Maine Coast Marathon (Wells, ME)
Finish Time: 4:21
Pace: 10:00
Temp: 54
Conditions: Overcast and Cool
Run For: Leslie
Recap:
There is nothing like it, being at a Team Challenge event weekend. It’s hard to explain exactly what the experience is like and that was definitely the case with this marathon. I’ll try my best, but to see it you really need to be there, to actually be in it.
Things shaped up to be a little different than the typical event race schedule. The Maine Coast race series had the half marathon and 5k events on Saturday and then just the full marathon happening on its own on Sunday. This actually allowed me to slide into the coach’s role for Saturday’s races before tackling the marathon the next day as a participant.
I love coaching and I especially love coaching with Team Challenge. During the race, we get to be out on course running and talking with all our participants as they take on their distance. We really do have the best seat in the house when it comes to witnessing greatness happening right before our eyes. I see courage, determination, grit, and perseverance firsthand and to say it is inspiring is an understatement. I see runners have great days and I see them have bad days where it is a real struggle. Saturday was a combination of both, but I never saw anyone quit or become defeated. The only thing that was taking a hit was IBD from those wearing that orange shirt with Team Challenge printed across their chest.
Leslie, who I ran for on Sunday, was one of those participants years ago at a Team Challenge event in New Orleans. I literally met her for the first time while out on that half marathon course. I was coaching, she was running and I distinctly remember her coming towards me smiling and moving at a decent pace. The picture we used with her story is from this event. We started talking about how warm and humid it was and that she was feeling it from both. She said she wasn’t really enjoying running at the moment and that this was feeling pretty tough. After hearing her tell me about the lack of enjoyment she had been experiencing to this point, I told her I didn’t believe a word she said. She gave me a confused look and that’s when I pointed out, during the entire time we have been running together and talking, she had been smiling the entire time and we were even laughing at points too. I can’t believe someone dislikes something when they are smiling the whole time they talk about it. You don’t smile when you don’t like something. She was too happy to not be enjoying running. I’ve seen and been miserable running and I can guarantee you there are no smiles when that’s happening.
She assured me she wasn’t feeling it so we agreed to disagree. I felt confident she would finish the race strong but before I dropped back to catch more runners, we chatted a little more. We talked about all things Denver and Team Challenge and I also heard some of her story. She runs because can and she not only does this for herself but for the others who are affected by IBD. This was evident from the moment I met her and it’s a trait I’ve seen a million times over among TC participants who are also patients. They all have this desire to want to help others even more than themselves and it’s incredibly admirable.
Back to this Saturday, the weather was a great day to run with overcast skies and temps in the 50s with just a slight cool breeze. I patrolled the last few miles of the race course so I kept running out and back from the finish line catching participants coming into the final stretch on the course. All was great and I wouldn’t have changed a thing about Saturday. The only interesting fact was that for me Saturday consisted of a 4:30am wake up call, two 40-minute bus rides, close to 4 hours on my feet and almost 18 total miles of running/walking. Not the ideal way to prepare to run 26.2 miles the very next day. It’s a good thing I’ve done crazier things than this before, or maybe that isn’t a good thing.
Sunday came much far too quickly, especially after a late night watching a hockey game that needed overtime to end, which didn’t help. I was tired but did feel ready to run and the weather was like Saturday which was definitely in my favor. My plan was to head off at a comfortable pace and basically see when and where the wheels would come off. I’ll admit this is not the best approach to have when running a marathon. However, as amazing as Saturday was, I was physically, mentally, and even emotionally spent. Being a coach at a race, that runs around, is tiring in a different kind of way. Even though your pace/effort is easier than if you were running it on your own, it drains you and empties your tank just the same. Honestly, I didn’t want to have to think on Sunday. I didn’t want to do stuff like runners’ math at any point. I really just wanted to see what my body had in it and for how long. I was thinking of it as more of a test or an opportunity to gauge things about myself in a situation that I don’t normally get. There is always something to learn about yourself when it comes to running. Today was a chance to learn more.
The wheels “come off” around mile 15, which was about how far I thought I would get. I actually guessed halfway so I was pretty close. What I didn’t expect was how my body reacted when I did finally hit that wall. I knew I was toast but I wasn’t completely done and my mind kept saying “let’s just slow down a little.” Minus the times I slowed through the water stops I didn’t walk at any other points. This was surprising because I figured I’d completely blow up once my body decided we had done enough running over these two days. Instead, all I needed to do was just lift my foot off that accelerator a little. Maybe 18 miles the day before a marathon won’t completely destroy you. Maybe I just needed all the support from my TC family behind me to keep me moving forward.
Overall I was able to finish and ultimately see our other TC marathon participant, Lori, finish her second marathon in consecutive weeks. Without a doubt, the combination of running for Leslie and that energy and inspiration from Saturday helped power me through this marathon. Running with Team Challenge gives you super powers! You can accomplish so much on your own but when you pull on that jersey with Team Challenge written across the front, you are can achieve the impossible.
Thank you Team Challenge for another amazing and memorable event weekend in Maine. Thank you, Leslie, for allowing me to run for you and share your story. It is an honor to do this, run 26.2 miles for incredible people, coach alongside some great motivators, be led by such a passionate staff and just be in the presence of so many IBD heroes. It’s an honor to be doing all of this.
26.2 FOR YOU 