A leap year is special, eh? This 2020 leap year day of February 29 was the much anticipated US Olympic Marathon trials (which ties into this story). It was also the ? much anticipated Freeze Your Gizzard Race Event in Montague, PEI. A hometown race weekend that I try not to miss. This would be my 10th running. 10km for me this year.
This year I had my sister, Kristen, in tow along with pal Patrick. They were both racing the half marathon. It’s a 40 minute drive from Charlottetown. More fun if it’s a race road trip all together. Bonus points for making huge mess in race vehicle.
Of course my not-so-secret wish was that my sister and I would both win our events for a Sister #FYG Sweep.
It was fun to warm up together and see Patrick and Kristen off as well as greet friends Michael and Jennie. I finished my warm up. I braid up my #fastbraid. I slipped and fell while running warm up strides in the questionably parking lot (watch the new Ian teeth!!) and lined up for the 10km 30 minutes later.
There were two young UPEI varsity XC/track athletes in the 10km. One who I know because I went to university with his parents. Yes, me, Old Doll. I was smiling as the race got underway as they chirped each other. “Hey, what’s your mom’s number, I will need it to call her for you later.”
“Don’t worry, I know his mom.” I add.
They were running too slow at 400m, at 4:25/km, so I pulled ahead of them. I’ve already learned this winter not to get caught up behind young university runners. Perhaps at first they thought it was not legit. One came with me, I assumed it was the young man I knew.
At 1km, my split was 3:57/km (planned 3:55/km but slow first 400). We turned the corner onto Main Street at 1.5km and I glanced behind and the other young man is already a ways back.
“We lost your friend, Samuel,” I said to the young man tight on my back. But it was the other one.
I asked him if I went to the Gray. He’s a Gray Grad, at UPEI now. Based on the chirping with other runner, he wants to win this race. I also want to win this race. And by win, I mean win outright. Like I did last year. I nod. There must be no more talking.
1-4km: Telling self “relax, relax, relax.” I am calm and relaxed. Young runner sounds laboured but that might be his baseline, who knows? I run smart. Patrick and I had just been talking about strategy to lead and win a race in warm-up. Do you run your race for a goal time or run strategically? Today, it will be strategically. Splits here 3:55, 3:53 and 4:04 over a long 1km uphill grind.
4-7km: Riffling through mental options on how to drop this runner. He’s been tight on my back for duration. At one point, I ask him if he ran indoor season. He says he ran an awesome 1km race. I say: “Cool. I ran 3km.” I add that to the strategy pile. I turn up the heat and run a 3:52/km. I plan to add another 3:52 but we hit a stretch over Knox’ Dam that is really wooded. The road is hard packed ice for about a mile. No traction = no second 3:52/km. I keep on it. The split is 4:00/km. Right around here, a lady is in her yard and her weiner dog bolts after us. Weiner dog owner is screaming. Dog is underfoot. I yell at it. I keep running. Other runner doesn’t recover as well. We turn a corner and it’s about to be showtime, the monster 1km hill is upon us.
7th km, all up Valleyfield Rd: I detect that the runner isn’t quite on me so I go hard. This is my opportunity. I grind hard up the hill. I am rewarded with the sound of footfalls starting to fade. 27m up. Split 4:30/km. Ouch.
8km: I charge down the last 500m down of Valleyfield Rd and then a hard left turn. I look over my shoulder at the turn and the runner isn’t there at all. I have this thought that: “he’ll have to get in a car to catch me now, run hard, Big Bad Mama.” Split 3:56.
9km: Now this is all for me and breaking my own course record. I have this amazing organic thought of my training friend Denise and how she would bleed for it and I proceed to do my best at bleeding for it. The end of this km is a steep down before the last agonizing 750m straight uphill. I charge down. Recklessly. Fearlessly. The up up up hill coming is “Next Kilometer Erin’s” problem. Split 3:55/km
10km: Agonizing pain-filled up. I make it. Was I mindful that I was about to outright win this race? Not at all. I was killing myself, “bleeding”,” to get as close to 39:59 as possible. Split 4:08/km. Garmin says GAP (Grade Adjusted Pace = an estimate of an equivalent pace when running on flat land, allowing the runner to compare hilly and flat runs more easily) 3:51/km
Final time 40:16.
Young runner crosses line 90 seconds later.
Long session of hanging over a road sign while dizziness subsides and world stops spinning.
Then I wait to see Michael win, Patrick come 3rd in the half marathon and the most delicious treat, my sister Kristen wins the women’s half marathon in a 1:31:57.
We accomplished the Sister Sweep!!!
Glee.
Later that afternoon, we turned on the US Olympic Marathon Trials with my 5 and 7 year old kids. As I was finding NBC on my mother’s tv, I was explaining to them that the top 3 runners in the men’s and women’s field would get to go to the Olympics. Once I landed on the race, we opened on the women’s field around 10km.
“Mom! Where are you? Where are you in the race?” asked 5 year old excitedly.
He thought that was were I was that morning. This. This moment. I mindfully feel it deeply and it’s as good as the win.
Later on, after the trials were over, we visit Salam Hashem, running mentor and I happily tell him all about the race. He’s glowing. “I have been thinking that more women are going to start winning races,” he says softly. Big smile.
So that’s my Leap Year story. For a moment, I did hesitate writing about this. I am a woman in 2020. For years, I have not been immune to the socialization (tho never by my family) that says that women should be humble, quiet, bashful. But you know what, there were 511 women who qualified for the USA Marathon Trials to the 260 men. My child thought I was one of them. “Why not us?” And so I wrote this anyway.
Big thanks to David Boyce and crew for an excellent event. And thanks to my amazing aunt Gemma for the support and photos.
