The Race

"The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself—the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us—that’s where it’s at."-Jesse Owens, winner 4 Olympic Gold Medals, Track & Field, 1936 Summer Olympics

I always loved running...running from when I was a kid growin up and later ran as much as I could in school athletic events. Strange as it may sound, running taught me a lot about life...determination, self belief, perseverence, team work...now...it serves as a metaphor that relates to life...one needs to keep going, win the race?...or just know that you ran the race...doing the best you could...I wrote this long back , probably 6 years back after one of the school athletic events:

The Race.

The warm metal feels good in your hand...As you sit exhausted on the stadium bench, next to the track you just traced with your pace, looking down on the reward of days of training, waking at 5am , running around the neighbourhood block, people thinking you're slightly crazy.

A drop of sweat trickled down my nose and fell on the medal, magnifying the word "HOPE" in the school motto. What made me run like that? Even I dint know, a final burst along the last lap had landed me the silver.

On the track, my legs corresponded like the wheels of a speed train,hair flying back, the ground whizzes past in your field of vision like the view from the cockpit during takeoff.

Yes, theres the pain, oh yes the pain! After collapsing from complete lactic acid accumulation , but I love this pain, I love the pain as my leg muscles burn, radiating to the thighs, your feet feel like lead mortar. I love the heat , sweat and the unbearable bursting sensation in my lungs as if they are going to explode from within you.

Yet, I dont want this pain to stop, though I let out a groan.

The sweaty piece of metal biscuit in your hand is the prize, with fake "silver" paint already melting in the scorching sun. I think to myself "mission accomplished"...but I know its the race i ran that I love and just then the team captain comes over..."Ready for the 400 metre relay Devan?"......" Anytime captain, anytime".