With that, I decided to approach the seven week cycle a little differently, not worrying too much about how many miles I was running, which days I was hitting the workouts, or what I was doing for my long runs. I ran the workouts faster than I had all season but also kept the miles down. I skipped workouts when I needed to and pulled myself out of one particularly challenging one less than two weeks out. None of it was a big deal though. In fact, my whole mindset about the race was that it was no big deal.
At the same time as the cycle was ramping down, I also had some other things going on that really needed my attention and energy. It coincided with taper, so instead of the usual taper crazies, I pretty much didn't think about the race at all. I knew I would run and I definitely wanted to run well, but my approach went from laid back to not even a little bit focused on it. My expectations went from not serious to nonexistent. It was definitely extreme but both necessary and, as it turns out, good for me.
Of course, what's a marathon without a little stress? I couldn't sleep the night before the race which sparked a serious panic attack that left me with only 3 hours sleep. By the time I actually got to the race that morning though, I had talked myself down while also pumping myself up, using the power of music to get me in the right mindset. I don't think I've ever been so relaxed at the start line of a race. It definitely helped that the race was small and kind of informal, but still, 26.2 is 26.2. I had chosen the 6:30 a.m. start which was non-competitive so that I could get as many miles in as possible before the temps went up. The course was two out-and-backs on the towpath. Most of my teammates didn't understand why the hell I'd want to do that to myself. Honestly, it was really, really easy for me to wrap my head around it. The terrain was familiar, the distance of each leg not very long, and I knew I'd have awesome course support with the CAR water stop and the tall girl. It was made even better the night before the race when I learned that George would be staffing the turn-around.
First Out
After the gun, which was really a whistle (I think), I pretty quickly settled into an easy groove. I don't think I can explain it any way other than it just felt right. I was relaxed, not getting caught up in the half-marathoners shooting out ahead and didn't have to think much about pace. After the first two miles, I had my first "oh shit" moment as I realized that my pace already was faster than my average at my last marathon and so started to slow. Like in Richmond though, I caught myself and made a conscious decision to just go with it. Just run. I knew in my gut that I could hold this pace and probably even pick it up. I think it helped that the towpath has a slight downhill grade on the way out, making it seem even easier than it was. When I hit mile 5, I started to get excited knowing that the CAR water stop was only a bit ahead. And then I could see our super cool new tent poking up in the distance and got a burst of energy. Running through that water stop was so much fun. We had a ton of enthusiastic volunteers out there which put the other stops on the course to shame. It was really awesome! Once through the stop, I knew I only had a mile or so until I got to George, so I stuck with my pace.
Mile 1 - 8:24
Mile 2 - 8:25
Mile 3 - 8:30
Mile 4 - 8:23
Mile 5 - 8:18
Mile 6 - 8:13
Mile 7 - 8:12
First Back
It was hard to tell who was running the full and who was running the half. I knew that there were a bunch of people ahead of me, and I was starting to gain on some of them, but it was really too early in the race to think much about passing. Still, I spent much of this leg jockying with another woman (the one in the picture below), passing each other every 1/2 mile or so, including as we came through the CAR stop again. My teammates had water bottles for me, so I switched one out and just tried to run steady.
|
|
|
Mile 8 - 8:12
Mile 9 - 8:17
Mile 10 - 8:15
Mile 11 - 8:09
Mile 12 - 8:12
Mile 13 - 8:04
Second Out
I had my second "what the fuck do you think you're doing" moment as I started the second out-and-back. I was waaaay down in the 8s and starting to flirt with the 7s, which is how we usually run the last 10K or so of our long runs. I knew that this was technically race pace but I got nervous that it was just too early to be there. Again though, I caught myself and just went with it. I wanted it. Badly. And that's what I thought about on and off for most of this leg. I knew I was capable and I just had to let myself do it. As soon as I got comfortable with that, the pace started to feel easy even as it continued to drop slightly. Yes, I had the downhill grade again but still. There's definitely something to be said about those race pace miles that we add in to our runs. It makes a huge difference. As I passed the tall girl around mile 15, I couldn't help but smile and nod my head. This was my race. I had this and I knew it, and wanted her to know it too. Then, as though barely any time had passed, I was back at the CAR stop. My legs felt phenomenal, at least until I tried to run down the concrete ramp into lock 5. I felt a little wobbly but just tried to hold myself upright to get back on flat ground. Jessica and Skip surprised me by putting ice cubes in my next bottle which made for what is probably the best water I've ever tasted. No really, like best ever. I hadn't realized how humid it was out there and having that coldness both against my hand and as I was drinking was amazing. With a surge from that, I kept running out to George, feeling great at the turn around.
Mile 14 - 8:01
Mile 15 - 7:55
Mile 16 - 8:02
Mile 17 - 8:02
Mile 18 - 8:02
Mile 19 - 7:58
Mile 20 - 8:02
Second Back
I stayed pretty strong between the turn around and the CAR stop, thinking about turning on my music for the first time all day. I made a deal with myself. Just get through the water stop and then use it to sail into the finish. Jessica had offered to run with me if I wanted it, but I was feeling good and in a groove so I powered through the stop instead and went on my way for the homestretch.
|
|
|
Mile 21 - 8:06
Mile 22 - 8:06
Mile 23 - 8:14
Mile 24 - 8:18
Mile 25 - 8:26
Mile 26 - 8:31
Last .41 - 3:20 (8:10 pace)
Final - 3:36:54 (8 minute PR, 5th OAF)
I didn't know what the mile marker situation would be, so I left my watch on auto-lap, which ended up being a fantastic decision. The downside was being pretty off from the markers, which make my splits not quite accurate.
In a race where I felt like the odds were kind of against me, I figured out how to run both relaxed and confident. Is there anything better than that?! Don't get me wrong, I'm still kind of in awe of my time and my splits, but the way I ran this race is the thing that's going to stick with me, probably forever. I would dare to say that it (and the few weeks leading up to it) have been life changing in ways that both start and end far beyond running. The race is really just a microcosm of all of that, including my mantra of the day written on my hand for the race. Based on my performance on Sunday, it's abundantly clear that I'm on the right track.
So now what? The short answer is I don't know, and I'm excited about that. There will definitely be more races, but I don't know what or when. While I didn't hit my 3:35 marker for a BQ, this girl reminded me afterwards that I'm getting old and therefore my time does actually qualify me for next year. I haven't completely wrapped my head around that yet as somehow aging up feels like cheating. Also, for years my goal had been to get under that 3:40. I did that here, and by 3+ minutes. Yet somehow it's completely anti-climactic, in a good way. The BQ has been this elusive target, a somewhat arbitrary measure of my success, that at times was all-consuming. However, as I think back over the past few weeks and months, I'd measure my success against a totally different set of benchmarks that have nothing to do with running or race pace. To that end, I don't think it's a coincidence that I figured out how to race this distance at the same time that I'm figuring out a whole bunch of other stuff. And the best part? I know that I have an even faster marathon in me and I'm not even the slightest bit stressed about what it will take to make that happen or anxious to go out there and prove it tomorrow. That's a pretty cool feeling, one that I'm definitely going to ride for a long, long time.
All photos by Cheryl Young.
More... »
