One! Two three four. Two! Two three four. The sound of feet pounding the pavement in time with the bellows of the Drill Sergeant and our ragged replies. It is our first group run. Alpha group runs in front so it is full of the strongest, fastest, and most fit. Then there's me. Fat, out of shape, and not much of an athlete. I have the option of falling back to bravo if I can't keep up.
Three! Two three four. Fire and pain, this is what my body is now. Sweat pours down my face and I'm not alone in that. Stronger and faster men than I have fallen behind. I'm not in last anymore. Four! Two three four. Our voices are ragged gasps and our bodies feel only dull pain. The fire burned our ability to feel more. We number less than half of the starters. …show more content…
A timer stands at the starting line of the track, as if to mock us. Music blares from a speaker that has had better days, the sounds of rock belt from it to inspire us. The whistle blows, the way is clear, and we're off. The world fades away after the first lap. It is Sunday, I'm out running the courtyard. Sweat drips down my face as I round the last corner of the second lap. Sunday again, the rain doesn't stop my weekly run. Four laps down and four to go. The timer reads six minutes. This Sunday I have a partner, someone else wants to improve. Fire and pain are all I know. Ragged, shallow breaths struggle to fill deflated lungs. One more lap to go and all I want is to stop, but I can't. Another Sunday and the courtyard has ten runners now, at least one from each group. Each of us running to beat our time last week. We run together, but we're racing ourselves. I'm dying in the field inside the track. I'm dying but it was worth finishing. I can't remember my time, I know only pain. I ran two miles in thirteen minutes that day. My first run of two miles took over twenty minutes. I ran faster than 95% of my company. None of that mattered to my Drill Sergeant though, because, that day he told me that all that mattered was that I was better today than I was yesterday. I had done my duty to ensure self
Three! Two three four. Fire and pain, this is what my body is now. Sweat pours down my face and I'm not alone in that. Stronger and faster men than I have fallen behind. I'm not in last anymore. Four! Two three four. Our voices are ragged gasps and our bodies feel only dull pain. The fire burned our ability to feel more. We number less than half of the starters. …show more content…
A timer stands at the starting line of the track, as if to mock us. Music blares from a speaker that has had better days, the sounds of rock belt from it to inspire us. The whistle blows, the way is clear, and we're off. The world fades away after the first lap. It is Sunday, I'm out running the courtyard. Sweat drips down my face as I round the last corner of the second lap. Sunday again, the rain doesn't stop my weekly run. Four laps down and four to go. The timer reads six minutes. This Sunday I have a partner, someone else wants to improve. Fire and pain are all I know. Ragged, shallow breaths struggle to fill deflated lungs. One more lap to go and all I want is to stop, but I can't. Another Sunday and the courtyard has ten runners now, at least one from each group. Each of us running to beat our time last week. We run together, but we're racing ourselves. I'm dying in the field inside the track. I'm dying but it was worth finishing. I can't remember my time, I know only pain. I ran two miles in thirteen minutes that day. My first run of two miles took over twenty minutes. I ran faster than 95% of my company. None of that mattered to my Drill Sergeant though, because, that day he told me that all that mattered was that I was better today than I was yesterday. I had done my duty to ensure self