I shudder when I think back

To the hall laps, push ups, and wind sprints

Just the thought can give me a heart attack

 

Pushing my body to its limit,

blood, sweat, tears, and grimacing

Working for the first place summit

 

I remember my hair feeling like a mop

Wrestling with my teammates for practice

Struggling for position to get on top

 

Strength ropes, free weights, bench press

Run more, faster, more, faster, MORE, FASTER

Grit your teeth, stack on the stress

 

After remembering the hurt, I look back and smile

For the results stick with me to this day

While the pain only lasted for a while

 

The training took my average preteen physique

Sculpted it with the hammer and chisel of extreme sport

And created an outward appearance, quite unique

 

A body I can be proud of,

A testimony to the trials my coaches had put me through

A “Yes, I did,” not an “I should've.”