Sunday, January 11, 2009 . 15:36

There was a crushing sound as the water resisted the face of my moving blade. Green turned to white, bubbles frothed. Sticking my right foot into the water, i got out of my kayak in a not so swift manner. I gripped one edge of the cockpit and slid my hand under the hull, hefting it up, grunting under the now heavy kayak.

I looked up, scanning the feeders for those of my team. I broke into a slow jog towards the portage lane. My muscles burned under the combined weight, and my breaths came out short and sharp. Then, I spotted them. "Water?" a voice said. I shook my head. "Food?" I nodded absently.

A second passed.

My breathing and weight upon my shoulders became the focus of my existence.

Two seconds.

A banana came into view. Practiced hands swiftly stripped the fruit and stuck it out to me. How many of my team mates have they fed before me? I took a mouthful. The sweetness was pleasurable.

Another hand came, coarser, this time, holding a bottle of water.

Water. Oh how important that had become. I thought of the water bag behind my seat, still half-full with gatorade. I considered refusing.

Shit! My bow scraped the sand. I braced my elbow against my boat in an awkward position. Who cared about how you looked right now? I huffed as I struggled to lift it to a horizontal position.

I wasn't sure if i had cursed aloud, but a female voice sounded, "Relax, take your time." Time? Sure. Currently 1 hour 58minutes.

I succeeded in protecting my craft, and took a gulp of water just because I was too pressed for time. I looked up for the first time, to the other lane. My partner was still strolling along, obviously waiting for me. I thought about how nice that was. How long have I been here?

Then I stepped away from my helpers, only to once again face the grim task ahead of me as my muscles burned under the combined weight.






Bah. that was a whole bunch of exaggeration.