On to chapter two of my journey to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Since watching the 2019 Boston Marathon yesterday, I continue to be inspired by the stories of the runners, particularly the everyday heroes who are driven by any number of inspiring reasons.
And, I can’t wait to run in the next one!
But after my disappointing marathon (yet still amazing experience) in NYC, how did it happen?
I really thought I would be a one-and-done marathoner. I wanted the bucket list completion, but I didn’t expect to enjoy the training as much as I did, or the complete satisfaction I would feel from accomplishing a big goal. And I didn’t expect to really want to qualify for Boston.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
I returned from NYC tired and content. And sore. After three or four days the worst of the soreness had passed and I was no longer side stepping down stairs (oh my quads!!). I figured I would enjoy a few week break with no guilt for not exercising.
I had shared my NYC story with friends on Facebook and Instagram and was really touched by many well wishes. One of my friends reached out a few days later and suggested I run the CIM marathon in California in a few weeks. It’s a fast course and I could still benefit from this training cycle.
At first I didn’t even consider it. And then I did.
Maybe it wasn’t so crazy. I was super curious how fast I could run with the right fuel. So, I visited the website and…..sold out. Hmmm. Perhaps a sign.
I put out a few feelers in the Bay Area to friends that might have had a connection for a bib number and….nothing. Oh well. Definitely not meant to be.
Another week goes by and I saw an ad for the Seattle Marathon. The race was Thanksgiving Day week-end, three weeks after NYC. A really quick turn-around. But local. So I could give it a shot and if I bombed out, no harm, no foul. It’s a smaller marathon, so the logistics would be super easy (no bus! no five hour wait to start!). Interesting.
And then I got busy and kind of forgot about it.
And then my husband emailed me that it was the very last day to sign-up. Was I going to give it a shot?
Was I?
Sure! Why not??
So, I signed up and thought, worst case, I blew ~$100 on the entry fee. I still hadn’t run a step since NYC.
I figured I would at least run a few times and see how I felt. So I did. I literally ran three miles, twice, in between the two marathons. Otherwise, I rested my legs and rolled the dice.
I enjoyed Thanksgiving with my family and didn’t think much about the marathon except eating pasta the night before.
I took an Uber downtown (about 10 minutes from my house) and got to the starting line with about 30 minutes to spare. It was awesome, compared to the complexity of NYC. It was a little chilly and dark before the 7am start and it was surreal, yet again. I couldn’t believe I was actually going to try to run another marathon.
My only plan was to start off on Boston Qualifier pace. And to fuel much more intelligently! Much more water. More gels.
If I fell too far off pace, I wasn’t going to sweat it and drop out. No need to wreck my body. I really didn’t know if I would run 6 or 26 miles.
So we started. And I was running along, feeling OK. Not awesome. But OK. I found the 3:40 pacer group and decided I’m sticking with you, kids. No pushing the pace, even if I feel great. Which I did not. But I tucked into my little group and tried to zone out.
I didn’t actually know how the course went so was pleasantly surprised that the new course largely ran on the Burke Gilman trail (a long trail that runs through our area, which is quite flat). I did a ton of my training runs on this trail and by mile 10, we were nearing my training part of the trail.
Around mile 12 I realized we would be looping on the trail literally about a half mile from my house. This turned out to be a real distraction because shortly after, I started getting tired. My legs felt heavy from NYC. My breathing was fine. Plenty of energy. But my legs seemed to be gaining weight by the mile. As we hit mile 14, I realized I was either going to run up the hill to my house and a big plate of eggs, or I was going to slow down and hope I would recharge a bit.
I slowed down a bit and watched the 3:40 group drift away. Sigh. But, I thought perhaps they are ahead of pace and if I could just keep going, maybe I’ll make up time.
Really, I wanted to quit. Thought about it quite a bit. Seriously, what did I need to prove? This was a bit of a crazy idea. Most people (particularly novice marthoners) do not run their first two marathons three weeks apart.
What kept me going? I knew my husband would be at mile 18 (again!). This time with my youngest daughter and my son. My son had never seen me run before (in a race anyway) and I hated the idea of him getting out of bed, standing on a course, and realizing mom had quit.
So I kept running. Really thinking I might just stop at 18. But then I saw my mini cheering squad. I gave high five’s, ditched a jacket, and kept moving.
Alright. I guess we’re doing this. I’m committed. Let’s finish this.
So I gutted it out. I didn’t get dehydrated or have any major problems, but my legs were d-e-a-d the last six miles. The last three miles or so my calves felt like they were on fire. But really, it was fun!
No, I’m kidding. Those last six miles were not fun. But I was looking forward to seeing my family at the finish line. I wanted to run the best time I could and represent myself well, even though I was not on path for my qualifying time.
I was surprised to see the 3:45 pacer group run by me at mile 23. Maybe I was closer than I thought?
As I ran toward the finish line, I saw I was going to break 3:50. Hurray! Much better. I crossed the line in 3.48. Not a qualifier, but close. And a good effort, particularly on the heels of NYC.
My family was excited for me and treated me to a breakfast burrito, a hot shower and a nap.
Later that day, as I reported into the social media universe, again people were kind. I hadn’t told hardly anyone that I was running in Seattle so it was fun to see their surprise.
And then.
A good friend from high school (who is a marathon whiz now) asked when I would be 45 (which would bump me into the next age group). Turns out, I could qualify in the next age group, which gave me an extra five minutes, which meant I QUALIFIED FOR BOSTON!!!!!!
I was seriously so excited. I love reaching a goal. It would have been cool to have known that in the moment, but I was so grateful to find out. And have such a sweet surprise that night.
These two blogs have been more for my memories than anything else. If you’ve made it this far in the story, we’ll have to wait awhile for chapter three.
But, I will take forward the knowledge that committing to a big goal and achieving it is a really good way to keep living life. Whatever that goal may be.
The Redefining 