“Let’s go, Olivia! You got this!” I hear my team cheering for me as I run past, gasping for air. I only have a mile left—two thirds of the race is done—but it feels like a lifetime. My legs are on fire and my lungs burn, but I take a deep breath and take in the support of my teammates. I fix my eyes ahead of me after passing my team, taking in the course ahead. One, two, three. Only three people ahead of me. I smile—I can’t believe I have the chance to be in the top ten.

“Keep going, Olivia! You can pass her! Third place is right ahead of you!” Hearing my name a few short minutes later, I look at the sides of the course and I’m met with a sea of unknown faces. I don’t recognize the voice. Instead, I see a girl coming up behind me who smiles at the sound of the cheers. That’s when it hits me—this time, my name is not meant for me. People are cheering for another girl, encouraging her to pass me in the last 400 meters of the race. But that’s okay. I can use this too. Hearing this, I pick up the pace, more determined than ever to keep my lead over this other Olivia. My body is screaming and I’m tempted to slow down, but my mind wants me to be the Olivia who gets third. I promise myself three seconds. Three seconds fast and then it’s over. One, two, three. My mind wants it badly enough that I am able to push past the pain and cross the finish line just seconds ahead of the other girl.

“Olivia, you did amazing! I’m so proud of you!” My friend Syd runs up to me after I finish the race. She shows me the live results on her phone—21:57. One, two, three. Three seconds slower, and I would not have earned my varsity letter. Three seconds made the difference between third place and fourth place. The difference between a varsity athlete and a JV runner. Syd hugs me, and it brings me back to reality. I know I could not have done it without the support of my teammates and friends, whose cheers pushed me through the hardest moments in the race, the times when I wanted to quit the most.

Olivia. It’s a common name, but it has developed into a special meaning to me throughout my three cross country seasons. To me the name means hard work. It means pain, and it means pushing myself past the limits. It means support, and it means friends.