“Running… [is] about how much I improve and the progress I make.”

Rhea Shetti: “I started to run in fourth grade during PE with my friends. Once we got to middle school, we got more serious about it and one of my friends asked me if I wanted to join this track and cross country Junior Olympics team, so we joined that. In the beginning, it was difficult because everyone was already so fast and really good at running. But as soon as I started improving, it became so much easier because I was motivated by my own improvement. You also get to meet a lot of people which just makes it a lot of fun. With the lockdown, I think it was a lot more difficult. I could feel my progress slow down, and it was harder running on a treadmill by myself than it was with the motivation of other people. I was a part of the school team for track and cross country last year, but I’m unfortunately not doing it this year due to COVID. I think in general, I’m usually not a very “take action” person, so I was indecisive about whether I was actually going to like running, but I’m really glad that I started.”