Race

Nerves rush
All at once
From one end of your body to the other
Asking yourself
This horrifying anxiousness was voluntary
That if you wanted to 
You could step off the track now
But you recall
The substantial satisfaction
In knowing you put yourself through hell and back
Voluntarily
In knowing for every second of your time
You did everything you could possibly do
Whether you are considered 
Substandard or
First rate
You are both equally as badass
For leaving your heart out on that track
And doing everything in your capability
At practice
At races
 
 
You see the finish.
Once you cross the finish, your place is in stone
No changing it 
No going back
Logic says your body cannot take anything else
That it is not physically possible to take one more step
Yet you defy logic
You take one more step 
Once the tank is empty
You have to somehow find the courage to dig deeper
Dig Deeper than you thought possible
You have to dig deep into the roots of your being
You have to look past the pain
The tears
Once you find it
You begin to realize
That that pain you felt before
Is indeed
Just 
The 
Beginning
Your body wants to stop
Your body needs to stop
Your passion is the only thing keeping you up
Your passion is so great that it is impossible to find the courage 
In knowing when pain
Is the bad kind
The kind of pain that ends careers
Because once you have dug that deep
It is difficult 
To come to your senses and realize
That , the broken foot you have
cannot be ignored
you have to respect your body
 
 
The finish line acts as a safety
 
Once you cross it
You are safe
Until then, you're numb yet, feel more pain than ever
The outside world is insignificant
Suddenly being able to breathe is the greatest gift of all
And it is all that matters'
People from the stands shout 
Soon become background noise
Everything you have worked for has been for this
So what can you do?
This poem is about: 
My community
Guide that inspired this poem: 

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