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ACT 3 OF VOLUME 2
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The 5:30 am alarm was a familiar, almost comforting intrusion into the pre-dawn quiet, but for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, it wasn't a sound I dreaded.
The gnawing, gut-wrenching anxiety that had been my constant companion for three weeks had finally receded, leaving in its place a clean, sharp-edged excitement. The weight of the trial decisions had been lifted, the futures of Eze and Semenyo secured, and now, a new horizon was visible.
The 6k run felt different this morning. My legs, which had felt like leaden weights just twenty-four hours earlier, were lighter, more responsive, carrying me through the quiet, sleeping streets of London with a renewed sense of purpose.
The air was cool and crisp, and each breath felt like an affirmation, a cleansing of the doubt and fear that had clouded my mind. The competitive season started today. Fulham U18s, away from home.
