The Hill | Jessica Flory

Running to the hill was sometimes the worst part. The agony that you knew you would eventually feel was the one thing that kept you from going. The pain in your legs that you felt now as you ran up the slight incline was nothing compared to what it would be like once you hit the top of the hill.
But you had to go. You just had to run two hills and it would be over. Unfortunately, the only thing that would be over was the running; the screaming pain in your legs and your lungs would stay for some time after. Perhaps even after you had walked back to the track would your body still scream at you for rest and an escape from the misery to which it was bound.
Waiting at the bottom for Coach to give the signal to start had to be the most unnerving part of running the hill. The girls would wave back at him, crouch down... and then the three words that give all runners chills would be uttered: "Ready, set, go."
Once you started, everything became a bit better. There was no pain in the beginning and the worst was behind you. Or so you thought. As soon as you hit the middle of the hill, it began to incline a bit and that pain in your legs started to creep from your calves all the way to your rear end.
You could give yourself encouragement, and think that you were almost there. But Coach, who was standing at the top, never got close enough as fast as you wanted him to. The only thing you could do was to continue to pump your arms and drive your knees forward, and hope that the end was near.
Once you made it to the top, your lungs screamed for air and your legs were aching to be stretched. You wanted to walk around, to loosen up, but your legs were shaking and didn't seem to be able to support you. You wanted to sit down, but knew that you'd tighten up and stop breathing.
You walked limply down the hill and back to the starting line. Six minutes of rest just didn't seem to be enough time. You waved at Coach for the second time, who waved back, and you are on your way up again. The second time was always worse than the first and by the time you hit the middle of the hill, your body refused to go further. Mind over matter, you think, and you continued to pump your arms, pushing through the invisible force that held you back. Your arms and your legs were aching and just couldn't seem to push anymore. Your lungs were burning and you had a desperate need to cough something up. But the finish line was in plain sight! All you had to do was take a few more steps...
At last! You crossed the spray painted line drawn on the asphalt. You wanted to collapse and leave your painful existence for only a moment, but your rear end was tightening and yearned for the relief of walking and stretching. Walking around in stupid circles wasn't doing anything for your hamstrings or your behind, but you knew that if you sat down, air would cease to exist in your world.
When your lungs finally received their reward of air, the muscles in your bottom pulled you to the ground and forced you to stretch them. You started to relax, but only a little. Your head was still spinning and you were still fighting to keep whatever it is you ate last down.
As you left the hill, a sense of accomplishment surpassed the pain and sickness that you felt. You actually felt as though you had done something that day. You liked the feeling.
It is a good thing that you would be feeling it every single week for the next eight months.