Adrenaline. It’s coursing through my blood vessels, and my mind is frozen. All I know is the task at hand, and it seems that’s all I’ve ever known. It happens every time, and once I’m out, it’s over. Like I’m a different person while I’m in there.
I’m pulling my knees up to my chest with the deck, and the water is chilling my black suit. The timer goes off, and I’m racing.
My arms are pulling the water back to make room for my body. I’m careful not to touch the lane lines, or I’ll be disqualified. My feet are the fastest they’ve ever been, flutter kicking like there’s no tomorrow. I shudder, my black dots in front of my eyes, and sneak in a breath, letting it flood back out.
I look up, searching for the blue and white flags. They reach past my blind spot, and I take two more strokes. On my third, my body self-consciously flips over, hits the wall, and pulls me under. I dolphin kick, and begin my stroke again.
I’m trying not to look past the sky. I can’t look over at the other lanes, or I’ll loose it. I know it doesn’t matter if I win or not, but I’ll slow down either way. If I’m winning, my legs will slow their kick and I’ll put seconds on my time. If I’m loosing, my brain will tell me it’s over and I’ll give up. I can’t look at the other people.
I can see the flags. The blue is chasing the white, and the colors are mixing. I’m careful not to hit my head as my arms slams down on the deck. I don’t look at the other people. I close my eyes, and breathe hard, exhaling the rotten carbon dioxide.
I turn to look at my timer. “Great job sweetie! You were awesome!” She says, but I don’t care, because that’s not what matters.
“What was my time?” I ask politely, plastering a fake smile on my face.
“Uh…46.83,” she shows me the timer, and I read the numbers carefully.
I pull my body out of the water and let the wet drops glisten on my face. I pull my cap off my head and high five the other swimmers with real enthusiasm.
I just won the fifty meter backstroke.
