Life is a race.
A race between runners.
Each striving
for different times and records.
Each competing
against one another.
Each pushing
through pain,
fatigue,
tiredness,
and obstacles.

Prior to the start
racers contemplate
whether or not
to get out fast,
and slow down.
Whether or not
to start slow,
and rise up.
Challenges present themselves,
yet options to overcome them vary.

The course is the same for runners,
yet the mental obstacles differ.
Too slow.
Too tired.
Too long.
Too much pain.
Not fast enough.
Determination is significant to success,
yet immensely difficult to maintain.

But there are still many options
to overcome this loss.
The finish is near.
The runner ahead
you can pass.
You trained so hard.
You went through so much pain.
Why not
just push a little bit more,
and for a little while longer.

The hills on the course are the same height,
yet strategies to reach the top
vary in form.
Push through it.
Slow down.
Stay on your toes.
Keep your head up.
Just breathe.

The climb is painful.
It threatens
to take away the confidence
of the persevering runners.
But the runners know of the top.
The break in incline
where their pain and determination
rewards them with the idea
that the end is near.
The end of the race.
The final stretch.
The finish.

It approaches.
Through the pain,
the tiredness,
and the fatigue,
runners again contemplate the approach.
Finish fast and pass the runners ahead
or allow the pain to overtake their confidence
and allow the runners approaching from behind to pass.

The struggle is a bottomless pit of fatigue.
Unable to breathe.
Unable to push.
Unable to finish.
Yet there are supporters everywhere.
Your team,
your coaches,
your family,
and your peers.
They make the effort to care
and to support.

The screaming and cheering is as loud as thunder.
The finish is visible.
The pushing will end soon.
Pick up the pace.
Finish strong.
This becomes so easy
with fans and promoters surrounding the course
pushing for you to finish
as much as you are pushing yourself.

Five steps,
four steps,
three,
two,
and one.
Finish.
The pain exits
and the confidence enters.
The obstacles standing in the way of the race
are overcome at last
through the pushing,
the perseverance,
the encouragement,
and the mentality
provided by both internal and external sources.

Everything falls into place.
You have finished;
you have overcome the challenge using every available resource given.
Your family,
friends,
team,
and coaches surround you.
They cheer you on for having succeeded in your goal.

This is when it becomes clear and visible.
All issues,
all problems,
and all obstacles can be fixed,
dealt with,
or overcome
through the separate,
yet connected solutions and strategies
that can be used by any other runner
to finish the race on their own.

This race is life.
An abundance of competition,
pressure to succeed,
and issues to deal with,
both mentally
and physically.
Obstructions to consistently overcome
to finish in the race,
to succeed in life.

These obstructions of life come in different shapes
and in different sizes.
Similar to the race,
every single issue,
obstacle,
and form of pressure and competition
can be dealt with,
can be overcome using the correct instruments,
both physically and mentally.

Using the people surrounding you
to assist you through the ups and downs.
Using your mentality
to persevere,
and to push
through every hardship.
Using your brain
to prepare for any upcoming or possible impediment.
These impediments,
hardships,
and ups and downs
acting just as similar to the obstacles on the race course.

Life is like a race.
Many issues arise,
and many obstacles are presented throughout.
There are so many options
and so many courses of action to take,
in forming a solution
to conquer these obstacles;
to conquer the race.

By the finish line,
the achieved success of the runner is defined
not by how well they place,
not by their time,
but by how they reach their goal.

The success one is able to achieve in life
is not defined by the money they make,
not by the fame they achieve,
but by how they reach their success
through overcoming the obstacles and issues presented.
To persevere.
To finish the race.
To reach ultimate success.