Helanie:
I wasn't sure how long I had been running. Time had blurred, and the pain in my chest struck me sharply. At least, I assumed it was my lungs—it was hard to tell anymore. My whole torso burned, forcing me to slow down. I could hear my muscles cry for help. My bones were cracking too. At one point, my mouth was so dry that I stopped entirely just to lick my lips to moisten them.
Not that I had been moving quickly to begin with. I just needed a break, a moment to catch my breath. Winning? That hope had already slipped away. Now, all I wanted was to finish. Just cross the finish line and make it to the meeting point.
