It’s a wonder how some athletes perform so well and, yet seems as if they never break a sweat. Contrary to what it seems, it takes buckets of sweats and sore muscles along with of hard work and dedication. Athletes have to practice, practice, practice until they improve themselves and relatively many don’t start off as natural athletes. Just ask junior Rebecca Cho, the co-captain of Lincoln’s Cross Country team.

Cho joined the Cross Country team during her sophomore year after being persuaded by a friend. Although one would never expect the co-captain of the Cross Country team to struggle with long distance running, Cho had difficulty when she first began. On her first day, Cho admitted she dislike running and felt she was behind from the rest of the team. Compared to the 9 miles she can now can continually run, Cho could hardly run 20 minutes without pausing for air.

After a few weeks, Cho began to catch up to her teammates, and discovered her love for running. She improved herself by practicing, and then gradually gained endurance. It was through several hours of practicing that Cho emerged as one of Lincoln’s top long distance runners.

“Running means staying fit, but it is also a time where your inner thoughts start coming along,” Cho said. “It’s almost like a motivator. Sometimes I run hard to get away from the stress or to just think about achieving a goal. It makes you think a lot about life, though sometimes you just don’t think of anything at all.”

With a supportive coach and teammates, Cho has established a much deeper meaning in running. For Cho, running is a way to think, a step she takes to escape and an opportunity that allows her to sculpture her dreams. Her goals include attending a college such as the University of California, Los Angeles or the University of California, Davis. She wants to live independently and hopes to encounter all types of people later in her life. She dreams that are far from San Francisco. Cho also has high goals and expectations on what she might become or accomplish.

“I want to be a doctor and researcher. I want to find my own cure for skin disorders because I think it lowers the self esteem of many people. Because I like chemistry a lot, [I will] probably [become] a dermatologist so [that] I can make people happy and find cures at the same time,” Cho said.

In addition to Cross Country, this ambitious athlete is also on the dragon boat team. During her spare time, Cho enjoys listening to music, hanging out with her friends and being “artsy,” as she puts it. She is currently planning for college since her SATs are arriving soon. But Cho believes running will always be a part of her life.

“I just can’t stop running anymore. It’s like my hobby or something that I would do just to kill time. I like improving myself and getting faster times. I will definitely continue running in the future; it’s pretty much the only sport that I’m really good at. But [I] also [want] to stay fit, explore the city, and gain big leg muscles!” Cho said.