I start off pacing myself.
My tennis shoes squeak quietly on the rough pavement.






.
The sun blinds my vision,
But I keep looking straight ahead.
The hot cooling sweat melts down my face.
My mouth like a hot dessert,
Begging for the heavy calming rain

Keep going,
Don’t stop
Don’t give up now.
The image of what I want to look like
Keeps coming into my head,
But that’s what I know I’ll never be.

That achieving burning feeling hits my calves,
Then crawls straight down to my ankles.
I keep pushing through the strong burn,
Trying to think of something else in my head.
Hoping the pain will leave but come back.

I reach the end of the beginning,
And turn back around.
I pass all of the same old brick houses,
And finally step back into the old fresh cut grass.
Gulping down the hot refreshing water in my bottle.
I made it.
I finished what I have started.