Track

When people are holding their boyfriends hand, hitting 130mph on the highway, juking 20 linebackers, hitting a high note, or falling 1000 ft from the sky, diving... they feel alive. For me, I feel alive on a track.

Before a race, I get jitters inside my stomach and butterflies like I'm about to ask someone special to dance. I try to shake it off by jumping around and doing some warm up sprints but the feeling remains. Seconds before my race is about to start, I feel my palms sweaty (like I'm Eminem). I take a deep breath like I'm about to commit suicide by jumping off a building.

The official running the track then says "Runners go ahead and set your blocks". I rush over, still with the nervous feeling inside my stomach, and grab the first block I see without thinking and slam it on my lane. I adjust my blocks the way my coach taught me.. thinking in my head, "2 palms 2 knuckles forward for my left leg, 1 palm 1 knuckle for my right... behind my left" I take 2 or 3 practice starts before the official says, "alright runners behind your blocks.. take your sweats off." I take off my sweats, shake the two people next to me's hands then take another deep breath. (Note: reminiscing my past races as I'm writing this.. makes me nervous even.)

"Runner's to your mark" This is when I go nuts and all my nerves are going insane and my body has no control of itself. Twitch every part of my body to make sure everything is still attached. I calmly get in my set position and close my eyes. My shoulder is flexing as my elbows are locked in place while keeping myself from falling forward as I'm leaning over the starting line. Deep breath, relax my neck and back. "SET!" My waist slides up in the air. My eyes open. Honing out all senses and sounds around me, waiting for the gun to fire. This is the moment when I just feel nothing in the world matters. All my worries are gone. I am content and ready for anything that hits me. "GO!" From this point on, my body is numb and everything I do is pure instinct and developed habit. I enter a whole new world and the tunnel of vision is focused on the finish line.

Nothing in the world could live up to this moment in my life.