The First and Last Cross Country Race

In middle school the 6th graders have the chance to participate in intramural sports and Maddy is anxious to try them all.   This summer I asked her to join me many times in a run around the neighborhood and every time she did it ended in tears.  So imagine my surprise when she said she wanted to do Cross Country.  I said "You do realize that all you do is run.  You run up the hill and down the hill and around the field."   "Yes", she said, "I really want to try it."  "OK I will support you in this, but you have to commit to do it for the full three weeks, no quitting".  

By day two she was hating it.  It was even harder because she had PE the last period of the day right before her practices and guess what they were doing in PE?  Running the mile.

So I picked up my exhausted red faced girl every day after practice to listen to her moan all the way home.  But she stuck it out and at the end of three weeks they had their Cross Country Meet.  To hear her talk I thought she was going to be coming in dead last and so I was prepared to be the sole parent left at the end of the race cheering her on.  Imagine my surprise when she crossed the finish line in 6th place out of 30 girls!

She really did great and was so proud of herself...but even that kind of success could not convince her that Cross Country was for her.  "Never Again"  she announced.  We will see....