ï‚· Swimming is lonely. The swimmers mightiest challenge is to tune out. It's the only sport where you can never know exactly how well you're doing until it's to late to do anything about it. There is no sound of footsteps or trash talk or heavy breathing in the next lane, just the muffled roar from fans who may be cheering for winners or screaming for losers. There is no other reality but the water, and any distraction from this dreamlike state - the recollection of an earlier conversation or the vision of a girl - can ruin a race. The mind can wonder very easily, that's the difference between giving 98 % or 100 % or the difference between a world record or last place
