"Ladies 500 Free" I hear the ref announce. This is me. I step closer to the edge of the pool "swimmers up" he exclaims next. I shakily climb onto the board. As I feel the rough texture against my feet, it makes me cringe. I glance to my left and see two girls ready , I glance to my right to see another two girls. "Take your mark" the ref shouts, I hunch my body over and place my fingers around the boards edge; remembering the techniques I was taught. BEEEPP, there it is. I fling my self into the air , and place my body in a streamline position getting prepared for the water. Finally I burst through the surface and I envy the nice cool feeling of the water. This is it , I take the first stroke to begin my race . I look around 'okay yeah I'm behind but that's okay. They are swimming to fast, this is about pacing yourself ladies' I swim and I take my time kicking my feet faster each time I flip turn off the wall. I'm getting closer and closer to the end, a few more laps . I can feel my chest raising and falling hard. My lungs are begging for more oxygen , I lift my face out of the water and gasp for air . My arms and legs are screaming for me to stop, but I push forward, the burning sensation continues but I know that I'm laps ahead of all of the other girl. By this time I'm sprinting noting that I'm trying to drop time. Stop stop breathes my mind but I don't I continue to stroke. I flip turn one last time and burst off the wall. Here it is 20 seconds and I'm finished . My arms are dead and they are begging me to take it easy but I don't I push even harder and stroke faster as my legs propel me across the water. There's the wall , I kick once as hard as I can and touch the wall. I sit there for a couple seconds with my head below the surface , not wanting to hear all the noise of the pool deck. I finally come to my senses that I need to breathe . I lift my face and hear everything so clearly around me. I look up to my timers and say breathlessly, "what's my time?"

"7:25" WHAT!? I know. It's no great time but I dropped 25 seconds , 25 seconds in one race . "Good Job Cheyanne"