The Tortoise and the Hair

Pacing Yourself is More Gratifying

As they opened the newspaper to the sports section, Robert’s picture appeared; it took half the top page. The newspaper covered the local 10-kilometer or 6.2-mile race.

Further down in the small print were the results of the race. Robert’s name was significantly down in the result’s list.

Early that day.

The runners for the 10 k race had gathered at the opening of one of the larger city parks.

It was an early summer morning, and there was a cold nip in the air. The sun made the road ahead glitter. The air smelled of mildew from the wet leaves stacked upon each other at a nearby creek.

The runners then gathered at the starting position of the race located near the park entrance.

The starting pistol fired, and the race was off.

Robert entered the race as ancillary support for other sports. He wasn’t savvy to the strategies of running. He started the race sprinting.

About a quarter of a mile into the race, he was well in front of the pack; he had a commanding lead; that’s when the local newspaper took the picture for the front page of the sports section.

The distance between him and the pack slowly shortened as Robert began to tire.

The other runners were inching their way closer to Robert. Soon the pack caught up with Robert, Robert started to get winded.

The end of the race became insight. Although extremely winded, Robert pushed through to the finish line.

We are moving back to the beginning.

Although sprinting at the beginning of the race, resulting in short-term glory (Getting his picture in on the front page of the sports page.) The greater satisfaction would have been finishing the race in the first place.

A good fiction story by Lisa Gerard Braun