I’m almost sure we all dreaded doing our timed mile for P.E. I’d always think to myself why do we have to do this? I feel like dying. But you know who does not think that, Cross Country athletes. To them, a mile is just their warm-up, and after that, they continue to run another six miles or so, every day after school. So can you imagine how much Cross Country athletes do and how much time they dedicate to running for miles on end? I know it seems impossible but it wasn’t for Gabriel Rincon. 

Gabriel Rincon joined cross country during his senior year of high school so he could stay busy and occupied. Even though he hadn’t been in the cross-team, running seemed easy and effortless to him. From other people’s point of view, you could say that when he runs, he runs fast and never once stops until he reaches his destination. Many may ask how can someone be able to run and not stop because I’m sure to others, running is very hard. So we ask, what keeps Gabriel dedicated while running? He says, “I’d say the people around me make me better. I can see what talent there is, so it motivates me to try to keep up with them.” And for people like Gabriel, running just comes naturally to them. That could probably be the reason why his fastest mile time is 5.10 minutes, now that is impressive!

Cross Country is specifically a mental sport and you have to have faith and believe you can run as much as you can without stopping, without complaining, and without giving up. When we think about what’s bothering or affecting us physically or mentally, it takes a toll on us and can affect our performance, so being strong-minded is a very important factor in being a runner. One thing that helps Gabriel on his runs, is thinking of a quote that keeps him determined to finish and complete his runs. When he feels like giving up he thinks of this quote, “Day one or one day.” Which means, are you gonna keep on telling yourself that you’ll do it another day or are you going to commit to it that day and start? If you think about it, you can’t finish something if you keep telling yourself you’ll do it some other time, because as you keep doing that, that one thing becomes something you never will accomplish. 

Now should you join cross country? Cross Country does not have to be for everyone but you should consider it as another sport you can try out if you’re ever contemplating what to do. Running can help with many things like bettering yourself as a person and finding a way to be determined within yourself which even helps with your day-to-day lifestyle. When you join Cross you meet new people who can help you with your running, as they give you tips. Yes, running isn’t as easy as it looks but by surrounding yourself with positive thoughts and people, you can definitely get better with time. You won’t automatically be the best runner but have patience with yourself because you will get better if you want to. As Gabriel states, “I believe others should join Cross because it’ll help their endurance, mental health, and physical ability to keep going and not give up.” So coming from him I think it’s pretty tempting to join. But if you do consider it, you have to show up to practice because that’s the only way you’ll get better. Gabriel also says, “Make sure to show up to practice every day because once you decide to miss a day you start falling behind and people start passing you up.” I know we wouldn’t want that happening. 

Lastly, never forget what Gabriel says, “Day one or one day.” Let this be your motto so you can keep on running and never stop. Remember you can be just as good as Gabriel Rincon is.