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FLRC Newsletter - November 2004 |
| And Another Wineglass Tale | |
Today was a good day. I knew I had done the interval training and the long runs necessary to produce a good marathon time, but I was worried going into Wineglass. I was listed as an elite athlete and was afraid I would not live up to the honor. I had only decided a week before that I was actually going to run it. I had planned for months to run the Mount Desert Island Marathon on October 17. It is a trip I have been looking forward to. In the old days, I would not of given a second thought to running a marathon two weeks after running another marathon. I am older now, and it takes me longer to recover than it use to. Therefore, I was hesitant to enter Wineglass. I knew that Mount Desert Island was billed as a hilly, hard course and that a good time was not very likely. Still, a great run could be had with the right frame of mind. Since I only decided to run Wineglass one week prior to the race, I had a one-week taper. I did not feel rested enough. Experience told me that I could run well despite the lack of rest if I ran smart.
My wonderful husband Don got me to the start with less than 20 minutes to spare. I felt hurried and a little flustered. It was a cool morning. Temps were somewhere in the low 40s. There was a heavy dampness in the air. I decided to wear gloves and a long sleeve cotton shirt that I could throw. The first miles were easy. I aimed for a 7:40–7:45 pace. I was running 7:36 or so. Not too far off of goal pace. My plan was to run even splits. Start at a pace I could maintain until the finish. The miles clicked by. I hardly noticed my surroundings, which is very unusual for me. I usually look and take in everything. I just thought about breathing and staying on pace. I was in the zone. It took me four or five miles before I felt like I was running smoothly. My best marathons have been even splits. Once I find my pace, I can stick to it. I passed through the first relay exchange point to the cheers of friends. I felt strong—stronger than I had in a long time. I knew it would be a good day. Chris Reynolds passed me shortly after this. She was so focused. She looked awesome. I watch her for the next several miles. I thought I should stay close to her, but realized that it was important to run my own race and stick to my own plan. Before I knew it, I was passing the half-marathon mark. 1:41:xx. Good pace. I am so familiar with this course. I know many of the milestones and markers. I feel comfortable here. I feel at home. Before I knew it I was passing the 16-mile mark. I was thinking 10 more. I can do this. I feel strong—yes a little sore, but I can do this. The miles clicked by, breath, step, breath step.... At 21 a blister on my little toe burst. It was an excruciating pain, one I was familiar with. I hoped this would pass. I told myself pain is temporary, pride is forever, suck it up. Once I hit the park, I knew I could finish. I felt sure that I could push through to the end. I passed a woman at 22. I passed another shortly thereafter, only to be passed back by her at 25. Then I passed a third woman at 23. I had no idea how many women were ahead of me, but I was fairly confident that I was first Masters Female, and I was determined that I was going to keep it. At 24 miles, I was feeling the strain. I told myself two more miles to go. You can push for two more miles. I was passed by the woman I had passed earlier. I looked at her and knew immediately that she was considerably younger than I am and that my oldest son was probably older than she was. Going through the Village of Corning was painful. Just run. Just run. I turned and stepped up over the sidewalk to approach the bridge. I was almost home. 26 miles. Keep strong. Done. Joe Reynolds was there to take the chip off of my shoe. It was wonderful to see friendly, knowing faces at the finish. I met my husband, got a massage, and congratulated Chris on a huge PR. I was thrilled. As Katie Danner would say, "I ran happy." The end result was a 3:24:39. First Masters, 5th women overall: my best marathon time in four years. Those long runs, long repeats, and dedicated training paid off. Thanks to my husband who gets the bottle of champaign I won. Thanks to all of my wonderful early-morning training partners. And thanks to John Stiner who has given me some nontraditional workouts that work.
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