believe it or not, i was not really that nervous for the marathon. i think that the fact that my brain really couldn't comprehend running 26.2 miles in a row helped. i tried to just think of it as another race in the park. except this park was paris and this was THE race.
i had been battling a cold for about a week, so i took some nyquil and fell asleep pretty quickly. i consider myself lucky for this because many of my teammates were tossing and turning all night.
race day was a bit more hectic. the race was set to start at 8:45am, so we had to be up at 6 in order to eat.. rules are to eat 90 minutes before and hydrate a bit. i still wasn't too nervous, had my clothes all laid out and was ready. once i got to the lobby and felt everyone elses nerves, and heard all the second-guessing of the clothing etc it got in my head a little. suddenly i wasn't satisfied with what i was wearing.. not sure if i had everyhting i needed.. UGH.
there were about 30,000 runners with only 18% of them women. pretty unusual. it also made for a crazy crowded start and i felt very very small in the crowd. i started the race with roxy, she's an old pro when it comes to marathons so having her there helped alot with the nerves.
i was hoping to run somewhere close to a 4:15 race.. kind of funny since i really had no idea how my leg would feel, how running 26 miles would feel etc. but i know my general pace is somewhere around 9:30/mile. this race (being europe and all) was counted in kilometers so i figured if i could run each 5k in 30ish minutes i'd end up close to 4:15 and more likely 4:30. the route took us from the arch d'triamphe down the champs elysees past the louvre, past tuileries, around the bastille and out through a beautiful park. lots to look at, and many distractions.
from the start i knew my leg was not going to be a problem. it felt great actually. i was running strong and pretty close to my goal pace. the crowd of spectators were not thick, but their cheers of "ALLEZ, ALLEZ!" were more than encouraging! it was an overcast morning and a bit chilly, so i had a jacket over my oh so lovely purple TNT tanktop. (it is hard to look cute when running 26 miles, but this tanktop made it IMPOSSIBLE). at about the 10k mark i started to warm up, and took off my jacket.. at that moment i heard 'GO BECK, YOU LOOK GREAT!' my coach ramon was there at that moment with all the support i could possibly need. as you read further, he will appear a few times.. not quiet sure how he managed to always be there when i needed him most!
the run through the park was a bit harder because the crowd all but disappeared, and there was not much to look at. i fell in behind a pacer (they had arranged for pacing runners to be scattered throughout helping us reach our goals) which was running a 4:15, and this gave me a good bit of momentum. i quickly realized though that i was being pulled along faster than i should be running at this point. if i kept up this pace i'd surly be in trouble later. it's hard to break that momentum, so when i passed a row of port'o potties i decided to make a pitstop and then it would be easier to resume my normal pace.
due to the large percentage of men in this race, there were not very many port'o potties.. and honestly i was amazed by how the men would just stop anywhere and everywhere and pee!
we came through the park and re-entered the city.. this portion of the race took us along the river.. the sun came in and out of the clouds keeping us warm. i still felt strong. not focusing too much on my watch, i was still not too far off my goal. i was looking forward to seeing the coaches though.. they told us they would be spread out from 20k- the end of the race.
somewhere around 1/2 way, i stopped for some water.. i passed 2 other TNT'ers walking and enjoying their water when i heard that oh so familiar spanish voice cutting through the crowd.. 'ARE YOU FREAKING WALKING?!' ramon.. i found him and ran over for a high-five. he ran along with me with encouraging words of how great i looked and gave me a run down of what i could expect in the upcoming miles.. 'a few rolling hills, small incline.. just let these middle miles fall away.. distract yourself.. play a game with yourself.. just keep running, you look amazing!'
as i ran on i thought 'play a game.. hmm.. a game.. i don't know any games.. damnit ramon, i don't KNOW ANY GAMES!' laughing at myself i decided to just read the signs on the stores, the signs on the street.. just keep reading the signs..
i felt good until about mile 20 which i guess is pretty normal. this is when the wheels usually come off. and when i say 'good' it is very relative.. at this point i had been running for over 3 hours.. RUNNING for OVER 3 HOURS.. i started passing the coaches which helped alot. a little distraction, a little chit chat and then off again.
things were getting more difficult with only 10k to go.. at one point i was taking a walking/water break and told myself 'when i get to that orange balloon i will start running again' only to realize that the orange balloon was running also. so i picked a new landmark. just as i was approaching my running mark (and about to pick a new landmark and walk a bit further) i heard a voice from behind me 'way to go New York!' our tanktops had i *heart* NY on them, and i guess there was a fellow new yorker running up behind me. she was not with our team, but it was jsut what i needed to get going again. i thanked her for kicking my ass at the right moment. we chatted for a bit and she was quite encouraging 'we're almost done!' and i ran ahead.
at around the 5K (to go) mark i was really tired and taking another walking break. NY ran up again and said 'ok new york, lets finish this!' forcing me once again to run! GOD LOVE THIS GIRL! i saw a water table and ran over to grab what i thought was a cup of powerade. took a big gulp and WAHGHAHA!!! it was NOT powerade.. it tasted like sparkling vinegar.. or what i later accounted as 'sparkling ass water!' it was exactly what i didn't want at that moment (or any other moment for that matter) i had run away from the water table, so i was now stuck with this in my mouth and burning my stomach. i looked around desperately for water.. there were half drunk bottles littering the ground and i struggled with the idea of picking one up! then i finally saw a fellow TNT member (thank god also for the distinctive purple tanktops that i cursed so much)
i ran over and begged for a sip of their water which they gladly shared. then i saw a smiling friendly face.. Eissa! she is one of our coaches this season, and was handing out bottles of water!!! seeing her also meant that ramon was not far behind.. and that meant the end!
about 250 yards from the finish ramon came cruising up behind me. i love this man. he knows all of us runners and everything we have gone through to get to this moment. he has worked so hard to get us here and genuinely feels the power we are feeling at this moment. it sounds corney, but if you haven't run a marathon you can't understand how accomplished you feel at the end. he points you to the finish and reminds you to relish the feeling cause there is only one 'first' time. i turned the last corner to the finish.. when i thought it couldn't get any better i heard peter shouting from the sidelines.. "GO BECK!!! NUMBER 3!!" and i sprinted (as much as i could muster) to the finish.
here are a few of my favorite parts.. i forgot to mention and now can't remember where they fit in!
** along the route they had tables with buckets of water and sponges so you could squeeze water on your head. i stopped at one to dip my hands in which were sticky from a goo. there were no other people at the table.. (our names are printed on our numbers) and all the french guys working the table started chanting my name "BECK! BECK! BECK! BECK!...." amazing.
** there was a chant happening during the race. i am not really sure what they were saying, but i think it roughly translates to "are you tired?" with a return of "NO!" then "something, something .. GET UP" so in french it goes like this:
"Etes vous FATIGUES?"
"NON!"
"something something RELEVES!"
if anyone can clear this up for me i'll give you a prize.. it's been driving me crazy!
** constant chants of "ALLEZ! ALLEZ!"
** the general love and support of the TNT team and coaches. i am not sure i could run a marathon on my own after this!
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