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The temperature was 83 degrees outside and the humidity was quite high. I just finished swim practice, and I was exhausted from training in the pool. I wanted nothing more than to go home and rest. But, unfortunately, my calendar reminded me that I had eight miles to run. So I proceeded to run down the driveway. After only a few steps, the struggle began. My legs felt like lead and only kept getting worse. They seemed to move in slow motion. My heart, however, had not received that memo and was pounding away as if I was in full sprint. A couple miles in, my skin burned from the mixture of dried chlorine and sweat. It was way too hot, and, although I hate to admit it, I was too out of shape. I longed to stop every single moment of that eight mile run, but I trudged on. Once I finally finished, however, I felt elated. My grimace transformed into a smile as pride filled me. All the pain and weariness seemed to fade away. I realized as much as I suffered during that training run, the agony was worth it for the feeling I experienced after completing it. Accomplishing the task brought me joy, and that fact that the task was so difficult made it all the more
