INSPIRATIONAL
Don’t Look Back!
Sherrie Coronas
I take my place in the assigned lane
and force the metal starting blocks
to grip the track precisely where I
need it, as my heart begins
demanding more and more of itself.
400 meters. One time around the
track. The formula is simple - breath,
relax, pump my legs, lift my knees,
stay in my lane and don't look back.
Just keep it together. Do not blow
this.
I've trained so hard. I want it more.
I'll stick to the plan and endure the
pain. Do it right or lose.
Shaking my anxiety-filled arms and
legs fails to produce the relaxed, ragdoll limbs I desperately desire. Coach
paces ferociously on the far side of
the track. He wants it, too.
Let the others go out hard. I'll wait
for the second turn in the track. I'll
pass them on the back stretch, a
signature move refined over many
years of practice.
His words cut through the crowd in
my head: Steady, it's your
race...you’ve got this thing.
But then comes the final turn, the
home stretch and the dreaded wall.
JASMINE'S PLACE
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