My heart pounding inside my chest
Little drops of sweat building on my forehead
The minutes ticking by
The start of the race approaching
And then I hear the official
“All 100 meter runners come to the start!”

I approach the start line
I line up in the first heat of girls
I take a look at my competitors
Then I look straight ahead
I try to envision my path, my running
I shake out my legs and arms

I hear the officials intense voice saying that there will be three commands
He lifts up the gun and starts
“On your marks”, “Get Set” , and finally “Pop” the gun is fired
I start right away
I look straight ahead
I elongate my strides
I pump my arms
I go faster and faster and faster
And finally my right leg crosses the finish
And I feel a wave of relief crash over me
The most indescribable feeling ever

And then the official announces the places
And my heart bursts with joy when I get second
So close yet far from first place
The taunting 0.4 seconds between first and second
And then I realize my true love for the sport
I realize how all my hard work was worth it
I realize that sometimes you have to find a passion
I realize that my placing was amazing

Yet I realize that it’s not my best
Coming in first from Grover was just the beginning of a long journey
But I make the distant yet reachable goal to come in first from both teams
I need to strive for perfection
And most of all, I need to enjoy the experience