2x Marathon Winner

"If you asked me could I do it, I would have said no. If you asked me would I do it, I would have whispered yes."

I can’t even put into words the pure joy I felt at this very moment.
Not necessarily for the win or the PR. It’s so much more than that.
For all the hours I put in, for all the hard work, the support, the love.
It was one of those moments that you dream about but it actually happened.
It really happened.

The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind. The build up to this marathon has been intense, both physically and emotionally. To say that I didn’t feel any pressure is an understatement. While I’m incredibly grateful for all the opportunities that were given to me, I also didn’t want to disappoint anyone. I wanted to win again, and not just for myself, but for my parents, my brother, the NBMA community, my coach, for everyone that supported me and believed in me. I wanted to make sure everyone got their investments worth! I wanted to represent.

Before I get into the details of the race, here's something fun I got to participate in the night before the marathon…

Pre Race Panel Discussion with Roger Brown (former NFL star),
John Piggot (local marathon legend - 175 marathons, 10 wins),
Bryan Morseman (2:19 marathoner and eventual winner),
little 'ol me,
and Dr. Michael S. Hooker (physician at Riverside Health System).

News Channel 3's Jessica Larche

My Race Plan

It was simple. Start out conservative and gradually work my way down to a manageable, steady pace. Don’t go through the halfway point (13.1 miles) faster than an hour and 33 minutes. Slowly pick up the pace and aim to negative split (run faster in the second half of the race versus the first half). Be prepared to hurt at the end. One key thing my coach told me before the race that ended up becoming vital: Every time you think about “falling apart”, intentionally refuse to accept the thought. Instead, replace that negative thought with positive thoughts. ~Suzanne Flannigan (soozsports.com)

The Race, The One City Marathon

Let me start off by saying how lucky I am that I got to embark on this journey with a good friend of mine, Catherine. Two is so much better than one. While I was going through my own personal thing, this was her first marathon. It was a big deal for both of us.

We laugh about this picture. I have abnormally long legs!

The Start

After days of waiting and waiting and being a bundle of nerves, the gun went off. And just like that the race began. As I do in most races, I went out conservative – slow and steady. I stuck to the plan for the first few miles. I felt relaxed and was hitting even splits. I took in the moment…the sky, the fresh air, the crowd…everything I could because I knew things would start getting fuzzy later on in the race.

While I was doing my own thing and running a comfortable pace through the first 5 miles I noticed a gap building between me and the top women. I panicked. I threw the plan out the window, like an idiot (totally disregarding everything my coach and I had discussed), and picked up the pace. I wanted to catch the lead women. My splits dropped dramatically and by mile 8 I caught the first female.  We ran together for about a mile or two (I believe). I got so caught up I was running out of my comfort zone. I ended up missing a fluid station (tried to grab two cups and failed). It was entirely way too early in the race to be working that hard so I made the decision to let her go. By the half way point she had built a ~40 second lead and it was growing….

Thank you Lorrie - friend and coworker- for this pic and the support. This is me
at Mile 11. I let the lead female go, dropped back, and these guys were kind
enough to let me pace off of them.

I went through the half in 1:32:40. Too fast. I race best going out on the slower side and running a strong second half. With the heat rising and the humidity getting more intense, I made the decision to slow down. I was sweating a lot. In fact when I went through the fluid stations I had to grab two cups – one to drink from and one to dump over my head. I let the guys go and I was on my own.

By mile 15 I could no longer see the lead woman, and by mile 16 I was in a deep, dark place. I began to unravel. I thought to myself, “I’m not going to win, I’m not going to PR, I still have 10 more miles to go, and I’m in a lot of pain. What’s the point?” I began to think of the embarrassment I was about to experience. After all that build up – newspaper interviews, sponsorship from my local running store, pre race dinner where I was on the panel, Instagram “takeover”, etc. I was about to be the biggest let down. Just get to mile 18 and you can make a decision at that point if you are going to drop out or keep going.

I had to figure out a way to get to mile 18.

My coach’s words came back to me: Every time you think about “falling apart”, intentionally refuse to accept the thought. Instead, replace that negative thought with positive thoughts.

And so the mental battle – good versus evil – began…

I’m losing …….Stop it. You’re in second place, this is incredible.

I’m so hot ….Suck it up. Everyone is hot.

I can’t make it another 10 miles ……. You can and you will find a way to get there.

She’s so far away…….But you still have 10 miles to possibly catch her.

Before I knew it I made it to mile 18. Ok now you just need to get to mile 21. Crystal will be there and she’ll know what to say to help you make it to the finish line. Get to Crystal. Around mile 20 I started hitting another rough patch. I was suffering. It was bad. But then Crystal was there! She was there a mile early! My saving grace. So thankful. She told me I looked great #lies. I was sweaty and had snot and drool all over my face plus I was practically dry heaving. No way did I look good!! But I listened to her and tried to remain calm and positive. And let me tell you, I couldn’t believe what happened next. The first place woman came back into sight and the hunt was on.

Me at Mile 20.

Crystal (on the right, on the bike) shouting words of encouragement. I’m a lucky girl. And by the way, she’s an incredible Nutritionist: http://www.crystalwittenutrition.com/

By mile 22 I had closed a significant gap. The crowd was letting me know that she (leading female) was falling off pace and that I could catch her. I got excited and picked up the pace. Even when you think you have nothing left to give, you will find the strength. I ran one of my fastest mile splits and found myself in first place at mile 23.

“I was totally willing to have the worst pain. I was totally willing to do whatever it takes to win the race.”

~Tom Fleming, former NYC Marathon winner

It's only a 5K

This is when the Triathlete side of me kicked in. I thought about all the times that I’ve swam, then biked, THEN had to run…and not just run…run hard. I knew I could make it to the finish line I just had to stay strong and keep pulling away from the female behind me.

Me at Mile 26. Almost there.

Just get to the finish. Pump your arms. Smile. Live in the moment. It will be over soon. And it was. Before I knew it I was staring at the finish line. I couldn’t hear anything except my friend Renee screaming on the side of the road lol. They began to lower the Female finisher’s ribbon. I couldn’t believe it! I was doing it AGAIN!!! I wanted to slow down and savor it all. Who knows when or if it would ever happen to me again. I crossed the line. Pure elation. I was so happy. I couldn’t wait to call my Parents and my Brother. And I couldn’t wait to find out how my friend was doing out there on the course. FYI my friend did amazing. This time last year she couldn’t run a sub-2 hour half marathon. On Sunday she ended up running a 3:50 for her first marathon. #hardworkpaysoff 

The picture they decided to use for the newspaper.

One of the many interviews I got to do after the race.
I was very excited and emotional here.

Accepting my prize money from the Newport News City Mayor,
McKinley Price.

My friend Renee and I. She's not so bad....
only a two time Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifier!

I’m grateful. So very grateful!! Not to sound all corny, like I won the Nobel Peace Prize or an Olympic Medal lol, but I'd like to briefly thank: My parents – my number one supporters in everything in life. My Brother - for reminding me that "nothing worth fighting for comes easy". Point 2 Running - for allowing me to represent them at this race...wearing their singlet made me feel like I was part of a team. Jason Todd, Elizabeth Gates, Deanna Hill and the rest of the Flat-Out Events Team for putting on the BEST races and for giving me such wonderful opportunities before the race. My Coach, Suzanne Flannigan, and TriEqual for investing in me. And of course my friends and family that were near and far. I wish I could give a shout out to you all.

On to the next one

My next adventure is a BIG one. I’ll be doing my first Half Ironman in June (Ironman70.3 Eagleman); 1.2 mile swim in the Choptank River, 56 mile bike ride, half marathon (13.1 miles) run. After a few days of down time/recovery I’ll be getting my butt back into gear and taking on a tough training schedule. I’m excited, nervous, eager, anxious … you name it, I feel it. I have a few races coming up that I'll be using as preparation for the Half Ironman - The Duathlon Regional Championships, a 5K, a Sprint triathlon, and an Olympic distance triathlon. Until then…

“Love the life you live. Live the life you love.” ~Bob Marley