High School Cross Country Gives Me a Home

I was born in Maine. All of my family lives in Maine and New Hampshire. I really love it in Maine. I love being able to go out and run on dirt roads, going fishing and swimming in the lake where my Grand Parent's live. Living on the coast, and having the ocean right there to swim, and just go to the beach. I really love my home. 

When I was really young my family moved to Pennsylvania. My Dad was in graduate school, and was going to Penn State to get his Ph. D. I didn't really like where we were living. There weren't dirt roads to run on, we didn't live on the coast, and all the trails and lakes and streams were a while out of town. I also really missed my family. We still go back home during the summer, and on Christmas, but I wanted to be back home all the time.

I struggled in elementary and middle school with making friends, and staying happy while in school. I was running with a local youth club, but we only practiced a couple times a week, and a lot of time I was running on my own.

When I got to High School I immediately signed up for the Cross Country team. They had organised team runs over the summer, so I got to run with some of the upper classmen, and get a feel for what the team was like. They were really helpful and friendly, and I had a really good time running with them. I started running more and more, and having more fun, on runs, and in general.

When the season started I found out that our team had over 60 people on it! There had only been about 10-12 people who consistently went on summer runs, so I had no idea the team was a large as it was. Despite the number of people on the team, everyone knew each other, they all supported each other and helped their teammates in workouts. The team was really a family. The top runner all the way down to the slowest guy. It didn't matter how fast they were, it mattered that they were all on the team together.

As more time went by I started to get to know the guys on the team. I made a lot of really good friends. I started to miss my home a little less. I started enjoying my life in Pennsylvania more, and I just had a lot of fun hanging out with my teammates. I still miss Maine, and my family, but being a part of such a great Cross Country team made me a lot happier where I am. I have a group of guys that I can support, and who support me. I mean, when you run 5x1k repeats under the hot sun on a 90 degree day with a bunch of guys, you really can't say that you don't share something special with them.

I was really struggling in my new home, and I didn't really meet many new people in school, but when I joined my High School Cross Country team, and found a group of guys I could hangout with, and trust. My High School Cross Country team gave me a home.

- @runisham ( Owen Isham )