I'm Almost There

This is my "Anywhere But Here" descriptive essay that I had to write for English.

The course out here is extraordinarily beautiful. The huge field of green that I am running through suddenly changes to a tiny trail in the woods. There is a glimmer of sunlight just barely shining through the top of the trees, adding little spots of light to the ground in front of me. Back out of the woods, I can see the starting line. A bit of nervousness sweeps over me at the sight, but it doesn’t bother me. I love that mixed feeling of excitement and nerves before a cross country race, and today just happens to be the perfect day for one. The sun is shining bright and there is even a little bit of wind, but not enough to make my breathing difficult. If I could be anywhere, where would I be? Here.
    The race is about to start. The starter is slowly counting down, “30 seconds!...15 seconds!”. He gets to the 10 second countdown and the anxious crowd goes almost silent waiting for the gun to go off, “10...9...8...7...6...5...bang!”. The cheers of the observers is like a sudden thunderstorm rolling in, filling the air with one loud boom of excitement, and the race is on. As I race to find a good spot to fall in to the mob of runners, I can just barely hear some people shouting my name and the names of my teammates. After running for a half mile, I hear my coach’s voice, “You are in 15th place with two miles to go. Keep it up! Try to get up with Bri! You two need to stay together. You got this!”.
    Pain is my friend. I just need to keep thinking that. I’m at that point in the race now that I can’t even feel the pain anymore, and there is that relaxing feeling coming over me. This is the best part of the race. The point in the race that I overcome the constant pain, and all there is left is the calming feeling of the earth beneath my feet. I won’t let myself stop until I cross the finish line, no matter how much I want to. I keep moving, feeling the slight breeze on my face, as I reach a downhill. I lengthen my strides, relax, and let myself fly down the hill, passing the girl in front of me. As I move around the girl I feel something brush against my arm, but I don’t think about it. I’m only thinking about how great I feel right now, with the cool wind moving past me and my feet pounding against the soft dirt of the forest trail.
    As I turn the sharp corner that leads me out of the woods, the view is almost breathtaking. The sunlight on the clear, blue lake is making the water sparkle. I only see it for a moment then I turn back into the woods. My parents are standing on the side of the trail and cheering for me. I must be almost done, because there is a large group of people standing at the opening in the woods. I can see the finish line about 200 meters away. I start running for it as fast as I can. The crowd around me becomes a blur as I focus on the line that will end my race, and then, I’m done. I cross the finish line and receive my place card. I got 12th place. My parents come over to congratulate me and talk to me about the race for a while, then I go put my sweats back on and leave for my cool-down run.
    My cool down run is the same as my warm up run. I’m back in the huge field of green that changes into the tiny trail in the woods. The sun is still shining through the tree tops, leaving little specks of sunlight on the ground, but now I’m thinking about going home and getting some well-deserved rest. My next race is in the back of my mind, but I know tomorrow I will be thinking these three words. I’m almost there.

Author's Note

According to my teacher I didn't put in enough descriptive words, but I decided to put this version up here before I had to change it to make it sound horribly cheesy. This flows a lot better than what she wants me to write.

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

A very good poem. I was a long distance runner in my lifetime. The poem tells a real story. You must motivate the mind and heart to keep going in a race. I like how you described the race and looked forward to the next. A outstanding short story. I enjoyed it all.
Coyote

[Calypso]

Inspirational, and well said.

[PrincessZeldaWannabe]

I really like it and think it is cool, especially since it's about sports!

[Fabric Pulse]

From genuine perspective looking in.