My Race Day Report

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【前言（1-22-2014）】：象以往一樣，馬拉鬆賽結束後，我所在團隊的主教練Mike鼓勵大家分享比賽當天的經曆。我是團隊裏唯一的中國人，所以，隻能用英文完成布置布置的任務。

My Race Day Report (1-20-2014)

[1] Prelude

The half marathon on Sunday is my 2nd one. Based on the result of the 1st half marathon (1:43:12, pace 7:52) in October of 2012 and the result of the 30K last December (2:24:15, pace 7:45), I set my target pace for the race on Sunday between 7:40-7:45, to finish the 2nd half marathon between 1:40:35 to 1:41:40, PR 0:1:32 to 0:2:37.

During our last group run on Tuesday, Jan 14, Coach Mike asked me about my target pace on Sunday. I told him my goal and the logical behind it. However, Coach Mike strongly suggested me to set bar higher for sub-1:40:00. He believed that I can do it or at least should try. Other than a running friend who administrates a Chinese runners’ website, Coach Mike is the 2nd person to encourage me for sub-1:40:00. Previously, I nerve dreamed about sub-1:40:00, neither did I have confidence to achieve it. However, I thought that my coach knows me well and he knows what he talked about, therefore, I took his suggestion to my heart. I researched online that night about what’s the minimal pace required for the sub-1:40:00 finish. I mapped out my target paces as 7:40 (1-3 miles), 7:35 (4-10 miles), and 7:40 (11-13.1 miles).

[2] Where to Start

During the same group run last Tuesday, I also shared with Coach Mike about my struggle in which corral to start with the race. As local elite, I have the privilege to start with all national and international elites in the elite area. All elites will be transported by charted buses directly from Hilton to the start line. The advantage of starting with elites is to avoid going through lines of security checks. The disadvantage is that there are no pacers in the elite group. In addition, it was intimidating for me to start with a group of true elites. So, I intended not to go with the elite group, but to join the corral A. However, Coach Mike encouraged me to start with the elites just for experiences.

So, I went with the elite group from Hilton to the start line. However, about 5 minutes before 7AM, I escaped from the elite group to the corral A with the permission of the elite coordinator and onsite police officers. I was looking for pacers close to my target pace 7:40, but only disappointedly found pacers 7:30 and 8:00. Just in the midst of my dismay, I saw a group of running angels, my dear BG friends Coach Scott, Craig, Richard, Edward, John, and Bengt. My heart was jumped with joy and I couldn’t help but to hug them. While waiting with them, my nervousness was gone and I felt excited and ready for another “Saturday run”. I asked Richard about their pace. He told me 7:40s (I forgot the exact number). Because that pace was slower than my target pace 7:40 for the 1st three miles, I told Richard that I have to run faster. He encouraged me to go ahead. While we were approaching the start line and just before I departed from the group, I said to Richard “please remember me in your prayer as I remember you in mine”. Then, I ran off.

[3] After the Start Line

I started my GPS watch as soon as I passed the start line. The tragedy happened: the GPS watch didn’t work! I charged its battery the night before and checked the watch before I left home. I re-set the watch while I was running. But, it still didn’t work. I started to panic and was almost in tears. “How am I going to run this race without a working GPS watch or a pacer? What about my sub-1:40:00 goal or simple PR?” I even asked “God, why does this happen to me? What does this mean?” However, after a while, I calmed down and talked to myself “Ling, don’t be silly! This is just a race, not the end of life. Why don’t you forget about the target pace, simply enjoy the run?” I recalled what Coach Mike, Coach Ben, and Coach Scott said multiple times “trust your training”, which gave me great confidence. Then, I decided to run with my heart and just enjoy the race. Interestingly, I had the lyric and melody of my favorite hymn “All the Way My Savior Leads Me” in my mind almost all the way. So, I ran hard and ran with joy for the rest of the course.

[4] On the Course

I saw another running angel around the mile 5, Bill. Bill is a dear friend from my 1st marathon training group. As an esophageal cancer survivor, he has been, still is, and will always be one of my inspirations for long distance runs. We saw each other during the 30K race last month. Seeing him again brought back wonderful memories when we trained together. He was ahead of me when I spotted him. I made a special effort to catch him. Apparently, he was surprised and pleased to see me. We put a high-five and chatted briefly. I asked him about his target time. He told me “sub-1:40:00, hopefully around 1:37:00”. What a blessing! I had the similar goal as his “sub-1:40:00”, but not “around 1:37:00”. So, I said to Bill “you go ahead and I will follow”.

Bill and I ran ahead of each other in turn till about the mile 10. I was very thankful for the opportunity to run with Bill. After the mile 10, both Bill and I appeared a little tired and our paces slowed down. Soon after the mile 11, I heard someone called my nickname and shouted loudly “Sister Running Rabbit, Go! Go! Go!” I saw two of my Chinese running friends among spectators. Oh, what a pleasant surprising! They even ran a short distance with me on the sidewalk. I got a huge surge of energy from their friendship. So, I made extra effort running toward the finish line.

[5] To the Finish Line and Afterwards

When approaching the finish line, I was physically a little tired, but mentally alert and joyful. I saw the time on the clock was 1:37:?? (forgot the exact time). So, I knew that I did it, sub-1:40:00 (the chip time 1:36:48, pace 7:23). As soon as I passed the finish line, a volunteer took me to the elite area at GRB balcony B where Min was waiting for me anxiously. He had a huge smile when he saw me. We both thanked the volunteer for the help. Almost an hour and a half late, a lady who works for the elite program told me that I won my age group. I was pleased and humbled by this surprising news. My heart was filled with thankfulness to God who bless me with running ability, to my parents who nurtured me during my formative years, to Min who gently and sacrificially supports my new found hobby, to my coaches and running friends (Americans and Chinese) who taught me and inspired me one way or another……

Most elites stayed for the 2014 US Half Marathon Championship reception in the afternoon, so did I. Min and I got home in late afternoon on Sunday, which was why I missed many immediate communications on FB. Thank Coach Stephanie so much for thinking of me and sending me a message after the race. I was deeply touched by Coach Ben’s message to me on the FB and was overwhelmed by everyone’s kind responses. Thank you all once again, my coaches and running friends!