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| The start! |
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| The finish! |
I successfully completed my third Chicago Marathon! More
than just the physical aspect of successfully running 26.2 consecutive miles,
each race teaches me a new lesson. This race I learned three:
- My race depends on more than just my legs: Training, weather, nutrition, and shoes all play a role on race day…but many more factors play a vital role. Luckily for me, I had finished my training runs (although many were sub-par), the weather was a perfect 38 degrees, I gorged on Jason’s Deli the day before and had my margarita shot blocks ready to go, and I was sporting my favorite Sauconys.
But the magic ingredient this race,
which I felt more than any other, was a joy and content I have not felt in a
while. Being home with my family and
friends was exactly what I needed to unwind and recharge. Being back home is a
comfort that nothing else can match..
Seeing my brother race in his cross country race inspired me. Having my boyfriend surprise me and fly in to
watch the race encouraged me. Seeing the
work ethic of my best friend motivated me. Having my sister and mom and brother
in law and rest of the crew on the sidelines cheering me on pushed me to go
that much harder.
I honestly would not have been able
to finish if it wasn’t for my friends and family and my weekend with them. Yes, I did the hard work of training, but
really a lot of my success is due to the support and encouragement of loved
ones.
- Humility
This race I had the opportunity to
start in Corral A, which is right behind the elite athletes. Never before in a
race have I been passed by so many fast people. Usually, I am the one picking
people off, but I can honestly say I don’t think I passed one single person for
the first 3 or 4 miles! At first it was discouraging, but then I realized that
I have nothing to prove to anyone next to me, but what I needed to do was rely
on lessons previously learned: SLOW
DOWN! Proper pacing is essential to a
good race, and going out to strong at first is a rookie mistake. It would have been easy to have gotten swept
up in the rush of the start, but I know better… it was an honor to start with
those runners, and I would have my time to go that fast soon enough.
Also, I was humbled because I ran
almost 17 minutes slower than my last race.
I definitely cannot complain about a 3:34, but the perfectionist in me
was obviously a little disappointed. But
honestly, times don’t accurately tell a racers story or level of
accomplishment. My feat was nothing
compared to my sister and my dad’s. I am
a young 24 year old whereas my dad completed this with a few more years on
him. And my sister completed this with
horrible IT Band pain. Their
accomplishment is a greater victory than mine and I was really humbled to see
the exhaustion and the pain they endured to cross the finish line.
- Running is a means to an end
Sometimes it is about the actual
run statistics –pace, time, distance. HR- but sometimes it is about something
greater. I have been really struggling
with my running these past few months and this race was a way to prove to
myself that I can still do it; it was the initiation of my sub 3 hour quest.
Running makes me truly happy. And it was good to feel that happiness and be
reminded of that happiness when I am surrounded by the running community. That feeling sparked a passion inside of me
again, which I want to focus on in order to figure out what I “want to do when
I grow up.” One person in particular
that I met this weekend, Lopez Lemong, is a testimony that running can lead us
to do great and unimaginable things.
Captured at six years old by Sudanese rebels, he miraculously escapes
and finds himself running in the 2008 Olympics.
But that story is for my next post!
So besides a post on Lopez Lemong’s story…what is next? Austin Marathon. 2-17-12. Boom.
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| My and my brother |
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| My dad, sister, me, and Megan! |
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| Jose and I freezing after! |
