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FLRC Newsletter - November 2004 |
| Elite in My Dreams: A Triumphant Tale from Wineglass | |
I have run somewhere around 13 marathons, never really racing one. I have never really trained for a marathon using any specific formula for building mileage, speed work, or tapering. I just run, occasionally running farther than usual. Far and fast were never in the same formula for me. This year, however, I decided to try something new. I actually focused on just one marathon for the year, and I planned to race it. I didn’t really know how to do this, so I had to elicit advice from many people and even listen to some advice that I didn’t ask for. I will never be an elite runner, but I figure the best I can do is just keep competing against myself to get better—and dream. This year I treated myself to extra attention working with a nutritionist/wellness consultant, spending many sessions with the chiropractor and massage therapist, and taking the two weeks leading up to the Wineglass Marathon off from work to relax mentally and physically. All of this for the illusion of creating the elite runner in my dreams.
I have never banked so much on one event. I gave up many other fun races to rest/recover for this one. That in itself put a lot of pressure on me for this race. Questions of bad weather, hitting the "wall," and gut revolutions plagued me. I had myself worried into a frenzy, but race day came anyway. The morning started out perfect. The sky was slightly overcast, the temperature in the 50s, the air brisk with just a hint of wind. Although I was nauseous and nervous, the conditions were perfect for me and I couldn’t use this as an excuse for a bad run. This was my 6th running of this marathon and I was determined that I would finally get it right. I decided to wear my GPS unit instead of my watch, which turned out to be a great idea because at each mile interval it flashed me some reassurance that I was keeping pace. I got my good-lucks and last-minute instructions from Joe and Katie and lined up for the start. One of the reasons that I just love this marathon is that there are so many familiar faces and friends to talk to, which helps in the effort to relax. This year did not disappoint. At the start I turned to find Nancy LaBarre next to me, and she helped distract and calm me. I always look forward to the 2-mile mark of this race, because every year I see Nancy’s husband, Gene, who has the encouragement that gets me going. At 2 miles there’s Gene and Byron LaBarre and Suzanne Myette—smiles and cheers. On, on. Mile 5 theres Katie Danner giving me the reassurance that I was looking good and relaxed. I couldn’t wait to get to the relay exchange area to see some others that I knew.
I really felt in a zone during the race and didn’t really pay much attention to my surroundings, only that this marathon seemed different. Just before the 9-mile area, I recognized the runner that I was coming up on as Lorrie Tily; finally seeing a familiar runner brought me back to reality and the great memories that I have of running this race and seeing my friends. Around 11 miles I had to stop and remove my shoe to relieve some tape pressure on a blister and was greeted by Lorrie passing me. At the half my breathing was still easy, even though I was running around a 7:40/mile pace (a pace that I am not familiar with in the marathon). I wasn’t feeling fatigued. And even stranger was that I hadn’t seen many relay runners pass me, as I had in the past. At mile 16 I had flashbacks to the first time I ran Wineglass (my first marathon ever) and remembered how I just started bawling there thinking that I was actually running further than I ever had before and that I was going to actually finish a marathon. As I approached mile 17 I saw Katie, and she told me that I was the 6th female. I just said, get out of here. I have never been that far up in a marathon. I just kept thinking that she must have missed some runners, and so I tried to stay within myself, focusing on my own pace and my own goals of breaking 3:30. But as I passed each successive woman I couldn’t help but think, "What if she's right?" and let my mind drift to the dream that I was going to finish in a top position. Two days before the marathon I re-watched the women's Olympic marathon and just cried watching Deena Kastor make her attack. So I thought of that race and repeated tunes from a CD that I listened to on the way to the race. With each woman that I passed, I felt like Deena Kastor picking off her competition in the Olympics. It sounds funny, but I was doing something that I had never done before—I was feeling good and running fast. At mile 24 I still felt good. 3:06 on my GPS. How could this be? But within a few minutes reality hit. I started to feel some cramping in both sides of my groin, and I thought the muscles would just seize up. I thought, what if I had gotten this far and my legs just stop and I don't make it through these last 2.2 miles? Fortunately, that panic attack passed and, as I turned down Market Street, I felt a surge of energy. Weird, again. Not many runners and no women in site. On, on. Every year I have this nightmare that I will do a face-plant on the sidewalk where you have to step up from Market Street. Whew another year goes by and it doesn't happen. As I rounded the corner to the finish line, I heard the announcer call my name. I could hear Diane Sherrer on the sideline, and I could see my husband behind the finish line. Holy crap—not only did I achieve my goal of running sub 3:30, I ran a PR of 19 min, 24sec! I fell into Joe's arms, crying. As I made my way around the finish area I realized that I still felt good. This was an unknown for me to feel good after a marathon. My greatest pain was the bottoms of my feet. I was afraid to take my socks off for fear that the skin would just peel off. Finally I did take them off, only to find one black toenail and one large blister still unbroken (the one that plagued me around mile 11).
Shortly thereafter I found out that I had finished 3rd female overall. Holy crap, again! I know that my time of 3:21:36 would normally barely make the top 10, but today it was enough. I felt like the elite runner in my dreams. My expectations were far exceeded, and I got to spend some nice relaxing time with my friends at the finish and feeding my face. I just love this marathon and will be back again next year, hopefully with a new goal to challenge myself. And I know that I will see my friends there, too.
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