My mother always said,

“The key to happiness is trying new things”

I wanted to be happy,

so I listened.

Running seemed like a fun thing to try.

I walked into that first practice with high hopes.

How hard can it be?

It’s just running.

But I was wrong.

Quitting seemed easy.

My coach and teammates begged me not to.

They pushed me every day,

and I pushed back.

Getting stronger,

I continued to tread  on,

through every hurdle and bump in the road.

Running daily,

working hard,

molding a new version of myself.

Every  loss,

was worth every gain.