Audrey had just finished her last warm up sprint and she was ready. Her heart was pounding in her chest, not from the warm up but from the pure adrenaline running through her veins. She'd trained sixteen long, painful weeks and was anxious to see what her body was able to accomplish. The race would be tough but the sweat would dry, the feeling in her legs would return and she would be left with the feeling of great accomplishment. She was about to complete her first marathon, a dream of hers at forty-five.
The racers began to line up as the crowd cheered their loved ones on. Screams and whistles could be heard from blocks away, but all Audrey was listening to was her steady breath and her heart beat pounding in her ears. Her focus slowly drifted from the screaming fans to the long stretch of road that lay ahead of her. This would be her only companion for the next forty-two kilometers. A companion who would punish her with challenging hills which would make her wish she'd never introduced her sneaker to the pavement. This companion would also reward her with a gradual slope, giving her aching muscles time to recover. Audrey braced herself for the loud crack of the starting gun that would begin their journey together though thick and thin, pain and glory. The cheering slowly began to quiet down as the announcer held the gun high in the air and began to speak. The shot suddenly rang out and Audrey took off, letting the adrenaline take over her entire body. But she knew this buzz of excitement would soon taper off and the rush of adrenaline she felt would be replaced with fatigue. She was prepared for this transition though; her legs would feel like jelly, her lungs would burn like fire and her body would scream stop. Audrey's mind on the other hand would ignore her body's signals and tell her to keep pushing through the last couple kilometers. She would motivate herself through this time by thinking of her family and friends who came out to support her. She was happy they were here and needed them today for other reasons that ran much deeper than the race.
Two years ago life had thrown Audrey a curve ball when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The news hit everyone hard, and had hung over her family like an ominous dark cloud making the good things in life a struggle to see. During the chemo treatment there were good days and bad days but Audrey tried her best to keep her spirits up throughout the entire process. She knew she was going to beat it, and this was why over the course of her treatment she had made a list comprised of her life dreams and goals. Having been diagnosed with cancer gave Audrey a fresh new outlook and she was ready to live life to its fullest once she got out of the hospital. The first thing she promised to do when she got better was to take her family on a long, overdue vacation. Audrey's fantasy destination was Greece; the bright blue waters and the white buildings that were scattered along the rolling hills always sent her into an adventuress daydream. When Audrey returned home relaxed and rejuvenated from her trip to Greece she was already planning her next goal to conquer, a full marathon. She'd been a recreational runner all of her life, usually running every day except for when the illness prevented her from engaging in physical activity. She sought professional guidance and for sixteen long weeks trained through every kind of weather to get to exactly where she was at this moment.
Over halfway finished, Audrey had twenty-seven kilometers behind her and fifteen more to go. The build up of lactic acid made her legs burn with every stride and every breath felt as if she were inhaling fire. Her eyes burned and her skin burned, but the burning desire to finish the race was far more powerful then any physical pain she was experiencing. Audrey squirted her water bottle it into her mouth and then she soaked her head and chest hoping to get some relief from the heat. This last stretch of the race was dragging on longer than the first and Audrey felt like calling it quits, but the five-kilometer mark was fast approaching and this was where it counted. Five kilometers was an easy morning run for her, if she was going to do this she was going to give it her all. Audrey picked up her pace using the image of the finish line to push her forward. She passed two people with this burst of energy and if her calculations were right she was in fortieth position. Fortieth out of three hundred people wasn't a bad finish at all, this was the cherry on top of her goal. Thinking of placing in the top one hundred gave Audrey a second wind; it was as if she was at the starting line again and the adrenaline was back in her system full force.
Only two kilometers left to go now, Audrey could hear the roar of the crowd grow louder as she approached the end. She held her position strong, letting her powerful strides bring her closer and closer to the finish line. She looked over at the sea of cheering people and saw her eight-year-old twin boys chanting her name and jumping up and down with excitement. Audrey was smiling from ear to ear when she crossed the finish line and threw her hands up into the air as a celebration of her victory. After the race Audrey walked over to the booth with trembling legs to collect her ribbon, this was material proof her goal was complete.