Narrative Essay On Torture

I was enjoying the early sunrise and misty New Orleans weather when I was introduced to a form of torture. The torture did not include electric chairs or ropes, but rather tightly laced running shoes and bursting calf muscles. The one thing that drove me to this torture was the only thing that could drive me to do anything I am uncomfortable with, which is my desire to be a good student. When I first found out as a naïve eighth grader that I had to run in a certain time to make an A, I was determined to simply force my body to obey the command to run fast. I knew so little about the science and art of running, and this became apparent to me during my first mile test. I thought my lungs would burst, my legs would give out, and my friends would have to carry me to the finish line. Was it legal for my teachers to force us to be physically apt enough to run in twelve short minutes? Those mixed emotions of hatred, rage, determination, and hope were just the beginning of my long journey with running. The torture continued weekly for the rest of my high school career, and …show more content…
As I started running, I paid attention to the way I breathed. There was no design; I breathed in my nose and out my mouth for some steps, until that became too painful and I switched the pattern. Also, I became aware of the way my body was positioned and moved with each step. My shoulders were tightly arched towards my neck, my legs hit the ground in any way that seemed right at the moment, and my arms were held tight to my side and were the furthest thing from comfortable. Even if I did not have the setback of inflammation burning my lungs and nasal cavity, I had a ton of other problems. My running form was begging for injuries, and my breathing technique, or lack thereof, made my lungs’ job even more difficult. I had a lot to improve on, and I set out to study the