I was really happy with my race, though. I beat my personal best by 1.2 seconds.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
That is an important part of my success. Another big part of my success is that I hated not to finish a race.
I couldn't disappoint people. I did not want to fail and exhaust myself, because I was the kind of runner who trained so little that I couldn't race again within another 10 days.
I remember in the first part of the race I was sixth and I could have gone quicker, but I had to go slow. It was one of the most difficult things I have ever done.
I'm a competitor. I really enjoyed the race more than just going out and running to run.
Every race is not perfect; there are obviously a lot of things I can improve on at the end of the race.
I was the kid who never won the races... I wasn't on the list of the high-achieving.
I was the kid who never won the races. I never jumped the highest. I wasn't on the list of the high-achieving.
I don't remember my first race, but I do recall various school sports days where I became way too competitive. We were seven or eight years old, and I had a very stern conversation with my relay team-mates about how crucial it was for us to win.
I have never won a race, and that is my main disappointment - but you have to be positive.
For myself, losing is not coming second. It's getting out of the water knowing you could have done better. For myself, I have won every race I've been in.