As it was a 7am race start we were up early. After rubbing the sleep from my eyes I went through my pre-race routine. I need to eat before long runs so had some oatmeal and coffee. It was a cold and windy morning so I dressed in layers. We drove to the starting area, about 10 minutes from our hotel, found a great parking spot just around the corner from the starting line and waited for as long as possible before heading to the start. It was windy and cold out and I feared getting a chill before the race began. I dislike being cold just as much as being too hot when running. The wait was almost unbearable as I had major butterflies and could feel the adrenaline pumping through my body. I kept looking at Nolan and he would give me the same advice over and over, "you will be fine". I knew he was right and that I just had to trust my training and stick to my race plan of running around 8 minute miles.
Doing my best to stay warm and calm before heading to the chute
Finally, it was time to head over; I was so excited to get started. I thought my legs might just take off without me. As we were walking over we heard the Canadian National Anthem, what a nice surprise! One last kiss and good luck hug between Nolan and I and we went to our respective spots. He at the front with the sub 3 marathoners and me a few rows back.
I spot Kevin and quickly join him while we wait for the signal to start. We are both so excited!!The Star Spangled Banner is sung and the race director asked for a moment of silence for the victims in the Boston Marathon bombings and in recognition of Memorial Day; this gave me a moment to reflect on my purpose for this race and think about the people I was running for. I had goosebumps.
The signal goes off and Kevin and I cross the starting mat. We run the first mile together, letting our legs warm up. People are passing us and Kevin reminds me to stick to my plan and not worry about them. It is so hard not to let your ego get in the way so I remind myself it is more rewarding to run a smart race. After the first mile at an 8:25 I wish Kevin well as he cruises on and I work my way down to an 8:00 minute mile. Despite the wind and surprising multiple, long gradual hills the next 14 miles go by quickly. I am using a lot of mental chatter to stay focused and when I assess how my body feels I am pleased to note that my legs feel great; not sore like they had been in my training runs the weeks before. I am grateful for tapering!
My plan was to try and pick it up after mile 20 so at mile 16 I remind myself to stick to the 8:00 minute average, even though I am feeling pretty good. I keep repeating "easy, light, smooth" and before I know it my watch clicks to mile 20 and I know I kept a pretty even pace. At mile 20 I don't look at my total time for fear that I will get caught up in doing mental math, possibly freaking myself out and then start thinking about hitting the wall. I figure if I don't aknowledge "the wall", it won't come. I get through mile 20 and 21 and think okay, I've got this. But, then, there are more of these long gradual hills and I feel my energy waining. I assess my body and it feels great but I am just feeling so tired. I've taken 3 or 4 gu's at this point and can't handle stomaching another one so I know I just have to push through it. The 22 mile marker goes by and the 23 and I am pushing as hard as I can. I dare to look at my watch and I think I'm okay but I am so tired that my brain can't handle the mental math so I decide I've just got to keep running as hard as I can just in case. There are 2 miles to go and I have these fleeting thoughts of wanting to walk and then I give myself a swift kick in the ass and know that walking is not an option. I have to dig deep and I relish in the fact that I get to see what I'm made of. There is not a chance I will quit or let myself slow down. I crest the last long hill and hear the encouragement from the spectators, "it's down hill from here", "just over a mile to go", "keep pushing 451", "looking strong". I was so grateful for those words and as soon as I rounded the corner and made my way into the last 1.2 miles I turned it on as much as I could. I looked at my watch and it was at 7:47; I knew that if I had that in the tank I had no excuse. I could keep this up and get to that finish line. Just under 1/2 a mile to the finish I see Nolan waiting for me and I almost burst into tears. He had finished 30 minutes before and made his way back to help bring me in. It was exactly what I needed. I had to pull myself together as the tears were making it hard to keep a steady breath. All I could here was him, "come on Crys, you got this, think of all those people who have supported you and donated, keep going, keep pushing, come on catch this guy" and so I ran as fast and as hard as I could. I passed the guy ahead of me and I could see the finish line! My name was announced, "and here comes Crystal Graham"; I looked at the clock, 3:33 and knew I had done it! I ran over to Nolan and got the biggest and longest hug. It was one of the greatest moments of my life. I had qualified for Boston!
SPLITS
Location Distance Time Place Overall Women Age Group Pace
Start 0:00:26 199 39 10
10k 6.2 mi 0:50:47 301 54 14 8:11
20k 6.2 mi 0:49:45 268 48 13 8:01
30k 18.6 mi 2:31:22 268 48 13 8:08
Nolan (2:59), Me (3:32) and Kevin (3:19)
Here's a few pics of our trip:
Excited to be on the road
It was rainy and cold in Troy when we left so we were really happy to see these blue skies!
Downtown Buffalo
Nolan ran a great race too!! 2 hours 59 minutes
3rd place in his age group!!
Kevin had an awesome race too; he PB'd/PR'd by 24 minutes!!!!
So beyond proud of you!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAwe, thanks Tanya!!! I really appreciate your support!!
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