Finish Lines

As track season is beginning in my hometown of Lanesboro, MN, I look back on the hours that I put in during my track seasons to get better and to do the best that I could. There is nothing quite like the feeling of walking up to that starting line, waiting for the commands, stepping up to the line, body tensing as you take those last few breaths before the gun, and that moment the gun goes off, you begin on that race.

Almost every race starts the same way as the one before it, but that doesn’t mean that every race is the same as the one before it. The way you finish each race is what makes it different than the one before. The finish line looks the same to everyone and the race is the same distance for everyone, but each person will have a unique experience running that race and crossing that line.

How will you feel when you cross that finish line? Many times when I would cross that line, I instantly knew that I had more that I could have put into it. I knew that I could have done a little bit more here or pushed a little harder there. Other times, I knew that I had given it my all during the race, but I still wasn’t fully satisfied because I knew that I could have done a better job preparing for that race in the weeks leading up to it. But then there are the amazing times that you cross the finish line- when you know the moment you finish that you gave it your all; you know that you have put in long hours for this and you did the very best that you could have possibly done.  I had this moment when I was running the 3200 at the sub section meet my junior year.  This was going to be the capstone on the year as it would be my last race if I didn’t move on from there.  The gun went off, I pushed myself all the way, I called upon those hours of practice, and I crossed that finish line. 

Without knowing exactly how I had done, I knew that, no matter what, I would be happy with that race because when I crossed that line, I knew that I had done everything that I could. I ended up getting third, advancing to sections, getting a personal record, and setting our school record by less than one second.

We line up at that starting line in many different situations in life. That line could be the start of a 2 mile race, a new school year, a new sports season, the first CDE practice, or even the election to an officer position. It is always important when we are in any of these situations to make sure that we put in the needed effort so that when we cross that finish line we can be happy with the journey, no matter what the result. And when you cross that finish line, remember it is not over.  It's time to find a new starting line.

The finish line for my race as a State FFA Officer is quickly approaching. It continues to be a great race and I look forward to the starting lines that come after this finish line. No matter what point you are in your race, join me in making it a good one.

Signing Off,