First Race

    I took off at a full sprint for the first 400 meters and soon found myself winded only an eighth of the way through the race!

    "5:45!" The judge yelled as I passed the one-mile marker. At this point in the race I couldn’t concentrate on one specific thought for over three seconds. My heart was racing, and I just kept telling myself a quote I once read, "The will to win must come from within."   

    By this time in the race I had found a teammate to run with. I followed his footsteps for a good portion of the race. It seemed to help me push myself along through the race. The teammate I followed throughout the race had finished in front of me in every practice, and I was nearly to the point where I had to admit that he was better than I was.

    The race slowly plugged away, and each step I felt more exhausted, with each step my breathing got heavier and heavier. We passed the 1.5-mile marker, and I began to hear the fans cheering and the muffled sound of clapping through the trees.

    It seemed as though at that time in the race, my mind had drifted off, and I started to fall back behind my teammate. My mind was telling me slow down; it was telling me that my body had nothing left to give.

    I turned the corner, came out of the trees, and no more than 400 meters away was the finish line! Then, I reminded myself that I have a certain amount of poise, self-respect, and most of all, pride. I was so close, and had worked so hard; I couldn’t give up now.

    I picked up my pace, soon it was up to a full sprint, and I could hear my teammate’s breathing in front of me once again. I passed him and nearly tripped over the finish line out of exhaustion. I had triumphed over my own self-doubt and through the fatigue gripping my body; I was relieved.