Track and field has been a passion of mine for many years ever since I was in sixth grade. I discovered track by my cross country coach since he noticed I do way better at sprinting compared to long distance running. I started doing track and field since I was in sixth grade so I’ve been doing it for about 2 years. On my first track meet I ended up getting fourth place in the 100 meter dash and third place in the 200 meter dash which is excellent since it was my first track meet. I loved to run but I was in the wrong form of running so when I joined track and field I thrived way more than cross country. Some events in track and field include javelin, shotput, high jump, 100 meter, 4×100 relay, etc.
Some benefits you get from doing track is improved mental health, being humble and to not give up. Track can improve your mental health when you are going through hard times like for example when my mom was sick with breast cancer it was during track and field season so running was my way of escaping my home life which helped me a lot with my mental health. You have to be humble in track or else you will be the one getting humbled during a race. Don’t act cocky towards your opponents or else they might humble and put you in your place and will lose the race or event you’re in. Before a race I either clear my mind or try to think about something that motivates me. Like for example after the race I’m going to get Chick-fil-A so that’s something to motivate you.When the race finally starts and the pistol goes off I try and run at a 60 percent rate, then midway during the race run 80 percent then finally during the last 50-100 meters I try and sprint as fast as I can. Afterwards I get water as soon as possible or else I will faint and I also sit down and rest. Track and field also taught me to never give up if you didn’t get the place you wanted or you wanted to beat your personal record. There will be faster and better people than you but you will just have to train harder and better whenever you have free time or during practice. For my practice I have to run around two baseball fields in Portage Park and I have to do that four times for it to be a mile. Next I stretch on the grass and go to the empty tennis courts and try to improve my time for the 100 and 200 meter dash then I go to the grass and stretch and that is the end of my practice.
A type of person I would recommend track is someone who loves track, running, throwing heavy objects, doesn’t give up or just likes to exercise. I would also recommend track to someone who doesn’t give up because in track you will lose and win or you won’t beat your personal record. You will want to give up but you also have to keep practicing harder and better to reach your goal. I would also recommend this to someone who likes to exercise because if you want to burn calories quickly then do track and field because running is the fastest way to burn calories and to stay fit.
I highly recommend you to try track and field because ever since I started doing track since sixth grade and it has benefited my running ability, mental health, not giving up and so much more. At my first track meet I got outstanding placings and it was my first track meet. Track is just a really enjoyable sport to do if you want to try out something new. You can also do track and field while doing another sport to improve your stamina. Track and field isn’t just a sport, it’s a passion of mine.
Victoria Zamudio – Josephinum Academy of the Sacred Heart – DMSF Class of 2029
Photo Credit: Braden Collum – Unsplash