there's something about the black and white
of running.
something about the sweat,
the pain of pushing hard time and time again
the realization that
the same fire that rages in my legs, in my arms,
burns fiercely in my heart

Because if I can suffer more than the next girl,
that's all it takes,
if I can push more
if I can fly higher
if I can learn to love the pain
of the cold, hard facts,
recorded with the click of a stopwatch
of the heartache of a bad finish
of the adrenaline of the ending sprint
of all these black and white
losses and victories

then maybe I will rise
above the blinding seas of gray.