THE ECHO

by Malak Marzak

There are heart-wrenching seconds on the line right before the gun goes off. Bang. Every runner strides and hones in on a target. The cheers and chants of the crowd can be heard; however, all the runners can hear are footsteps, heavy breathing, and that voice in their head telling them they need to run faster.  

No matter what club, sport, or niche hobby one joins, there’s always an aspect that is obsessed over. It just so happens that when it comes to running, that aspect is achieving a personal record otherwise known as a PR. As we approach the middle of September, the boy’s and girl’s Cross Country teams are in the midst of their season, and this is when the obsessions with PR’s kick in as does their scramble to get into a mindset that will allow them to hit their PR.   

“When I think about it right now, it doesn’t seem that important, but after a race, if I don’t PR, I get kind of upset,” said sophomore Gwen Parsons. 

Like any sport, the varsity team is comprised of the top performers, and PRs determine who makes those teams, thus why they are championed amongst runners.  

“My head was going all over the place; from thinking we were going way too fast at the start, to thinking I would die off in the middle, to realizing my pack was going to be split down the middle for who runs sectionals and who doesn’t,” said sophomore Max LeMay. “That’s when I was in the best space and thus went fastest.” 

However, runners’ feelings on the line are not the same. The headspace in which a PR occurs can vary from person to person. Freshman Lily Hwang reports a completely opposite feeling on the line. 

“I definitely feel like I’m in a more neutral state of mind, but I also feel like I had more excitement to run that day,” said Hwang. 

While the feeling on the line is something that runners take into consideration when reflecting on their PR race, there’s also the aspect of whether or not a runner’s high was felt during the race. The euphoric feeling that a runner’s high elicits can facilitate an individual running faster. 

“An elated feeling where you feel like you could do anything” is how junior Mitchell Ford defined a runner’s high. 

For some runners, the feeling of a runner’s high is omnipresent during their race. To further that, some report it’s required during a PR race. 

“I do feel runners high during a PR race. It usually comes right after the worst part of my race, which is when I reach halfway,” said Parsons. 

While some runners reported having felt a runner’s high during their PR race, others have reported not feeling the effects of a runner’s high–another feeling that can be subjective. 

“I get really nervous before races and it causes a lot of adrenaline, but I don’t really feel a runner’s high,” said senior Zachary Risner. 

Every runner has different feelings and is in a different headspace when they are running a PR. What works for one doesn’t work for all; however, a commonality amongst runners is that they feel anxiety on the line.  

“If I think about the race too much, I feel like I can get stressed. But if I just say it’s a fun run and tell myself it’s a good day and I can go out and PR, then I just feel better,” said Hwang.