We swim countless miles, staring at a black line, going back-and forth, back-and-forth, with lane lines on either side of us. And then we go and race, and gone is the black line. Gone are the walls, every 25 seconds. Gone are the lane lines that keep us on path. Gone is crystal clear water. Oh, and now there are what feels like, a few thousand people surrounding us, trying to occupy the same space! YIKES!