Winning the National Championship
last year was one of the most special moments in my life. I have never experienced
such a voluminous out-pour of love and support and it was a huge boost to my
resume helping to bring about many opportunities for me in the last 12 months.
I know that I was fortunate to have had that experience, especially in my
hometown, and I will forever hold it close to my heart.
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| At the expo with 'Motional Maria. PC: Richard Bolt |
Two weeks before the race I started
to get really nervous. I blame this partly on Tad who is usually my rock, laid back
and calming my monkey mind, but he was uncharacteristically worked up. Between his
nervous energy and my anxiety our house was turning from a peaceful pea-pod
(term coined by the BDP gals) to a restless storage closet of race paraphernalia.
But, one day I woke up with the revelation that I didn't care what anyone
thought about me or my race results and I recognized that all of the pressure I
felt was all self-induced. I felt so much better. The week leading up to the
race I was in a good head space; calm and mentally sound.
My body, on the other hand, felt
slightly off. Even after cutting my mileage down dramatically I felt tired and
sluggish. My token workout on Wednesday was ugly and forced. I also wanted to
punch everybody in the face. Classic PMS symptoms. The night before the race I
was up all night with bad cramps and when I woke up in the morning I had
started my period. Bummer. But my first thought was if Krissy Moehl can run 175
miles of the Tahoe Rim Trail in 47 hours on hers, surely I can run 13 miles
around Lake Padden on mine. So there.
After a beautiful evening for the
race expo we were treated to perfect race weather. I got to the course in time
to see the start of the Al Coyle Community 5k take off for the first time. It
was great to meet some of the athletes who I have only read about and welcome
them to Bellingham. As soon as the horn blew and we were off, I could tell I
was off. I was working harder than I should have been and after running this
course countless times I knew that that was not a good sign for what was to
come. I passed a couple women on the first loop, but after coming back around
on the gravel path my legs were done. At 7 miles I didn't think I would be able
to finish. It literally felt like the classic dream of trying to run as fast as
you can but being in slow motion. I was flailing, but going nowhere.
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| Trying to move forward. |
I can honestly say that I have
never felt like this in a race before. It really sucks that it had to be this
one in front of everyone I know. Even though I kept slowing down, all of the
volunteers and spectators kept cheering me on. I felt embarrassed and slightly
humiliated being so far back. I was better than this, but there was nothing I
could do about it. I ran the entire second loop alone. I could have very well
just been on a training run. Time was not moving and I found myself constantly
looking down to my watch to see if I was making any progress, something that
never happens to me in a race. It was such a surreal experience that I still
can't get over. On the last climb I heard bells and looked up to find the
course sweepers, they were my trail angels. I needed their smiles and support
more than ever!
I finally crossed the finish line
in 8th place after what felt like 3 days of torture. For me, whether
a race goes good or bad, there is always that immediate feeling of bliss to
just be done. Even though I was so far back I still received such an abundance
of love from my community and I am so touched by everyone's support. Sincere
congratulations to repeat men's winner Patrick Smyth and new national champion
Kimber Mattox. Full results here.
It is when the excitement calms
down and everyone goes home that the realization that you failed to achieve
your goals sets in. I was realistic and knew that winning this race would take
miraculous powers, but I am in shape to place top 5, no question. I was up all
night tossing and turning with depression. I know I have no reason to be sad; I
have had an incredible year! And truthfully in my old age I handle these
situations much better than in the past. It doesn't make them any easier or the
hurt any more bearable, but I know that this is par for the course and in the
wise words of Alexi Pappas, 'I'm glad I didn't achieve all my goals today
because then I would have nothing to do tomorrow."
So I am up at 6:30am this morning
and ready to hit the trails. I will be racing the Marathon Trail Championships
on November 7th in Moab, Utah. There is no time to waste feeling
sad. The good news is I won't be on my period!
I really can't thank enough all
of the people who came out to watch and support and volunteer for the race. You
are all so important to Tad and me; we truly struck gold when we decided to
move here.
From the bottom of my heart I
want to thank the important team of people who have got me to every starting
line this year healthy: Kerry Gustafson, Chris Lockwood and Tonia Boze.
Thanks to my sponsors La Sportiva
and Trail Butter for keeping me equipped and fueled to succeed; and Bio Skin Premium Bracing for aiding in my recovery and injury prevention and Rocket Pure
for spoiling me with some awesome natural body care products.
Can I just say that my BellinghamDistance Project (BDP) teammates are the best? I love you girls so much!
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| Post-race Party at Aslan. |
Lastly, I just have to say how
proud I am of Tad Davis, race director extraordinaire and freshly minted fiancé.
He has worked so hard over the past 12 months to create a national class event.
He had many sleepless nights chewing over the best way to mark the course that
would be vandalizer-proof (he ended up marking it 3 different ways) and
stressing over having local awards, tables and chairs for the expo, etc at
various points as problems arose. From the t-shirt design to laminated maps for
each volunteer, he put a lot of care into every decision. He produced the
results he envisioned and I am so proud of him. Thanks (and Happy Birthday!) to
Al Coyle for establishing this platform where we can show off Bellingham and
what makes it such an outstanding place to live.
