Running the risk: Sophomore sheds nerves at the finish line
By Stephi Smith
When she initially signed up, she never thought she’d make it. It wasn’t until Roosevelt High School sophomore Anna Galbraith crossed the finish line that she realized she had made the right decision to compete in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Marathon & Half Marathon last June.
She ran the half marathon, a total of 13 miles, with her older brother. The computer records show that he beat her, but not by much.
“I got under two hours, but [my brother] beat me by one second,” Galbraith laughed while snapping the air.
Before, she had been on the fence about whether or not to actually run the half marathon. Her fear of falling behind or becoming too tired began to shadow her desire to finish the race with her brother.
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“I think people should do things they wouldn’t normally do. Always try to get out of your comfort zone.”
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But this didn’t stop Galbraith. She said keeping her mind open and taking the risk was one of her best decisions. If she had let herself continue to think that she couldn’t do it, she never would
have known her true potential. She enjoyed running the marathon and especially loved being able to run along the freeway and beside Lake Washington. She trained for over a month before, adding a new mile each week until she could run 13 miles, though she had already been in decent shape, she said, due to being in cross country and track during her freshman year.
“Once I had started [the marathon], it was easy to get into. I wasn’t really nervous anymore and I could just run,” she said.
Galbraith added that the race was similar to a lot of things in life. Though you may be nervous and afraid at first, but after you dip your feet in, it’s not as bad as you once though, she said. She couldn’t be more proud of herself for finishing the half marathon in under two hours and plans on running again soon. After some time to rest, of course.
She now advises everyone to always try new things and to expand their horizonswhich is the exact reason she is attending the 2015 WJEA Camp and has decided to enroll in her school’s journalism class with the Roosevelt News team next fall.
“I came [to WJEA Camp] because I love to write and journalism is something I’ve never done before. I like to try new things,” Galbraith said.
She said she was nervous about coming to WJEA Camp because she has no prior knowledge about journalism. But much like the race, she said it was an idea she did not regret. Her chosen major is “Intro to Journalism Boot Camp,” where she said she’s learning a lot about journalism and can’t wait to take her new information back to the Roosevelt News in September.
She also said she loves to explore new things and keep her mind open.
“I think people should do things they wouldn’t normally do,” she said. “Always try to get out of your comfort zone.”