The Running Dream

Jessica frequently dreams of the daily route she runs with Sherlock early each morning. She wakes up from the dreams only to the anguish of remembering the leg amputation. The dreams represent what Jessica thought was forever lost, but which she regains with hard work, dedication, and hope.

Rosa explains to Jessica that the finish line of a race is also the starting line, and as such, they are one in the same. The end of every race only offers the start of the next one, a replication of the cyclicality of life. Jessica has only ever thought of the finish line as a means to an end, but fully realizes by the end of the book that the finish line is indeed just the marker for the start of a whole new chapter in life.

Jessica has named the final 200-meters of the 400-meter dash “Rigor Mortis Bend” because of the immense discipline, training, and sheer willpower a runner must have to push past the pain and fear to finish the race with a strong kick. After the accident, Jessica realizes that what she is facing is a whole new obstacle, but one she compares to the Bend regardless.