The aching in my calves continues and pushes me even further. The thoughts of being able to play out in the sun doing the sport I love just aren’t cutting it today. 

My body is sweating and I couldn’t feel grosser if I tried. The desire to finish running overwhelms me and my mind goes blank. My body goes into autopilot and somehow, I end up where I started, almost a mile later, only this time, I’m gasping for air and yearning for water. Even with the amount of pain my body is in, I’m proud of myself for my small victory of the day.