Nathan, my coach, reminded us how one foreign athlete put racing in perspective.
"Some people cure cancer...some fight wars... some run countries... but we race skinny little boats, in straight lines, all over the world, against our friends."
And how true it is. Tomorrow morning, I'll paddle a 2- minute race against my teammates, in hopes of earning a spot to race in Europe against my foreign friends who do the same thing.
Athletics are absurd.
I will continue to inhabit this hilarity until Sunday morning, when all my races are done, when I know I have done my best and the summer full of racing is finally going to begin. I've raced enough times to know the feeling I will have on Sunday morning when I cross the finish line for the last time; it will remind me exactly why I do this.
I will conveniently "forget" the pain of racing, the nerves, and the endless preparation. Everything Kayaking will be basked in a rosy glow and I'll be clamoring to set new goals for the months of May and June: more hours on the water, more hours in the gym, more competitions, more of this forward-moving accomplishment that can only come from committed hard work and patience.
It's why we do this!!
Happy racing to everyone at US team trials!!
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