First came (initial swing). Her hip flexors fired like a slingshot, pulling her thigh forward. Her knee bent to 90 degrees so her toes wouldn’t scrape the ground. It was a clumsy, unloaded movement—like a pendulum finding its rhythm.

For a split second, she was standing on one leg—the (mid-stance). Her left leg was lifting off the ground behind her, but her right leg was a pillar. Her body balanced perfectly over her foot. This was the moment of total stability. She could have stopped for a coffee right there.

For one chaotic step, the phases collapsed. Her was too short; her balanceo was too fast. Her arms flailed. Her cerebellum screamed.

First came (initial contact). Her heel struck the pavement first, a shock absorber for the 60 kilos of her body. Tac. The bone of her calcaneus sent a whisper up to her brain: “Contacto. Estamos en tierra.”