The Climb

You turn the fourth lap and that's when it starts getting harder. You can't breathe as well and the legs are starting to give, but you push on; trying to work up a sweat just to get by. The wind blows your hair out of place and it is going all in your face. You want to keep going but your body, particularly your lungs, which are closing in by now just want to stop.

That;s when you've got to push harder. You try to focus on thoughts to distract yourself... memories of nights spent clubbing with friends, television shows you had seen, and even peppy eighties hits to keep you going. All you can thuink about is the pain in your legs, the bounce of your body as it hits the track, the rhythm of your breathing.

Eighth lap.

By now it's a war. Between your mind and what's actually going on in reality. Your lungs are giving out, your legs want to give up, but you carry on. On and on, the laps getting slower now as you can't breathe as deep or as fast as your first lap. But you look around and notice all the other girls; heavy girls that are walking in contrast to the thin boys who run with you. Some try to keep up but fall behind; utttering cat calls about your tight pink running pants; a daring choice indeed. And you remember what that was like at that age; to be unpleasant and feel bigger than everyone else at one time. To know you couldn't even do half of this once. To know that those girls feel exactly as you did; that there was no use, and they were locked in a body that had been starved, stuffed and purged every night for two years; the worst years of your life. And in silence, you thank anything and everything that you are no longer that age and are stronger now. And that you will get through this just like you got through those years.


Flash a smile at the girls, hun. Don't you wish you had known an older girl then?


Finally the end comes. Twelve laps. You don't stop until the end; til you reach that green line with the orange flags. You stop, trying your best to look peppy.

The young girls come around and scream out to you "You're AWESOME!" and ask how old you are; surprised you're not their age... one gives you a high five and you smile as they start to run away.

And all you know for the first few seconds is that you did it.

For real this time.