The Cross-Country Practice Hill

Cross-country practice every Wednesday ends with "the Hill" — a steep, long trail everyone on the team hates.

The first week, I walked half the way up. By week three, I could jog it with stops. Coach told me, "Pain is only temporary, laziness is forever."

Yesterday I ran the whole hill without stopping. At the top I bent over gasping and smiling. My teammates clapped — they all remember their first full hill.