I have been running cross country for six years. I started as an excited, naive seventh grader, who loved mile repeat practices and running in the rain. I had no idea what I was getting into. Now I spend Saturday mornings at cross country practice and give up sleep to run during the summer months. The dinner table conversation often centers on the latest race or workout. It is a sport which has dominated my life for the past six years.

Although the simple act of placing one foot in front of the other may grow dull, the cross country team is never boring. When every other sport is canceled and snow forces dozens of cars off the road, our team likes to compete in snow fort building contests.

Each year we take part in the annual "napkin race," in which the Century boys and girls teams face-off to win bragging rights for the next 12 months. We sprint through the streets of downtown Rochester, searching for clues in a massive scavenger hunt our coaches create, then rush back to home base, where one team wins the "trophy," a dilapidated structure of wood and string decorated with permanent marker.

I will be sad when the season comes to an end this week. Our team has grown close this year and I love seeing my teammates in the halls at school, joking with the lower-classmen and lamenting about homework troubles with the other seniors. It is always comforting to finish a rough day at school, go to practice and run for an hour with my best friends. I love watching an exciting race, cheering for my teammates and watching two runners battle for a picture-perfect finish.

By the time this is published, I will have run my final cross country race. My goals will be left as they are, either accomplished or unfinished. But for me, running has grown into so much more than a time and a place. It has taught me the essentials which always seem to accompany sports: to work hard, set goals and push myself beyond my limits. I have been blessed with deep friendships and a firm support base thanks to cross country. No matter where I go, how far I travel or who I am surrounded by, running will always be there. I can lace up my shoes and go for a jog when I'm frustrated, or use running as a vehicle to stay fit.

Running has brought me through high school, sometimes dragging me with it as I grumbled, and oftentimes pacing me through the school year. Now, it is finally time to put my shoes away (although at size 11, I don't know if I have the closet space to keep them around). Leaving cross country behind will be difficult, but I know that in a few weeks, it'll be time to start training for track, and my shoes will come out once again.

Rachel Topazian is a senior at Century High School. To respond to an opinion column, send an e-mail to life@postbulletin.com.

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