Then before I knew it, it was the middle of my senior cross-country season, the middle of the race, the turning point.  What is so challenging about this sport is that you are given choices.  It is all up to you and how much pain you are willing to go through, that decides your success; how much you are willing to sacrifice for the sake of you team.  I pushed myself in every race, yes to improve my personal best, but more importantly, because I knew for a fact that there were six, or more, other runners out there giving 100 percent of their effort, there was no excuse for me not to do the same.  That is what was so unique about this team; we have said it all season long, run for each other ladies, and there are countless examples of when we truly did so.

            The end of the race is bittersweet.  It is painful but that is just a reminder of your hard work.  It is when you body seems to reach its limit but your mind and heart take you through the finish line. That is the moment of sweetness.  When you take that final sprint.  When you know that you used every last ounce of effort in your body and you left it on the course. 

The pain in ending this cross-country season, for me is the realization that it is over. That I will have to say goodbye to a sport that has made me a better person, my one regret is that I only got to experience it for two seasons. But then again the finish does not take away all of the important lessons I learned, and memories I made with all of you. The finish reminds us of why we began running.  It is tangible proof of all of our hard work. Cross-country is not an easy sport.  If it were, we wouldn’t have so much trouble recruiting field hockey and soccer players.  It takes a certain type of person to not only run a cross-country race but to finish a cross country season.  I hope all of you feel the same elation finishing this season as you do when you finish a race.  Each one of you have given me the most memorable season of my life.  If any team deserves to go down in Randolph History as the first girls cross country team to win the Meet of Champions title, it is it this team. Never have I met a group of girls more driven to reaching their goals than all of you.  I have so many things to thank you for; for your heart and dedication, your selfless commitment to this team, your unending support for each other, but most importantly thank you for teaching me the true meaning of teamwork.