Slow and Steady Wins the Race free essay sample

My heart rate increases and the sweat drips on the purple and white uniforms. The team no longer became visable. I take a sharp left turn, look around, and pause, only to notice that no one is near. I am lost. I reverse to see other team mates following. Wrong way, I guess, I say nonchalantly. They all groan and curse under their short breaths. Coach Locke records my time. 19:56. I am a failure. Brutality struck when our senior leader instructed us to jog a twelve minute, one and a half mile cross country warm up. That imitation of the fat girl running behind the pack depicted in movies appeared true. Additionally, my nine minute mile splits felt worse. I told myself I would quit by the third week; I went to practice everyday for the rest of the season. Summer 2007 marked a new beginning cross country conditioning. The team traded in sleep to better themselves and sacrificed joy for a few hours of agony. We will write a custom essay sample on Slow and Steady Wins the Race or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page We met every morning and trained harder than before. However, I knew that in order to keep up, I would need to try. Eventually, as the summer wore on, my times decreased and I kept up with the fastest runners. A year later, I run the same course. Except, Im a more experienced and capable athlete. I hold my head high for those two elongated miles and I refuse to let anyone pass. The pain bolts through my legs but I do not mind. I finish with a smile on my face. 15:26. Eighth overall. Perfect; a spot on varsity. Ive struggled throughout the past year to achieve the best time possible. Ive PRed(personal record) countless times, Ive tolerated numerous asthma attacks, and I ran Rim Rock (the hardest cross country course in Kansas). Ive survived it all. Ive achieved it all, Ive endured it all, Ive won it all. Slow and Steady Wins the Race free essay sample â€Å"Michael.. repeat these words back to mesaucer, cinnamon, coat, snake and dictionary.† I said â€Å"What?..oksaucer, cinnamon, coat, ummm†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.† This was the moment where the school specialist knew that something was wrong. It was fifth grade and I was having problems in school including trouble hearing, reading, taking tests and paying attention in class. My teachers took notice of this and decided to test me for an Individualized Educational Program (IEP). After testing, they determined I had hearing and reading comprehension problems. Assistance immediately began with speech classes during the day and tutoring after school in English and Math. Throughout the years, I built skills to overcome my learning disability.It was a slow, methodical process but I knew that I could do it and succeed with good grades. By the time I was a freshman in high school, I was well on my way to performing at the same level as students without IEPs. We will write a custom essay sample on Slow and Steady Wins the Race or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I continued to build on my foundation by managing my workload with new study habits that were taught to me by high school specialists. Fast forward to junior year in which I received an award for academic achievement in maintaining above a 3.4 GPA all four quarters. Receiving this award really inspired me and made me realize that I can do anything with hard work and dedication. Senior year I am taking a rigorous course load for me, but I am willing to put everything into it to prove that I am a smart and hardworking individual.