My name is Calvin Graffunder and I began running cross country when I was a sophomore in high school. I attended Chamblee Charter High in DeKalb County. Freshmen year, prior to joining the cross country team, my experience in high school had been lackluster. Cross country was the first afterschool activity I joined in high school, which opened the door to numerous other afterschool clubs and sports. I first began running cross country because my friends did it, it exempted me from a P.E. credit and I needed to get in shape.

The first week of practice was the hardest week of my life. I distinctly remember the first five runs, the first run was a route we called "Cold Springs." It is a short, two mile run. This was my first time running, ever. I told myself that it didn't matter how fast I went as long as I finished the run without stopping. My mental fortitude was tested halfway through cold springs, it felt like I had been running for an hour and the oxygen was being sucked out of my body faster than I could replenish it. I was on the verge of stopping, when one of the coaches, Coach Smith, who was running along with us came up behind me and said "Good job Cal. You’re over half way there, keep it up."

This fortified my morale and I finished the run strong. The following week was filled with longer and longer runs, climaxing with a four and a half mile run on the first Friday of the year. After having not run for sixteen years of my life, I had run over ten miles in a week and my body was in shambles. When I got home after Friday evenings practice I could barely walk up the stairs to my bedroom. When I finally made it, I passed out and didn't wake up till the next morning. The following day the pain had subsided. I was not looking forward to the next week of practice.

After school on the next Monday practice began again and to my surprise, none of the pain returned. The runs were much easier and I fell in love with running. The team became my family and I loved every moment I spent running after school with them. I still love running and try to run at least five times a week.