Born for Gold
The buzzer sounds. Shocked by its piercing volume you stumble out; the frigid air smacking your face so hard it makes you wince. You shake it off, suck in a deep breath and brace yourself for what’s about to happen. You push off. Images race past faster than you can focus. Faces, posts, moving ground, colors. It’s too much to take in. Your mind races with possibility and the screaming questions, “Am I ready?” “Was my training enough?” “What will my hair look like when I step onto the medal platform?” You move ahead, your muscles straining under the weight. Your form, flawless. Around the bend and into the straightaway you fly, being mindful that wipe outs are extremely common in this stretch. Your supreme conditioning and extraordinary skill are kicking in now and before you, just as shocking as the start, the goal! One final burst… to the finish. You know this is what you were born to do. And as you stand there waiting, you lift your head, draw a final breath,