My heart beating loudly in my chest is the only sound I can here.  The air,  whipping past my face, tries to curb my inertia but I just press on harder and harder.  As I make my turn to go into the straight-away, the next man in the relay team comes into sight.  I push my legs harder and harder, but I cannot make them  move any faster.  There is only one hundred meters left to go before the instant I have to pass the baton the next runner.  As I am speeding down the lane like a jet about to lift off, I see the fans cheering in my peripheral vision but I remain focused on my objective ahead of me.  I move closer and closer to the red zone, now counting my steps and pacing off the distance in my mind to the sprinter ahead of me.  I ready myself and keep telling myself "be patient, wait" then ....."Go," I yell as he harnesses his adrenaline for a good start.  I again have to make another critical, split second decision.  When should I give him the baton?  There can be no mistakes on the hand off.  If I miscalculate my steps, it could be disastrous for the team.  As I sprint at his newly energized heels, I yell "Stick!"  He reaches his arm back in a robotic-like manner and I slam the baton in his hand, so he will not lose a handle on it.  It is a successful hand-off and my body jars, as I try to bring myself to a quick stop.  My journey is over but the next runner's has just begun.
	Track is a big part of my life and it holds much more significance to me than just running.  I would not even get the opportunity to set foot on the track if I did not practice several hours a day, running the same stretch of track twenty times over.  This may seem like insanity to others but to me it is a way to focus my energy and discipline my mind, as well as my body.  Running a race to me is like life;  you have to pace yourself and being better than the next guy is a must.  Like one who does not receive a promotion in business for not working to their potential, I will not make varsity if I do not strive to be the best I can be, on and off the track.  The Baton is my hopes and aspirations and I have to protect it and not lose sight of it.  Because I am a long way from being the fastest man on the team, I have to work even harder, which poses a challenge to me.  I am not discourages by this but encouraged to work even more assiduously, which makes the victory all the more sweeter.  The relay, in my opinion, is one of the greatest forms of teamwork, for each man has to know what the other man is going to do and when he is going to do it.  I know I could not come close to beating the insuperable odds of winning if I ran the race alone.  Though, working together as a team, we can form one graceful body that can not be overcome.  With the perception as life being race, I feel it is my duty to run as fast as I can and as hard as I can and just don't drop the baton.