I can now say I’m a four time marathoner. The hardest part about running a marathon is the months of training leading up to it. You literally have to prioritize running and schedule it around all of your other responsibilities or else you’ll find yourself staring down a start line unprepared. I knew back in August that the first Rhode Island race happening Oct 7 that I’d registered back in January for would have been one of those races. I’d only run a handful of training runs over 10-13 miles and wasn’t feeling ready. So I backed out.
But – I kept running. I completed a pretty decent 15 miler with a friend who was also training for a race that same October 7 date. It didn’t go too badly. And I then ramped it up. After a couple of weeks of consistent training, there was no reason why I couldn’t make a Rhode Island marathon happen – and lucky for me there was one other opportunity this fall in Narragansett on October 28.
Going into the race the goal was to finish. But, of course, with three other finishes at this distance to compare to, I didn’t want to be slower than my slowest and would love to think I could beat my fastest. I had a wide window of 4:31 to 4:56 to work within there.
I do my best when its slightly chilly. So the start line of the Ocean State Rhode Race set me up perfectly for that. It was about 45 degrees, overcast and still a bit wet for the Nor’easter the area had dealt with the day before. I lined myself up behind the 4:30 pacer and hoped for the best. Looking back, I wasn’t nervous at the start like other times. The first few miles I stuck with that group. But then found myself on a nice long straight road with a few dips and hills – nothing crazy – but felt like my legs could go so I did figuring if the 4:30 group caught me I’d stick with them again. That never happened.
I enjoyed the course, along the water, for the first 6-7 miles. Then got onto a straight part again before turning downhill and into more rural areas. Around mile 10 the faster racers started coming back toward me. I saw a few runners that I knew from races back in CT and the fist bumps of encouragement were great.
My family was to catch me at mile 15 or so at a school where we turned around and back south. I was a bit too fast and they missed me. I was disappointed but then driving up behind me came the car with my daughter waving her huge stuffed penguin at me from the window (my seven year old daughter and I had a bit of a conversation the day before when she insisted on bringing the 3-foot tall stuffed penguin on the road trip… so seeing her waving it excitedly just made me laugh). They pulled over about mile 16 and we swapped out water and I gave them my layers.
Right up ahead was a runner who was standing on the side of the road. I’d passed her earlier easily on some of the easy rises and now could see she was a bit emotional. I stopped, briefly, and asked if she needed anything. My family was still there and could drive her. She said no – her hip was aching but she’d see if it loosened up. I went ahead to the next aid station and told the volunteers about the girl and they were going to check on her. I remember thinking – I know that mile will be slower but I hope I helped someone even if it means not meeting my pie in the sky goal.
The next two miles were horrible. About a whole mile of uphill right around mile 18-19. Again – my family was mid-hill and encouraged me (penguin and all). I slowed a tad and talked to a woman also heading up to the turn and thought ok – I’m ok – I can get there.
Straight aways are my best – I can put my head down and go. So I did and miles 20-26 really went by in a blur. The 4:30 pacer eventually caught up. And it wasn’t the guy who had started with us. He couldn’t keep pace and they swapped out around mile 12. The new pacer, a woman, said she had to make up time. Right about mile 22 she passed me and I thought well if I keep up with her I’ll make it under my PR of 4:31. So I went. Mile 23 I ran a 10:03 mile. Mile 24 was 10:14. Then she stopped for water. I passed her and kept going. But not quite fast enough. At mile 26 I turned into the headwind toward the beach (which brought back horrible memories of last fall’s VT marathon along Lake Champlain into 50 MPH headwinds for the second 13 miles…So I just about cried – see emotional finish line photo above) – I just couldn’t get it together – the finish had a couple slight turns – and I slowed. I finished in 4:31:37 – just seconds off my 4:31:04 PR from Maine two years previously. I’d finished to the minute the same.
So here I am – reviewing data (see below – RI 2018 on left, ME 2016 on right). Splits are nearly identical. The biggest difference was Maine’s finish line was a straight shot, no turns, no wind off the water. So I probably could have gained those 30 or so seconds. What is most amazing is the consistency of both races. Some mile splits are identical from this year vs. two years ago.
Then I thought of the runner by the side of the road. She didn’t want to give up but wasn’t sure she could keep going. I stopped to offer help or encouragement. More than 30 seconds worth. So there it is. Would I have not stopped knowing two or so hours later I’d need those seconds? No – I’d probably have still stopped. When I PR I want it to be a huge cushion – not cutting it to the wire. I also want to think that if I was in trouble or needed that lift up that another racer would do the same for me.
This race might have been a near miss – but I definitely came out the winner. I felt good about how I participated and ran this race. My kids and husband saw me more on this race than any other I’ve done – they saw me mid-way and in some rough patches. They had no doubt in their minds that mommy would finish – even when I had doubts during the morning and in the months/weeks leading up to the race. I’ve got to learn to have the same confidence in myself that they have in me.
And I hope that runner who I helped had her own wins that morning of the race – whether or not she finished.
