But first let’s back
up to Friday, August 1st.
That Friday I found myself bustling around my house in a
tired trance, trying to get everything ready for a weekend out of town with
friends -- Travis and Becky McCathie. A
trip to their cabin up in Hayward, Wisconsin –home of the National Fresh Water
Fishing Hall of Fame which contains a 200-foot fiberglass musky, the world's
largest fiberglass structure. Pretty cool huh?
;-)
I was looking forward to relaxing on the Namekagon River and
letting my legs rest up from several weeks of very high mileage, before
participating in the Grand View Firehouse 15K on Sunday. I would use the race
as a training run in prep for the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, which will
also play host to the 2013 USA Women’s Marathon Championship.
After an atypical pre-race Saturday full of fun around town
at the putt-putt golf course, boating and riding the hotdog (aka tubing) on one
of the many lakes, 6:15am Sunday rolled around a little too quickly. I
reluctantly pulled myself out of the warm bed, with the peaceful sounds of the
river babbling outside the widow and began my prerace routine….practice make
perfect when it comes time for the major championship races. So I first got up,
made some coffee, prepped my fluid bottle, and had a light breakfast. And then
I proudly pulled on my Saucony racing kit, packed up my Type A racing flats and
started sipping on my water bottle before we left the cabin to go get
registered for the race.
Warm-Up: After
getting my bib, it was time to get warmed up.
A pretty standard routine, which I am sure many people do, of about 20
minutes of jogging, stretching, drills and strides. The one unusual occurrence
being that the race announcer was goading all of the women in the race about
how old the course record was – it being from 1992 – and pondering aloud if
anyone in the field had the guts to chase the 21 year old mark. I had looked at
the time the day before and knew that it was certainly attainable, but was also
forewarned that the course was very hilly. So I wasn’t sure how much of a
factor that would be.
Race: At just
before 8am the field lined up along a single chalk line on a narrow road just
past the fire station in the town of a population of 483. The top of the hour
brought the race to a start. I was with the leader from the start and about a
half mile in he was asking me “So what’s your goal?” I quickly replied. “53
minutes, but I don’t know how hilly this course is.” The next thing I knew, he
was putting in a strong surge. And I found myself unromantically thinking
“Dude, I am going to bury you!” I guess
my racing instincts kicked in a bit. My competitor was obviously the previous
year’s winner and a local favorite, because even the course photographer was
cheering for him by name. Over the next
mile and a half we climbed up a gradual hill, and I caught back up to him and
took the lead. But he battled with me for the next several miles, staying right
on my heels. Finally somewhere at about the 6 mile mark, I was able to shake
him loose a bit. But I knew that I had to keep pressing, not only for my
workout, but to win the race. Because this guy was a good downhill runner – and
the last two miles were all just that – I was having daydreams of striding my
way down the hills assured of victory and getting passed by this runner in the
last minutes of the race. So I tried to continue to build on my lead before the
last two mile segment. The middle miles of the race were a little technical
because they were on gravel roads, so I was swerving on the road a bit more
than usual looking for the best footing. At about the 6.5 mile mark I passed my
fan club, getting a final burst of energy before the home stretch. At mile 7 I
made a sharp left turn down a state highway that was still open to traffic! I
resisted the temptation to look behind me and see where my competitor was.
Meanwhile I began debating if I was still allowed to take the tangents going
down this road, seeing that it was an active highway. I decided that yes, I had
the right of way. I think at times I get a false sense of security from all those
endorphins in my veins. Thankfully, it proved a non-issue.
The Finish and Awards:
At 53 minutes and 40 seconds after the gun went off I crossed the finish line
in first place. Much to the surprise of the community an announcer – I broke
the previous course record by nearly 6 minutes. As I sprinted down the final
straight away, spectators were cheering loudly and the announcer was telling me
convincingly that “Meghan, you are my hero!” I ended up beating racer #2 by a
narrow 19 seconds. I was very happy with the race effort and after catching my
breath went off to do my cool down. I ran the course in reverse cheering for
those that were still finishing. As I ran by them, nearly every woman asked
“Did you get it?” and I was obliged to tell them that yes, I did.
Once I returned to the finish area, I really got a shock! I
hear the announcer once again saying my name…as I listened to what he was
prattling on about a huge smile came to my face. He was telling the crowed over
the loud speaker that he had put out a bud light pitcher in order to collect a
preem for my performance. He encouraged everyone to contribute and that it
would be given to me at the awards ceremony! I was deeply touched by this
gesture. Later at the awards ceremony I was presented with a beautiful wooden
plaque and $93 in a bud light pitcher used as a collection plate. I can
honestly say that of the many awards I have earned during my running career,
this was one of the very best. It is so rare that I see true confirmation that
I have inspired someone to take their own fitness into their hands, but on this
day I had no doubt. And it felt great!
