It is finally an "Almost Familiar" feeling. The wait is over. I have finally come back. After what has seemed to be an eternity I am finally back to my old self. No longer do I have to sit back after a race and wonder what could have been. I will leave Grand Rapids today with a sense of achievement. I ran hard yesterday at the 5/3 Riverbank Run and I finished 11th overall. It is my best finish in a US championship race.
I woke up in the morning feeling confident. I knew I was going to run a great race. I went for a good shakeout with my friend Drew Polley which got me feeling ready to race. It was a nice morning with some light showers, perfect for running. After a quick shake out we came back and had some breakfast. Sitting in my room alone I was getting nervous, but excited at the same time.
Prior to the race I was getting ready and had to use the restroom, as I walked up and opened the door to use the port-a-potty an older lady walked in front of me and asked me to close the door. (This story will have more relevance later) It was just a few minutes before the race started and I had to rush to get to the start and dropped my bag. I didn't know where elites were supposed to leave their gear, so I tossed it by the start.
I walked to the start and waited for the command to go. The gun went off and I latched on to a pack that I felt would be my best bet for a good race. The problem was we went out in a 4:50. My goal for the weekend was to go 5:08-5:12 pace. This was a bit overwhelming, but I told myself that it was likely to happen and that I just had to go with the flow. Our second mile was right at 5 minutes which made me feel a little more comfortable in the pack. At around mile 3 or 4 I was just feeling as though the pace was picking up a little too much for me and I settled back, while my pack pulled away. I stayed around the low 5's until midway through the race. On the back half of the course there were some headwinds that slowed my pace to just a little over 5:10's. I had been all alone in no mans land for nearly 7 miles by time I caught one of the runner's who had gone out a little fast. I was feeling more confident even though my legs were not feeling that confident. I saw the pack ahead and was told I was in 12th place with 3 miles to go. I started pushing the pace and trying to play catch up. My goal each mile was to close the gap just a little more. At mile 14 I had Drew back in my sights. I decided to go after him, but each time I put a surge to catch him, he seemed to pull away from me. It was demoralizing. Here I was giving my best effort and I couldn't catch him. The mile 15 marker came and I tried one last surge. I was catching him with each step, but did I didn't know if I had enough distance to get him. With about 300 meters to go there is a small uphill to the finish and I caught Drew on this uphill. I put in a surge and was trying to fight him off. I came across the line in 1:20:07, good enough for 11th place.
Finally, after months of pain and frustration, after a few times I felt like I was ready to quit and give up a sport I have loved so much, I finally had the race I had been looking for. I wanted to be top 10 at this race, but I gave what I had. I pushed myself to catch Drew and some others and put myself in a spot where I could have a great race. It has been a roller coaster ride to this point, but things are beginning to look up. I have Grandma's Marathon in just about a month and that will be my next opportunity to qualify for the Olympic Trials. With my renewed confidence I have no doubt that I will run faster than the standard of 2:19 for the Marathon and will have yet another great race.
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