The Olympic B Final

We blitz the start. I take us to a 45 for the our high 20. I know how this goes. I have rowed this race. With Tristan, with Steve, with Travis, with Chris. I know how to rip out my own guts and beat the other guys with them. I know how to win in my head before we take a single stroke. “Rhythm!” Our planned call. Let's settle at a 36. Wow, this is fast. Can we sustain this? I don't care anymore. This is what we are going to do, even if I have to die at the finish line. We are a length up. “Beautiful!” Not a planned race call, but it is calming. We keep pushing. No such thing as too much power, no such thing as too much speed. But the load stays light. This isn't a slug fest into a head wind. We are matched. One-pry. Every part of my body has to move at the catch. I feel like I am rowing a quad. “Hips!” His breathing is labored, but this is where I focus on shoving my hips into my foot stretcher with all my power. More arms. More lats. Why is it still so light? We are at the half way mark. Open water. The I see the split. It wobbles. One second slower. Two seconds slower. No, not today. My turn to make a call. “More!” I punch the catch hard and we go to a 37. Back on split. It comes back almost immediately. We are holding Malta by just over a length. “Rebound!” Now it is starting to feel heavy. Seven-fifty to go. Still on split. Still on speed. We are not moving on Malta anymore, they are just sitting off to our side. I am counting 30 strokes to the next call. It comes. “Red Button!” Lets row at a 38. We shave off one, two, three splits. But I know what is about to happen. I can shave a little bit, but I have never been a good sprinter. Too small. So here they come. A length. No more open water. Then three quarters, then half a length. “Win!” The rate cannot go up anymore. I try to row longer, more powerfully. No more speed. This is it. I pray for the finish line, I pray that we are not so tired that we catch a crab. I can see Madden, almost even with me now. Without a sound, I see the finish line buoy pass. Win.