Time: 2:41:22
Place: 51
Age: 22
Affiliation: Unattached
RF: Describe your 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials experience
First off, I want to say that my whole experience in Houston was absolutely amazing! I arrived on Wednesday and went for a short run with my teammate Serena Burla. Soon after, Clara Grandt joined us and we went to a Q&A session at Fleet Feet running store along with some of the other athletes who represent Mizuno. After answering some pretty funny questions, including “what would happen if you just did the first two miles of a marathon all-out and then kept running?” we ate dinner at a nice little Italian restaurant. Because I was brand new to the group, I really cherished this first opportunity to get to know everyone. We talked about NJ’s superiority (duh), strange jobs we’ve all had, and plenty of other spontaneous topics. After eating abnormal amounts of bread and pasta, we all headed back to our respective hotels.
Our goal for Friday was to do a whole lot of nothing. I woke up naturally and went by myself for a very slow jog, which doubled as a tour of the hotel’s surrounding restaurants and shops. We had a big group trek over to the Corner Bakery Café for lunch, and afterwards I decorated my race-day bottles with leopard-print duct tape and bright orange pipe cleaners. Before I knew it, it was time for the technical meeting, which had me star-struck as soon as I walked in. Even though I had already been spending my time with elites Serena and Clara, the amount of elite runners in the meeting room was just overwhelming. Afterwards, my dad and stepmom arrived and came out to dinner with the crew. After my meal, I pledged that I couldn’t possibly eat anymore bread and pasta for at least a week.
It was finally the big day. After tossing and turning all night, I woke up and gathered my things. Although I usually have no problem eating, even before a race, the banana and graham crackers that I ate was pretty hard to get down. Too much excitement and nervousness! Serena and I met Clara and Loretta [Kilmer] at the convention center and awaited the last call for the race. When we were finally called, I jogged around a little bit and did a few strides. The gun went off, and before I knew it, there were tears in my eyes. Everything combined—the athletes, the crowd, the immense buildings, the fact that I was running a freaking marathon—made for a really emotional moment. I couldn’t believe I was there, in that race. There are just no words to describe what I felt like at that moment.
As for the race, I think it was a good experience. I was really conservative because I was really scared. Every time I thought about picking up the pace I just kept telling myself “no, this is loooong, you’re going to hit the wall if you go!” From miles 10-13, my focus was on getting rid of a side stitch, which I was able to minimize a little bit. I passed the halfway mark about three minutes slower than I planned to, but I didn’t panic, because at that point I wasn’t feeling amazing, and my ultimate goal was to finish the race without bonking. A little bit later, unfortunately, I saw Serena on the ground being wrapped in a foil blanket. At the moment we locked eyes, I told myself that I was going to finish the race no matter how much pain I was in. I had to do it for her.
The last ten miles is kind of a blur. I was just running. Just looking up ahead and trying to catch people. I guess you could say I was holding on, because even though I didn’t feel super terrible, I just couldn’t access another gear. I did a pretty good job of maintaining a steady pace, and most importantly, I finished! I soon found Isaya and he told me it was important to keep walking, so he walked with me for a while.
Speaking of Isaya, I honestly cannot thank him enough for helping me with every little bit of preparation, for keeping tabs on me throughout the race, and for helping me post-race. In fact, the whole support crew, including Bola Awofeso, Shauneen Garrahan, Chris Ramsey, Jenny Ramsey, Emily Ramsey, Sean Cleary, my dad Sal, and my stepmom Jane was beyond anything I could have ever hoped for! The whole time I was in Houston I felt like I was part of one big family. I usually don’t get emotional, but just thinking about everyone’s support is making me tear up!
RF: Were you satisfied with your performance?
I was satisfied with my decision to run the race in the first place. I’m certainly not unsatisfied with my performance, but I feel like I ran very conservatively, just with the goal of finishing. Now that I know what the marathon is about, I’m excited to try it again sometime in the future. I will now have an easier time visualizing it in practice, practicing fluids, fighting through that very specific type of pain, etc. Where this one felt like I was just “running”, I hope that I can eventually get to the point where I can “race” and be competitive at the distance.
RF: What is on tap for the spring/summer?
First, some much-needed recovery from the buildup, the travel, and of course, the race itself. If all goes well, I would like to run the trials standard in the 10k, and possibly knock some time off of my 5k PB. I like to take it one day at a time, because that’s the mentality that got me to Houston in the first place. I’ve learned that you can’t really make plans and sometimes you just have to roll with the punches.
RF: In 1 word describe your approach to the race. Conservative
RF: Rate the crowd support out of 10. 10…million.
RF: What besides water fuelled you throughout the race? Gatorade and gels.
RF: Who proved to be your #1 fan today? The whole Riadha crew.
RF: Can we expect to see you gunning for the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials? As long as I can stay fit and healthy!
RF: In 1 word describe your emotion when you crossed the finish line. Delirious
TRUE or FALSE
RF: I executed my race plan. Somewhat. I went out too slow, but my second half was faster (slightly) than my first like I had planned.
RF: I hit the wall. False
RF: I had fun! True!
RF: I will do my best to make it to the start line of another OT race. Absolutely true
RF: I will take a week or more off running. True
Read Interviews with Olympic Marathon Trials Participants
