I had just finished my race at the beginning of my junior year.

The race ends, I'm coming in the home stretch and I see the timer displaying 23 minutes, and I was thrilled, so I finished the race and I got my time the next day, 23:43 for a 5k. I had dropped 5:38 seconds off my best with just a little bit of summer running. As season progressed, I hit my best at 21:59, and I got the most improved award at my banquet for cross country, since I dropped 7:22 off my record in a season. And now in my life, I take runs at 4+ miles at a time and I enjoy it, I like the feeling when I come back after I stop breathing like I've been hit by a truck, I just feel happy that I'm able to get exercise that I always had hated doing. I learned that running isn't just as plain and boring as others make it out, I've made some good friends through running and we talk whilst we run, just having fun. Other people think I'm a little different for enjoying running, as a lot of people dislike running, but I like the challenge it presents to me. I don't have the feeling that I used to about being fat, and most of my family's response to when I would ask them if I was would be the "you're not fat, you're solid," now it doesn't matter to me what they said about it, because it's all history.

For those who are wondering about myself.

I started running when I was 15, weighing in at 185 lbs at 5'8".

I am now still running, doing 5k races around my area, I've done 3 so far this summer, I weigh 160 lbs and am 6'2" Without saying, I had a good sized growth spurt during the time. I've dropped about 7 points off my BMI in the time.