Progression running, time trials, and races: Just a few of the brutal aspects that come to mind when thinking about cross-country. I was persuaded to join this insane sport my sophomore year of high school. Before which, my parents and I had never considered myself to be a runner at all. When told that I was quitting volleyball and running cross-country instead, my parents had no clue what I was getting myself into. Neither did I.

1. The expert in anything was once a beginner.

I am definitely not an expert runner and will never be an expert runner. But this quote fits for all those who were at one point new to the cross-country world. Think back to that first excruciatingly hot day of practice over the summer that made you consider quitting. Or the first hill workout that made you wish your legs were broken so you didn't have to run anymore. Now take a moment to think about yourself on the last day of practice or your last race. Sure, running never feels easy, but you were most likely much better in the end of the season than you were in the beginning. Cross-country taught me that greatness takes hard work and that progress takes time, but it is always worth the wait and the work.

2. Hard times show true friends.

Although cross-country wasn't a low point in your life (hopefully), it was a difficult sport to do. Running with the same people every day gave you someone to endure those "hard times" with. Progression runs and races always seemed just a little bit easier when I was running with my teammates. Having one another to push each other to run our best resulted in some pretty amazing friendships. Cross-country taught me that friendships can develop anywhere and at any time, no matter the situation.

3. It's good to take risks.

The biggest risk I ever took in cross-country was during a race my sophomore year. I decided to run myself all the way up to second place before we even got to the mile mark. Needless to say, this was a terrible decision, and I fell back pretty quick. I could have just let that one risk determine how the rest of my race went, but instead, I took another risk and kept passing people. I ended up taking 10th place and knowing more about my abilities. Cross-country taught me to continue to take risks, even if I failed the first couple of times.

4. When the going gets tough, just keep on going.

Races are never easy, but we all had that one particular race where we didn't even know if we were going to make it to the finish line. Whether you were in pain, tired, sick, or just had no motivation, you finished anyway. You finished because it was important for you to battle yourself, to beat the voice in your head telling you to stop running and just drop out. Although these races may not have resulted in the best time or highest finish place, they now remind you to keep on going, no matter how difficult life may get. Cross-country taught me that when life just doesn't seem to be going my way, to continue moving forward because there is always an end to the struggling.

5. Pasta is awesome.

Spaghetti feeds will always be one of my favorite memories from cross-country. Not just because I love spaghetti, but because I loved spending time with the people who were there. We bonded at each other's houses and talked about anything and everything. Let me tell you, there's nothing better than eating pasta and garlic bread with a cold glass of chocolate milk while surrounded by friends to get you in the race-running mood. Everyone stuffed their faces and ate until they couldn't eat anymore. I will never be ashamed of the food babies I've developed after eating those numerous mountains of spaghetti. Cross-country taught me that it's OK to stuff your face every once in awhile.

6. Success is best when shared with others.

It's always nice to succeed in something by yourself, but having other people to celebrate with is a million times better. My senior year of cross-country, my team swept the conference meet for the first time in school history. For those of you who don't know what I mean by "swept the meet," both our girls and boys junior varsity teams and varsity teams won their races. We went in with a goal and came out achieving it. That day will forever be one of my best memories because of the extreme amount of determination and strategy that went into racing and how excited and overjoyed everyone was when we succeeded. Cross-country taught me to enjoy all successes (whether they are mine or not) with those around me.

Somehow I was convinced to join this grueling sport, and somehow it ended up being one of the greatest decisions of my life.