Race

The miracle isn't that I finished,

The miracle is that I had the courage to start,

Fear is gradually replaced by excitement and a simple desire to see what you can do on the day,

It doesn't matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last, You can say, I have finished,

There is a lot of satisfaction in that.

When you put yourself on the line in a race and expose yourself to the unknown,

You learn things about yourself that are very exciting,

Good health, peace of mind, being outdoors, camaraderie: those are all wonderful things that come to you when running,

But for me, the real pull of running—the proverbial icing on the cake—has always been racing.

Big occasions and races which have been eagerly anticipated almost to the point of dread,

Are where great deeds can be accomplished,

I also realize that winning doesn't always mean getting first place,

It means getting the best out of yourself.

Why race? The need to be tested, perhaps,

The need to take risks,

And the chance to be number one,

Everyone in life is looking for a certain rush,

Racing is where I get mine,

I'm always nervous,

If I wasn't nervous, it would be weird,

I get the same feeling at all the big races,

It's part of the routine, and I accept it,

It means I'm there and I'm ready.

My whole feeling in terms of racing is that you have to be very bold,

You sometimes have to be aggressive and gamble,

Racing is the fun part,

It's the reward of all the hard work,

Once you beat mentally,

You might as well not even go to the starting line,

My thoughts before a big race are usually pretty simple,

I tell myself: 'Get out of the blocks, run your race, stay relaxed,

If you run your race, you'll win.

I love controlling a race, chewing up an opponent,

Let's get down and dirty. Let's fight it out,

It's raw, animalistic, with no one to rely on but yourself,

There's no better feeling than that,

I'm going to work so that it's a pure guts race at the end, and if it is,

I am the only one who can win it,

Let's just say it and be done with it. Racing hurts,

But here's another truth: having put in the effort to prepare for a race,

and then not giving it your all hurt even more,

The first kind of hurt goes away in hours or a day,

The second kind of hurt can last a lifetime.