Fighting
Trifactor swim this morning. It was a preparatory race for me, to gauge my standard before I started intensive training for osim. I always enjoyed swimming, because the key to being fast was simple: relax. I’m never one who fights the water, because I know that it’s completely futile. I like to see the water as my comrade, the water and I fighting the clock, the ticking time being our common obstacle and the greatest challenge. Today, the water fought alongside me in the first lap, it didn’t push me along, but the waves and undercurrents stayed calm. I was feeling strong and fresh physically, but I knew I was mentally and emotionally spent. I struggled to stay focused, and the water silently helped smoothen the way, and lessen the struggle.
Sometimes, the water betrays you. On the second lap, the waves got stronger, and the current turned against me. The water threw up hoards of sea bugs and each stroke became painful as the stinging pain on my arms, legs and lips got close to unbearable. The water that was supposed to be your comrade, who fought alongside with you, all of a sudden turns around and hurts you. You put your trust in it right from the start as you take plunge in, hoping that it’s the right choice. You realize that although you might not regret the decision to take the initial plunge, when the tide turns against you, there’s nothing much you can do, except acknowledge that there is no longer anyone beside you. You have to fight alone now. As I look at the 2 fresh jellyfish stings on my hand, I wonder if they’re poisonous.
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