A loud, sharp, buzzing noise comes from the corner. The clock reads 5 a.m. Dragging myself out of bed, I emerge from my room and head to the kitchen to grab a granola bar and a bottle of water. As I head out the door, I slip on a pair of shoes and question why I would be waking up this early on a summer day.

The time is now 5:05 A.M. I begin driving my usual route through town, and the radio is blaring so that I don’t fall asleep at the wheel. Few cars stroll through town and streetlights shine on the road. Most lights remain green, and I am able to cruise through all of the intersections.

I pull up to the red-bricked San Jose pool at exactly 5:15 a.m. Dragging myself up the stairs through the humid summer air, I brace myself for what’s to come in the next 3 hours. I make my way down the fluorescent lit hallway and open the glass door to the pool.

The smell of chlorine overwhelms me. The time is now 5:20, and I walk upstairs to retrieve my equipment bag for practice. I hear my coach say, “Good morning, Carl.” from inside of his tiny office. I head back downstairs and sit amongst my silent and very tired teammates.

5:30 a.m. — the time that all DASH swimmers dread. We drag ourselves to the end of the pool, water bottles in hand. All that is heard is the sound of continuous yawning until, “You have a 500 swim! Ready… go!” I strap my goggles to my face and dive into the ice cold water.

The next two hours combine into one painful blur. I swing my arms, kick my legs, and breath occasionally. Some practices are harder than others, but all are strenuous. Before I know it, the clock reads 7:30 a.m. and it’s time to go upstairs for our “dryland” workout.

The next half hour consists of  situps, pushups, burpees and wall sits. Before many other kids are awake on a normal summer day, my teammates and I have now been up for almost three hours. We are now full of energy and begin to talk and laugh for the rest of practice. The time is now 8 a.m., and it’s time to go home.

Once home, I eat breakfast and take a nap… all before many people have even gotten up for the day. When I wake, the day resumes as a normal summer day would: relaxing by the pool, spending time with friends and family, and simply enjoying life.

Some may think that swimmers are crazy for getting up at 5 a.m. every day in the summer, but for us, it’s a regular routine. Swimming is a difficult sport, and we need to work hard to be successful. We dedicate so much of our time to the sport because we believe in success.

As the sun begins to set, I look at my phone once again. I tap the alarm app on my screen, and once again set my alarm for 5 a.m. I enjoy the rest of the evening, and brace myself once again for the loud noise of my alarm.