One of my favorite things about Mount Carmel, of which there are many, is that we have a lake about a mile away from our campus.

While I don’t get to see the incredible skyline of Chicago or beautiful, blue waters of Lake Michigan everyday, the times I do are usually because of an MC event.

Sometimes I’ll hop on a bus to travel for an athletic event and take Lake Shore Drive; however, a more special time I get to see the lake is during the annual fundraiser event, the Walkathon. 

The past two years I walked the ten-kilometer path like most students do, but this year I decided to change the pace. Instead of walking, I decided this would be my first time running a 10k. 

One of the reasons I chose to run was because of the training that was involved. I had already been running on a regular basis, about ten miles a week, before I even thought about signing up. So I felt like I was in good enough shape to run and wasn’t alone in trying for the first time. 

“I never ran it before this year,” said Theology teacher and e-sports coach Mr. Dominic Scheuring. “Usually it’s just [fellow Theology teacher Mr. Dan] Burke that runs it. I decided to sign up and run it for the first time because I had been running a lot and had already ran distances further than a 10k. Also, [Science teacher Mr. Julius] Henry had just gotten into running, so we figured we would do it together.”

Mr. Burke is the head coach of the cross country team and usually has a shot at first place.

A few months ago, when I was deciding whether or not to run, I thought winning would be nice, but I also knew that realistically I didn’t have enough time to train or the experience the other runners did. I set my goal to finish in the top ten. As for my time, I wanted to run it in under fifty minutes. 

Mr. Scheuring seemed to have similar goals as me. 

“I knew I wasn’t going to beat Burke,” he said. “He has more experience than me, but I also knew that I was in pretty good running shape. That actually ended up being a PR [personal record] for my fastest 10k.” 

Prior to April 26th, the Friday of the Walkathon, I trained on a treadmill and worked to better my pace. I knew running outside would be different, but also knew that the views of the lake would motivate me to carry on. 

While the training aspect definitely motivated me to run the 10k, what motivated me even more was the competitive aspect. 

I began the run by sticking with the front of the pack for about the first mile or so, but then pulled back with concerns about my pace. 

I wasn’t exactly sure what place I was in at any point during the run, so when I reached Jackson Park on my way back with about half of a mile left to go, I was greeted with some encouraging information.  

My uncle, Dean Dan O’Connor, told me that I was exactly in tenth

place.

With no one behind me for quite some distance, I took a deep breath and pushed through until I was stopped by the red light at Stony Island. Then it was only a few hundred feet until I finished back at MC.

When I made it back, I met up with a few runners who were even more excited than me because they won a cash prize for finishing in the top three. 

“This was my second time running, and I had a good time pushing myself and others,” said junior Christos Dimas. “I’m glad the cross country team represented out there with a few other guys on the team coming in after I did.”

My run took me fifty four minutes, a few more than my goal, but I was still excited to be in the top ten.

While the training and competitive parts of this experience were enjoyable, my favorite part was the camaraderie I had with the other guys while running by Lake Michigan. 

There’s something special about showing up to school on a Friday morning and running a 10k with your classmates. What made it even better was the views of the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan. 

The breeze that came off the lake along with these views motivated a lot of the runners to chase for that first place spot or push through to beat a personal goal. 

“I ran last year, but this year went by quicker because of my pace, which was better,” said sophomore Garrett Mann. “The lake definitely helped both years because I ran without headphones. It gave me something to look at and keep my mind on while I was running.”

Mann said he’s looking forward to running again next year, and so am I. 

I’m looking to accomplish my goal of running a 10k in under fifty minutes, as well as finish even higher than tenth place.