Lie Story - Kai

It began my freshman year. I was in the process of starting winter track and field. I ran Cross Country in the fall and was worn out by the seasons end. The idea of running again did not excite me in the least. Even if there was less actual running and it was indoors, away from the natural, raw elements of XC running. The coach, had allotted cross country runners extra time off between seasons, to recover, in the meantime, we were to run on our own for thirty minutes, four times each week, until our official practice began. It was nothing strenuous, according to him. I felt slight relief, but I still had to run.

I did what he asked of us, but only occasionally. The runs were supposed to be done before school started, which meant I had to get up at six to run at six thirty. Until then, I had never gotten up earlier then seven thirty. School began at 8:30, but I lived two blocks away . Some days, I did not feel like getting u[, so I simply did not. I never told my parents about the early morning runs, so they never questioned me when I slept in. When I did run, they were under the assumption that I did them on my own.

Practice loomed over my head every minute of every day, at least that’s how it seemed at the time. On rare occasions I did forget, my parents, or some teammate in the hall with a red and black XC hoodie, reminded me again. My track vacation was coming to an end, but I was determined to extend it a bit longer.

My first day of practice was underway but I was not present to participate. My first actual day of practice was well into the second week. The first thing that struck me about the team was it’s size . In cross country, we were a small group of fifteen. In indoor, there were close to a hundred athletes. Track and Field was the only sport you did not have to try out for, so this was expected. The second thing I noticed was the ratio of upperclassmen to freshman, which again, was to be expected, but it still intimidated me. They were loud in every sense of the word. The cross country runners were, in comparison, calm and laid back; more in line with my own sensibilities.

Skipping out on those early runs definitely affected my performance on the first day. I felt fatigued through many of the drills and exercises. My poor performance was likely the cause of laziness and my decreasing interest in running, I somehow convinced myself otherwise. I determined that my ability was to blame, even if my performance in XC proved otherwise. The physical pain I experienced during practice was made worse by my inconsistencies in preparation.

The following day I did not to show up to practice. And the day after that, and the next day, and so on. For the next month and a half I continued this. It was not an easy task and caused a lot of stress on my part. My parents assumed I was still on the team, practicing everyday after school. To keep up with this facade, I would arrive home everyday around the time practice ended. To fill the gaps, I’d split time between my best friends house and the library. Sometimes I’d wander around town, with no specific destination in mind. I did the same for weekend track meets. One time I went to the movies during a supposed meet. Luckily, I never ran into my XC teammates. They assumed I’d quit the team altogether. My coach, on the other hand, thought my absence was school related. That’s what he told my mother when she called him to confirm the date of a meet.

My punishment was not as severe as I thought it would be. My parents didn’t ground me. In fact, I don’t recall them ever grounding me. Maybe that’s why this whole thing lasted as long as it did. Maybe deep down, I knew the consequences would not be as severe as I imagined.



*XC = Cross Country