. The valuable lesson I learned is that with dedication, commitment, and hard work comes results. 

Running is a lifestyle, and while it may rule my life at times, it all will pay off in the end by solidifying traits of commitment and dedication. From my own personal experience, I can truly say that if I was without running I would be a completely different person on a completely different life track right now. We will never know that guy, and I wish I could someday see what he would have been like, but for now, I am happy right where I am, being exactly who I am.  Running might be difficult sometimes, and I might want to stop, but if I stop during a race the same thing will happen if I stop in life: I will get behind. When you fall behind a pack, it is almost impossible to catch back up. Running is for the chosen, and those who choose to fill their life with running itself usually reek of passion, dedication, commitment, and perseverance. The experiences I have had and lessons I have learned through running have changed me for the better in numerous ways, and will have a lasting effect on the choices I will make in the future.