On your mark
Hear the crowd grow silent as a loud, outstretched sound of a whistle rings in your ears. Feel your knees tremble like an earthquake ready to burst as you step up on the block. Smell the pure chlorine as you bend down into the starting position. Your muscles tense in preparation. “Take your mark”, speaks the official. You don’t hear the beep, but instead sense it. Without any hesitance, you’re off! Your body writhes as your feet go crazy with power. From the tips of your fingers to the tips of your toes, your muscles pulse with restraint. You swiftly release your streamline, only to begin the descent into your stroke. Welcome to the 200 Butterfly.
When I am swimming, something takes me over. It’s like one minute I’m a nervous wreck, and the next minute, I am in the zone completely. I feel the water surf through my fingers as I unleash the strength throughout every part of my body. I remember to take it out slow and smooth, knowing I’m in this for the long run.
At the beginning, I must savor my strength. I feel my muscles constricting as I yearn to push farther ahead. The first and last fifties are crucial in saying that they could decide your whole race. As I turn onto the second fifty, I feel my spirits lift as I see my teammates at the sides of the pool, cheering me on. I keep repeating over and over in my head, “Halfway done; only 100 left!” I suppose I figured this would give me a little extra push.
By the third fifty, I begin to feel the distinct burn in my core muscles that I’ve come to know as accomplishment. My fingers start to cramp when I flex them forward. The strain on my body as I chop through the water tells me I’m on the right track and I am soon to be in the home stretch. The girls on either side of me are out of sight. Not sure if I’m in first or last, I shake it off and push myself as hard as I can.
The enormous x on the wall of my last turn mocks me as I sprint as much as my body will allow. The touch pad stares me in the face as I unleash all the strength and power I have left on the last twenty-five. I hear the crowd begin to roar as the race comes to an end. With the least bit of glide, my fingers lunge towards the wall. I turn around to look at the board, in search of my time and place. My eyes flicker quickly to the place. Last. I try not to dwell on that fact. I skip over it to my time. My mouth falls open, luckily, not in horror but shock. I had just dropped about 10 seconds. In the world of swimming, the difference between a world record and a loss could be merely tenths of a second. In other words, this was a big deal.
I could barely get out of the pool because of my dramatic disbelief. It was almost like I was ashamed. I was the one that had let my team down; me. I was to blame for their disappointment. I tried my best to shake it off when suddenly it hit me. I had nothing to be ashamed of. I left everything I had in that pool. There was not one thing I would have done differently. I had no regrets. The others just happened to be better than me; so what, it happens. I did this for myself and no one else. My mood had just jumped from heartbreak to empowerment.
Almost completely out of it, I felt numerous pats on my back as my teammates high-fived me. To me, these weren’t pity high-fives; they were the encouragement and understanding of my friends. As I walked over to my coaches, I saw the looks on their faces. We could be twins. They congratulated me while we dissected my race into a better understanding. This is so I would be aware of what I did well and what I need to improve on. Exhausted and still out of breath, I slowly walked over to a bench and sat down. Suddenly the fact that I came in last was totally forgotten.
All in all, I had improved myself greatly. I no longer had that same distinct struggle while swimming this particular race. I now understood what it meant to be a winner within myself; to not only race against others, but to race against myself. In the end, that was all that mattered. I truly believe that this one race will have an effect on my whole swimming career to come.
If you are a swimmer, you’ve probably heard the saying “Swim in your own lane”, or “Swim your own race”. This is not something to be ignored. When you are faced with a challenge, it doesn’t always have to be against others. It could just simply be against you. If you ask me, that is the ultimate challenge. This is not only true in sports but also in your everyday life. You should always strive to better yourself any way you can. In the end, it will benefit not only you but also those around you. It’s a win win.