Sunday, September 26, 2010
It wasn’t pretty… actually, it was downright ugly and humbling, but such was to be expected. Having injured my medius during the Texas Independence Relay back in March and unable to ride aero as cause of a torn supraspinatus, I decided to forgo triathlon season and take some much overdue time off during the summer. The medius is now healed; I’m consistently doing yoga each week, and so the Silicon Labs Marathon Relay, the first unofficial race of the Austin Distance Challenge, marked my return from the endurance athlete’s underworld. I’m coached again by ultra-marathon great, Amanda McIntosh, but while last year’s goal was to qualify for Boston, this year’s goal is quite possibly an even greater feat: to fall in love with and find my passion for distance running all over again. To ensure that the goal is achieved, I’m now following my teammate David Garza’s Platinum Rule: Have Fun! My Distance Challenge running buddy Amy Saberian and I agreed that rather than obsessing about podium positioning, this year we’re running solely (no pun intended) for fun and post-race mimosas!
While I packed on a lot of muscle over the summer, I arrived at the race 20 pounds over ideal race weight. Though I have complete faith that my body composition will change and that I’ll be able to slim down before the Austin Marathon in February, I still need to find a better balance between work, travel, and training. The past week working the Interbike expo floor for three days in Las Vegas certainly did not help this morning’s cause, nor did Sin City’s night life!
Amy had already staked out a location for our tent by the time I made it down to Auditorium Shores, but being that our other teammates hadn’t yet arrived; I volunteered to run the first leg 12k. However, I didn’t realize just how quickly time had gotten away from me. The announcer began calling the first runners to the starting chute, so I pulled on my jersey, slapped some Flex Power on the quads and calves, and laced up my racing flats. I had no time to stretch or warm-up, my stomach couldn’t handle pounding my protein shake, but being that I had no expectations for this B race, I was okay with the fact that I’d be starting the race cold and jogged over to the starting chute where I bumped into Red Licorice teammate Buffy Weaver. We were positioned near the back of the pack, but being that my legs felt like lead, I wasn’t planning on going out fast anyways. The gun sounded but it took us a good 30 seconds before we crossed the timing pad. I started the Garmin and we were off.
I lost Buffy in the crowd as I zigzagged to find an opening and by the time I was finally able to lower my heart-rate and ease into a steady turnover, I was already across the South 1st bridge running along Cesar Chavez about to make the turn onto Congress Avenue towards the capitol. While I’ve long considered myself a king of the hills and false flats, I simply didn’t have enough recruitment in my legs to mount an attack. Buffy caught me as we rounded the capitol and asked if the effects of Vegas had worn off yet to which I replied, “not even close!” As she sped ahead, I made sure to stay within range, but decided to ease off and focused on running my own race. Thankfully, we turned back onto Congress/Chesar Chavez which was now a slight downhill, but it was here that I relied on my running veterancy, engaged the core muscles, and leaned forward to let momentum take me the next couple of miles to the Mopac turnaround. I let my mind go blank and simply put one foot in front of the other.
Buffy had already made it past the turnaround by the time I ascended the ramp so I yelled “Go get ‘em, Buff Stuff!” as we exchanged encouraging waves. Finally, I had made it past the turnaround and back up the ramp incline and was now heading east on Cesar Chavez towards the South 1st bridge. When I first started taking my running really seriously, I’d race this event each year with the Capitol Elite Striders. My teammate Cody Smith, a Boston Marathon qualifier, would pace me along this same portion of the course encouraging me to close the gap on the runners in front of me and lead me to the bridge. Cody passed away three years ago from a tragic accident, but he’s not soon forgotten. His spirit always seems to make an appearance this time of year. Even though I didn’t have much motivation to turn up the pace, I asked Cody to give me strength and he delivered. I quickened my pace as the bridge came into view and decided that it was finally time to mount an attack.
As we turned onto the bridge, the runners in front of me began to turn up the volume so I told myself that I needed to be faster and picked them off one by one. At that moment, I remembered just how much I’d missed racing in Downtown Austin, Texas. The fans lining the bridge, the enthusiasm of the crowd, the cheers and hand-made signs, the little kids holding their hands out for a high five… it’s truly an amazing atmosphere and undoubtedly encouraging for the athletes. I turned onto Riverside, the finish line was now in full view, and I decided that it was time to empty the tank and do what I do best… “come in hot!” I crossed the line and veered to the left to hand Andrea the timing chip bracelet. My job was done.
I spent the rest of the morning taking pictures, chatting with and cheering on my teammates and friends, enjoyed the cloud cover day, and had fun. I ran nearly 20 minutes slower than last year, but while a performance like this would’ve completely demoralized and haunted the old me, the new me acknowledged that despite all the variables (i.e. Vegas, poor nutrition, no warm-up), there’s always plenty of time and room for improvement. Going forward, I’ll do a better job of sticking to my pre-race ritual and as training continues and comes into full force, I’ll only get stronger and faster. Lady Marathon, I’ll see you in February!
-Eli Cohen
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