Race Day Poem by Mike Smith

Race Day

Rating: 4.5


The morning air was crisp in my lungs
My mind was prepared to go
The sound of the gun went off
The journey ahead started off slow

Bodies were crammed together
Until a few minutes passed
Then the running began
My legs were free at last

I began with a quick pace
It seemed we were in single file
Runners began to spread
Just after the first mile

I felt good and strong
My mind and body were ready
Three miles came fast
My pace was calm and steady

The first big hill came
It looked so steep and tall
My heart was beating fast
But I hadn’t hit a wall

I made it up nice and slow
It was tougher than I thought
The inclines kept on coming
But I stayed in there and fought

Mile eight was not too bad
I could see the beauty of the coast
My pace began to slow a bit
I think it did for most

My wobbly and fatigued legs
Felt like they were ready to quit
It was only mile ten
But I couldn’t stop and sit

I kept pressing on, regardless of the pain
I started to ask myself why?
I soon got more strength
When an old lady passed me by


The inspiration didn’t last long
As my legs began to cramp
My feet were sore and burning
And my clothes were cold and damp

A mile and a half to go
I would have to run through pain
I told myself never again
Then it started to rain

One more mile was left
People passed me one by one
I just wanted to finish this thing
And be glad when I was done

The last mile seemed so long
I wanted the pain to stop
My legs kept on running
Even though I wanted to drop

The end of the race was finally here
I started to feel fine
I heard people cheer and shout my name
As I crossed the finish line

POET'S NOTES ABOUT THE POEM
I wrote this poem after my first and last half marathon! !
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Pamela Sinicrope 08 March 2016

Go Mike Go! I understand your pain and elation. Running is like that isn't it. It goes in phases when the body and mind go in and out of sync... And then when running a long race, there's all those other variables. I ran a marathon once. Nice poem. Thanks for sharing. One suggestion I learned from a poetry group I recently attended... Try taking out unnecessary pronouns and be verbs (like was) and see how it affects the movement, rhythm, flow, and pace of the poem. Just food for thought I recently learned and have been applying. Thanks!

0 0 Reply
Mike Smith 09 March 2016

Thank you for the kind words and thank you for the tip. I will try it out.

0 0
Ayman Parray 21 February 2016

If I was there I would have cheered for you too buddy. What a fine accomplishment, Both the poem and the marathon.

2 0 Reply
Mike Smith 22 February 2016

Thank you. The race was much harder to do then the poem. haha poemsbyus.com

0 0
Douglas Scotney 06 November 2013

if they cheered you they must have been ecstatic about the old lady

2 0 Reply
Mike Smith 22 February 2016

Thank you. your right they probably were :)

0 0
READ THIS POEM IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Close
Error Success