The Finish
After getting over the peak at mile 21 I knew I had a little over five miles to go until I could run past the Boston Public Library and cross that big blue finish line. They say (whoever “they” are) that your body can deal with 20 miles but after that your survival relies on your training and nutrition to push to 26.2, which is why many runners face a battle after the 20 mile mark. I had anticipated hitting a wall right around this part of the race since I’d been feeling tighter than normal. I’m not sure if I bypassed the agony of hitting that wall or if I just pushed through it – but I kept up my same pace and kept on going until 26.2. There were countless times I wanted to stop and walk for only a minute, you know, to stretch my legs out, catch my breath or whatever excuse I could make up, but I didn’t and I am so happy I didn’t. My legs were lacking something (besides energy) and I kept imaging that they'd be good as new if they were refueled and so I chugged Gatorade and water with every water station we passed and finished off my GU. When my legs still felt like they were fighting a brick wall I accepted that it was going to hurt and I also told myself that there was no way in the world I would give in and walk during the Boston Marathon. I made it this far, I can make it to the end. The spectators were consistently energetic throughout the race but during the last handful of miles the sidewalks were overflowing with people hanging over the railing, waving their arms and pushing the runners along with their cheers. We ran under the bridge, saw the yellow sign on the side of the road that read “One Mile To Go,” made a quick right turn and then at mile 26 we took our last turn, a left turn onto Boylston Street. I didn’t know we were as close as we were so when we took that final turn I mouthed the biggest “Oh. My. God.” It was a roar of adrenaline, a spurt of energy and a feeling that a rockstar must feel when they take the stage, the lights flash on and the fans scream. Incredible.
You can talk to any runner and they will tell you that the last 0.2 miles in a marathon seems farther than the first 26. You’re so close but still have a couple minutes to go. Honestly, the last bit was a blur. All I remember is a sea of excited faces and a blue strip of relief ... the finish banner in the horizon. Finishing was surreal. Seriously, did I just BEAT the BOSTON MARATHON? What a feeling. They kept you moving once you stopped running. If you didn’t feel important in the race, here was your time to embrace your celebrity status. You walked, they gave. First they gave you a bottle water, then the heating blanket that they wrapped around you and the next person used a sticker to close the blanket to keep you warm. Next, you were given a Gatorade recovery drink and then a lunch bag with a collection of food items inside, including chips, granola bars and maybe a banana. Finally when you thought it was all done someone was there to place your finisher's medal over your head and around your neck. How did that feel? Well, I have chills running down my body and tears in my eyes writing about it – can you image that feeling in real time? After collecting my bag from the buses that I left at the start I made my way to the Boston Commons, where I figured was a good place to meet my entourage. Like icing on the cake, my family walked up and we shared a round of congratulatory hugs.
Motivation
Mine as well continue on those heavy emotions while I’m at it. Most of you know about my race shirt that I created on CustomInk.com. The front was simply “Boston Marathon 2010” and the back read “Running as fast as my angels can fly,” which was followed by my angels’ names: Grandma, Grandpa, Mom-mom, Pop, Tippy and Franny. That speaks a lot to where I find inspiration when I’m in the middle of a difficult run and I’m digging for something within to keep going – I usually think about the people in my life – those who are living and those who have passed. It meant a lot to me that I had the opportunity to honor them in this kind of way.
I had my phone in Athlete’s Village and was texting people here and there since we had so much time. One of those people was my mom. This is pretty personal but I want to share it anyway because it really gave me some wings during critical times in the marathon. Here is a text message my mom sent me before the race:
“Mere, Mom-mom would tell you that she loves you and is so proud and she taught all of us when our feet hit the ground in the morning, be sure to offer all your prayers, works and sufferings up to God. Also, when it feels like you can’t go any further, she would tell you to pray to Mary, one Hail Mary after another! I love you so much Mere! You are beautiful inside and out. Love, Mom”
Instantly, my eyed flooded with tears as my thoughts shot back to memories and memories. That is when I really understood what I was running for. It was the perfect message. With every mile, I said a Hail Mary … (and remember those last five miles I said were hellish) … well I may have said one every other step to keep my butt in gear. Someone must have been listening because it did the trick.
Results
FINALLY … how in the heck did I finish?
There is the short of it! My Outer Banks time was 3:34 so I ran three minutes slower than my best but with the course being considerably more difficult I think this time was comparable. My pace was five seconds slower than my first marathon but I am beyond satisfied with these results. I didn’t have a goal when I started; qualifying again was in the back of my mind but I didn’t want to put that kind of pressure on my shoulders. The way in which I paced myself kept me on track to qualify though so I guess I wanted it more than I made known.
I finished a little slower than I started. My fastest split (in the beginning) to my slowest split (at the end) was only a 63 second difference and surprisingly I didn’t lose a lot, if at all, as I was climbing heartbreak hills. Some other fun finishing facts: I was 9305 overall, 2272 overall women and 1680 in my division. Like I said in part one of my recap, they assigned bib numbers according to qualifying times and so I was happy that I finished better than my bib number.
And so there it is! A long journey, finished. But one I’ll have the chance to make new memories at next year too. I’m looking forward to it and in the meantime, I’ll look for a half marathon or two to run in the late summer/fall timeframe.
Stay tuned for more! As always, thanks for reading and thanks for your overwhelming support.
No comments:
Post a Comment