I am in a swim meet, a marathon; there are laps...maybe 60. Okay, less a marathon and more a swimming obstacle course, and there seems to be a lot of competition. Competition like the traffic in the morning- competitive like that. It has dives, and climbs, and currents, and little stations where you stop for mandatory snacks such as the crusty honey sweet crossaints like the ones we get on the lunch menu at Chedders. I haven't trained for this race- like I never went to the pool to practice. I haven't gone swimming in years, but I ROCK! As the laps add up, more and more swimmers drop from the race. I make it to the final 20, the 10...but as I swim the water is receeding. I do belly flops into 2 inches of water and make the motion of strokes to the next station. At the next tasting station women sit casually sprawled about laughing at another apparently concerned about swimming alongside them-they are HIV positive. The snacks at the station have run out there, but I make motions to be eating the prescribed obstacle; my hands miming the bread....my jaws taking bite by imaginary bite. This obstacle took 5 bites when it was stocked. I mouth 1-2-3-4-5.
I am in the final rounds...down to two and then....