What We Hope to Gain

We are the really quite plain,
Yet somehow considered insane
And what we hope to gain can only be measured
By the numbers on a clock.
 
Our furrowed and sweat covered brows
Aren’t enough to satisfy
Our goals, our ambitions, our coaches, ourselves
And often even our best can’t mollify the hunger.
 
Although the racers toeing the lines beside us
Get our competitive engines revving
And the pressure to impress is a weight to bear
The real race is internal.
 
The race to climb new heights,
To be more disciplined
To exceed your own expectations,
To be a better version of yourself.
 
But when all is said and done
And your results are set in stone
You realize what you really obtained
Was your team.
 
Nothing quite bonds a group of people
Like tolerating each other’s odors
Or waking up before the sun
And fighting through the concrete jungle of the sidewalk.
 
And nothing quite bonds a team
Like running side by side every day
Discussing the joys, the sorrows,
And tackling life’s obstacles together.
 
And nothing quite bonds a team
Like celebrating the victories,
Suffering the disappointments,
Slowly and surely becoming a family.
 
We are the really quite plain,
The definitely, completely insane,
And what we hope to gain can only be measured
By our memories.

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