Notes
US Olympic Marathon Trials, 94rd, 2:24:24. I was in a good place going to the line. There was a lot of talk about how difficult the course would be so I had a conservative game plan. I knew the emotion of the moment could carry me too far for the first lap so I consciously held back in the early miles. I found Travis and made it a point to work along Side him as much as possible. The wind was just as nasty as the hills. There was a 20 mph WNW wind and it was only getting worse as the race went on. The first lap went by and I had done a good job of keeping things under control. I wanted to use the first lap to figure out which hills could be difficult to traverse at the end and I felt like I had a good idea. From 7 miles until 10, travis and a group of guys pulled away from me but I was simply running my own comfortable pace. Coming into today, knowing how hilly and brutal the course was, I expected carnage in the late stages, I just needed to avoid it myself to capitalize on the moment. I worked my way up to Travis again and we came through half in 1:09:08. I was stunned with how easy that felt despite the constant hills and unforgiving wind. I knew the second half was where I needed to make my hay but now I was thinking even splitting for a decent overall time. Travis pulled away again going into the third lap and I let him go, knowing the pack would congeal at some point. At 16 I felt my quads start to quiver but the workouts and long runs I’ve done taught me to keep a steady pulse on the effort regardless of pace. I got back to travis at 17-18 and then proceeded to pull away at 20. The third lap was where the hills exacted there tole. I did everything in my power to maintain the integrity of my stride on the undulating roads. At 21, for the first time in my racing career, I sharted myself. It wasn’t a lot but I had a fudge little kiss between my cheeks that I had to deal with for the next 5 miles. My legs were accruing more lead in the muscles as the race went on but I was still passing people. At 22 I climbed (what I thought was) the last massive hill. I took short mincing strides but in a calculating manner. I was trying to conserve myself for the final miles as I gradually but surely felt my body starting to rebel earlier than ever in my marathon career. I could not reassert my pace and knew from 23 on it was going to be a game of survival. Aerobically I was not stressed. My muscles simply felt like they were ripping my from bone and I was trying to find the most beneficial balance to keep moving forward. On the final loop there was an extension that was filled with the biggest mind-fucks. First came an extremely steep hill that reduced me to nothing more than a shuffle before doing yet another 180 degree turn at the Olympic Rings. Once I made that turn I was practically cooked with another 1.75 miles to go. I was jogging just to keep moving forward when my mind and body were telling me to walk. There were a few more up hills that nearly broke me but the truest test of stubbornness to not walk came just after 25 miles when the Mercedes-Benz Stadium came into view. I had to climb an abhorrent hill into the strongest headwind on the course. My body was in full rebellion as I demanded it to stay in a jogging stride. I was getting blown backwards but miraculously avoided the dreaded walk. Mercifully, the 800m to go sign came into view around a turn and I was given a breath of life. I was finally on flat terrain again and tried to open up my stride again. At 600 to go, 4 guys came flying by and Travis pulled up to my shoulder. I didn’t care about where I finished anymore. I just wanted the nightmare to be over. Travis was a true friend and helped me through the last 400. We finished hand in hand. My quads began to spasm and I had trouble walking. My head was foggy and I eventually found Kaylin and I put my head on her shoulder and said that was the hardest I’d ever run. I think it’s safe to say that 2014 XC Nats is now dethroned as the most painful race of my life. The pure grit to just see the finish took so my mental, emotional, and spiritual energy that i was totally spent. I am glad to say I never walked despite wanting to so badly. This will undoubtedly be an extremely valuable and formative experience as I continue chasing my ambitious goals. Now I know how this environment feels and next time I will be more aggressive and take risks that have high payouts. This is all a part of a plan and I am glad to have finished in the top 100, but I want a better result next time around!