Blood in the Water

It has been a little over 4 years since I stepped up to blocks for the last time. A little over 4 years since my competitive swimming career came to an end. Not an abrupt end, nor an unforeseen end, but a logical conclusion to a campaign spanning a decade and a half of swimming. Starting with 1 lap in early June and ending with 66 in late February 15 years later it was not so suddenly over. The next morning wasn't the beginning of yet another off season, it was the beginning of THE off season. No more cramped locker rooms, no more 4-5 hour bus rides, no more 5 am wake-up calls, no more Saturday morning sessions, no more training, no more competing.

But the competitive fire doesn't switch off quite as easily, and I found myself training, and racing again. Competition is inherent to all of us, and there is really only one reason that I can see; overtaking another competitor. There are few feelings that rival overtaking someone. Whether you are training or racing, in that moment when you realize you're gaining ground on the person ahead of you, nothing else matters, you need to catch them. The pursuit is gripping, I've run extra miles chasing someone down, and stopped talking mid-sentence to mount an attack on another group of bikers. It's primal, it's the hunt, you can smell the blood in the water, and you care about little else.

Three months to go, I hope I'm the Shark.



Miles Covered So Far:

Biking: 1839.41

Swimming: 79.75

Running: 441.64