Scaling the mountain

Last night I ran the hardest course I'd ever tried: 6.2 miles, almost all uphill. Through all the pain and effort, through 3 heart-breaking false summits, I kept hearing Coach Ilg in my head: "a fitness warrior never gives up!" When I finally scaled the hill, I wanted to stop and rejoice, even though I still had about a mile to go.
All those sets of leg extensions and jump squats prepared me to deal with the pain, and trained my muscles to keep firing even when there was no gas in the tank.
I used to be intimidated by that hill. Now it should fear me.