The morning of the race...
I woke up Sunday morning feeling strangely calm, you see, calm is not a sensation I am used to. I'm always buzzing around from one thing to the next, keeping myself busy. So as after my phone alarm went off (the first of many alarms that morning), I just stretched out in bed, staring at the ceiling attempting to calculate just how much sleep I actually got. A good five and a half hours it seemed...quite surprising. I crawled out of bed and started to get ready.
First on my list of things to do, take my medicine so I could eat. I must have circled the room fifteen times before actually picking up my prescription. My coach warned me about "marathon brain." How I'll know what I need to do to get ready but be unable to execute. Finally, I get a grip and take my medicine and slowly force myself to eat a bagel (pre-run food has been quite difficult since I am sooooo not a breakfast eater). I was glad I laid out all my clothes the night before or else I probably would've misesd the race from the continued pacing. With half a bagel down, I decide it's time to start getting dressed. Bodyglide...check. Deoderant...check. ShirtShortsSocksShoesEtc...check. The process takes me all of 10 minutes. And as I'm standing there in the mirror looking at myself in my bright purple TNT jersey, I struggle with wondering if I look ridiculous or if I look like a "serious athlete." Oh...who am I kidding...I look ridiculous. Me? An athelete? CERTAINLY NOT!! And THAT's when the nervous energy started. I had everything I needed. There wasn't anything else coaches could do or say to me. Before the day's end, I would be a marathoner. And with this notion buzzing through my head, the nervous kept escalating.
By now it was 5:30 and I decided that if I was going to be a basketcase, I needed to be a basketcase in the presence of other people. So I grabbed my gear check back, the rest of my bagel, a banana and a powerbar and headed to the lobby...a good 30 minutes earlier than needed.
I was surrounded by purple jerseys that I didn't know. I saw Denise, a fellow MN TNTer that I had befriended through My Space...I wished her luck as she jolted outside to catch the bus and hoped to see her in our corral. I sat down and was soon joined by Coach Sarah and Margie and a few of my teammates. By now I had finished the other half of my bagel and was encouraged to try and get a little bit more down. So I went for the banana...which I would later decide was the worst decision of the day.
After all the Illinois full-marathoners met up, we headed toward the bus. My stomach was flopping around. I was beyond nauseous. Margie and Coach Sarah did everything they could to keep me calm on the ride over there. But by this point, I knew in my head that I was about to get sick...and it wasn't going to be pretty.
Not even ten steps off the bus, I run and hide behind a bush. I'll spare you the details, but simply say, yak incident numero uno occurred (from hereforth referred to as "incident" to spare you). So we continue on and decide to visit the porta potty. Fine by me...it helps...a little bit...but after I get out, yours truly somehow managed to walk straight into a cactus. Brilliant start to my day. All the runners around me were VERY concerned and rushed to my aid. Luckily there was no blood and nothing stuck in me. Okay...I still have two legs in tact...phew...and we continue walking, until I duck behind a tree for incident number 2. Clearly, my marathon morning was not going as planning.
Coach Sarah tells me I should stop by the medical tent to see if they have anything to help calm my nerves and get my stomach in check. I meet with the doctor. There is absolutely nothing they can give me...other than the following advice: "don't run today. if you do, you'll need an IV in your arm by mile 8."
I stood there dumbfounded...like hell I'm not doing this. I don't care if I need an IV by mile 8, I'm at least going to try...and with that, I signed my life away on a "I promise not to sue you should anything happen to me today and I am knowingly racing against doctor's orders" waiver.
Behind the medical tent they're giving massages. And at the time, it seems like a great idea. They have a single chair massage station set up, followed by about 3 dozen tables. With my acid reflux, laying down wasn't even an option, but the gal who took care of me in the chair was a saint. She could totally tell I was crazy nervous and did everything in her power to calm me.
After the massage I find Margie and we stretched while Coach Sarah was finishing up her massage. I left for about 5 minutes...enter yaking incidents three, four and five. Wow. I feel SO MUCH BETTER. I really think I can do this now!! The only thing that had been coming up was that awful banana. The bagel, as far as I could tell, was still in me. Not too much liquid was lost. But I felt one million times better and so I slowly sipped on my gatorade and headed for gear check.
By now I could tell coach was crazy nervous about me running. So she tells me that she's going to go the first three miles with me, and then have my husband and dad drive her to other locations along the coues. This was an absolutely fantastic and brilliant idea. I knew she'd be able to keep my nerves in check until the gun went off. I was feeling so much better.
...and with that, we finished stretching with Margie, and headed for the corrals...
First on my list of things to do, take my medicine so I could eat. I must have circled the room fifteen times before actually picking up my prescription. My coach warned me about "marathon brain." How I'll know what I need to do to get ready but be unable to execute. Finally, I get a grip and take my medicine and slowly force myself to eat a bagel (pre-run food has been quite difficult since I am sooooo not a breakfast eater). I was glad I laid out all my clothes the night before or else I probably would've misesd the race from the continued pacing. With half a bagel down, I decide it's time to start getting dressed. Bodyglide...check. Deoderant...check. ShirtShortsSocksShoesEtc...check. The process takes me all of 10 minutes. And as I'm standing there in the mirror looking at myself in my bright purple TNT jersey, I struggle with wondering if I look ridiculous or if I look like a "serious athlete." Oh...who am I kidding...I look ridiculous. Me? An athelete? CERTAINLY NOT!! And THAT's when the nervous energy started. I had everything I needed. There wasn't anything else coaches could do or say to me. Before the day's end, I would be a marathoner. And with this notion buzzing through my head, the nervous kept escalating.
By now it was 5:30 and I decided that if I was going to be a basketcase, I needed to be a basketcase in the presence of other people. So I grabbed my gear check back, the rest of my bagel, a banana and a powerbar and headed to the lobby...a good 30 minutes earlier than needed.
I was surrounded by purple jerseys that I didn't know. I saw Denise, a fellow MN TNTer that I had befriended through My Space...I wished her luck as she jolted outside to catch the bus and hoped to see her in our corral. I sat down and was soon joined by Coach Sarah and Margie and a few of my teammates. By now I had finished the other half of my bagel and was encouraged to try and get a little bit more down. So I went for the banana...which I would later decide was the worst decision of the day.
After all the Illinois full-marathoners met up, we headed toward the bus. My stomach was flopping around. I was beyond nauseous. Margie and Coach Sarah did everything they could to keep me calm on the ride over there. But by this point, I knew in my head that I was about to get sick...and it wasn't going to be pretty.
Not even ten steps off the bus, I run and hide behind a bush. I'll spare you the details, but simply say, yak incident numero uno occurred (from hereforth referred to as "incident" to spare you). So we continue on and decide to visit the porta potty. Fine by me...it helps...a little bit...but after I get out, yours truly somehow managed to walk straight into a cactus. Brilliant start to my day. All the runners around me were VERY concerned and rushed to my aid. Luckily there was no blood and nothing stuck in me. Okay...I still have two legs in tact...phew...and we continue walking, until I duck behind a tree for incident number 2. Clearly, my marathon morning was not going as planning.
Coach Sarah tells me I should stop by the medical tent to see if they have anything to help calm my nerves and get my stomach in check. I meet with the doctor. There is absolutely nothing they can give me...other than the following advice: "don't run today. if you do, you'll need an IV in your arm by mile 8."
I stood there dumbfounded...like hell I'm not doing this. I don't care if I need an IV by mile 8, I'm at least going to try...and with that, I signed my life away on a "I promise not to sue you should anything happen to me today and I am knowingly racing against doctor's orders" waiver.
Behind the medical tent they're giving massages. And at the time, it seems like a great idea. They have a single chair massage station set up, followed by about 3 dozen tables. With my acid reflux, laying down wasn't even an option, but the gal who took care of me in the chair was a saint. She could totally tell I was crazy nervous and did everything in her power to calm me.
After the massage I find Margie and we stretched while Coach Sarah was finishing up her massage. I left for about 5 minutes...enter yaking incidents three, four and five. Wow. I feel SO MUCH BETTER. I really think I can do this now!! The only thing that had been coming up was that awful banana. The bagel, as far as I could tell, was still in me. Not too much liquid was lost. But I felt one million times better and so I slowly sipped on my gatorade and headed for gear check.
By now I could tell coach was crazy nervous about me running. So she tells me that she's going to go the first three miles with me, and then have my husband and dad drive her to other locations along the coues. This was an absolutely fantastic and brilliant idea. I knew she'd be able to keep my nerves in check until the gun went off. I was feeling so much better.
...and with that, we finished stretching with Margie, and headed for the corrals...
posted by Iron Jayhawk at 8:50 AM
3 Camper Comments:
Well, if pre-race jitters is the worst of the story, it went well. Of course, the doctors are justifiably concerned. I'd say there's a difference between "I'm nervous" incidents and "I'm knock down, drag out sick" incidents.
Many people don't even eat race day because of that concern. You must have had enough nutrition. The medal proves it.
congrats!!!!! how exciting!!! very well earned! i am looking fwd to the rest of the report.
I can't believe I've never read this before. I had incidents during my race and so this is so similar. I'm going to read the rest now, but I feel like we are soul sisters or something!
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