The half mile is a brutal race

Too long to sprint

Too short to breath

And no chance of a second wind

 

It's 100 steps of effortless strides

300 strides of labored breaths

20 breaths of burning anguish

100 meters of unbearable torment

And then it all stops

 

How do you run a race

Meant for horses

Instead of men?

 

I've heard it said

"Trample the weak

Hurdle the dead"

 

How can you tell

The weak from the dead?

The dead from the fierce?

 

The difference is in the mind

All suffer

Few spread their wings

 

The 800 is a brutal pursuit

Too long for blocks

Too short for thought

And no chance of a runner's high

 

It's 400 aerobic steps

200 strides of VO₂Max

100 anaerobic paces

100 meters of oxygen debt

And then it all stops

 

How do you run a race

Without being trampled?

Without being hurdled?

 

I've said it once

"I gave everything I had

I have nothing left"

 

My mind is jaded

My body is spent

My heart is full

 

It's the best way to die

In 800 meters

It's the best way to live!