October marked almost 18 months of uninterrupted training and my fitness and mind have certainly improved. Yet, it was a minor shock that I ran my 3 fastest 5k races ever on 3 consecutive weekends. My training during August and September was not structured for racing 5ks, yet I performed beyond expectations. Sadly, I just missed a goal I set more than 10 years ago of dipping under 16 minutes. Thankfully, I’m not haunted by those 6 seconds and I learned a tremendous amount about racing and myself in those three races. They left me with a renewed optimism that someday I will finally meet that goal and I have new tools to make it happen.
I also completed a two-month training plan culminating with a goal of running a 50-mile race. My goal of 6 hours was apparently a big deal in the world of ultra running. I knew it was competitive, but I had no idea that it was considered elite. To me, it just seemed doable. In the days following my race, I started to search for other 50-mile races and looked through race results to get an idea of what I had truly accomplished. What I discovered was that I often would win the race and could set several course records. Then, I stumbled upon a list of race results dating back to 1968, when 50-mile races began in America.
My time placed me on the list as the 204th fastest American ever. For comparison’s sake, as of October of 2011 there have been a total of 350 Americans who have ran under 6 hours for 50-miles (http://www.lehigh.edu/~dmd1/ultramarathoning.html) and as of March of 2011 there have been 358 Americans who have ran under 4 minutes for the mile (http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/archive). So, one could argue that a 6-hour performance in a 50-mile race is seemingly equivalent to running the 4-minute mile.
One thing that I found interesting about ultra marathon races was the finishers’ award. Most 26.2 marathons give a medal to all finishers. It is an achievement worthy of commemorating. Many half-marathons have followed suit. Ultra marathon races are all over the board varying from no awards at all (apparently, the hours outdoors is award enough), to a medal, or even a belt buckle. I’ve decided the belt buckle is awarded as a necessity due to the weight loss while running for hours. My race gave out buckles, but hard-core runners would call that a faux pas. Buckles are the standard for 100-mile races and beyond, but it is often debated whether “just” 50-mile races are worthy of a belt buckle. I guess I’d prefer one, primarily because it differentiates the event from other races.
With the end of October, also comes the state cross country meet. We began the year outside of the top 15 ranked schools. Additionally, we ran a different lineup in each of the first 7 meets. By the conference meet, our top 7 had competed together just twice. Yet, at that meet, we ran the fastest combined team time of any 7 runners in the history of Ames High School. By the end of the season, we had eight girls run faster than our 2nd fastest runner from the year before. We had a magical ride that led us to the state meet and a ranking of 13th. We held true to our ranking and finished 13th at state and the third fastest team time in school history.
In that meet, we had three runners turn in lifetime bests. Congrats to Kelsey for doing it in her final cross country race and to freshmen Payton and Caroline for dropping nearly 20 seconds each. Payton also holds the distinction of the first varsity runner I have coached that dropped time in every meet across an entire season. In Martha’s final cross country race, she set a goal to drop 10 seconds off her PR and with a half-mile to go she was on pace to PR by 12 seconds but just could not hang on. She still managed her second fastest time ever. In Zoe’s first state meet, full of nerves and hanging on with nagging shin-splints, she was our fifth scorer. And Jessica running in her first state meet and her last cross country race turned in a good time that was within 25 seconds of her best.
Yet, it was a bittersweet end to an amazing season. My training partner for the summer, the girl I ran over 500 miles with before the season began, could not finish the race. In the previous five meets, Courtney had run the 4 fastest times (and 6th) of her career. She had finished 2nd, 2nd, 1st, 1st, and 2nd in those meets. In the 3 years prior, she had only collected 4 such finishes; two of those in very small meets. This year, she won the conference meet with the third fastest time in championship history and missed the school record by just 1 second. She ran a strong race at state and was on pace to break the school record by over 15 seconds. She was in position to be an all-state performer, a top-10 finisher.
Then a downhill spurt with about nine-tenths of a mile to go followed by a leveling off made her knees wobble. A runner passed her in the terrain dip and Courtney responded with a commanding surge up the last major hill on the course. She used up her oxygen supply in the process and collapsed. This all happened at the point in the course she had identified as the hardest and had asked for supporters. I was within steps of her, but eerily I was alone. One of the hardest moments of coaching then followed. She came to and realized her dreams and goals had escaped her. She fell victim to bad timing, if only it had happened at one of those previous five meets instead.
Ultimately, the 6th place state finisher, Courtney had beaten by 19 seconds on the same course just three weeks earlier. The 8th place state finisher, she had beaten by 18 seconds and 20 seconds on the same course three and two weeks prior. Those same margins would have put her in contention for 1st-3rd overall. And, the state champion was a girl that Courtney had beaten in their first meeting of the season. Fortunately, she has not run her last XC race. University of Iowa is calling her to be a Hawkeye and I will be there on the course at her races where she needs a supporter the most.
The morning after state, full of melancholy feelings, I received amazing news that perked me up. My brother Jason was catching a flight out of Iraq in the coming days. And today, I got word that he is safely in Qatar.
October of 2011 was a month I will remember for a very long time. I only hope I can be blessed with a similar magical month in the future.
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