A Race To Remember...

The race started out like any other. I was dressed in my racing outfit with sweats on to fend off the early morning cold. My parents kept me company until Tina, my doubles partner in tennis from high school, and I lined up somewhere between the 2:20 and the 2:30 pace teams. We figured coming in under 2:30 would be awesome and definitely achievable. We could do this.
I like to restrain myself during the first mile of a race in order to avoid burn out later. Hitting the first mile marker around 10:30 or 11 would have been just fine. I felt like we were going pretty slow...maybe even a 11:30 until I looked down at my watch and saw that we passed mile 1 in 10:08. Surprised, we kept motoring, but maintained an awareness of our pace. Our pace only got faster. Around mile 4 or 5 we were averaging sub-10 minute miles with still a ways to go. But we were feeling good...or at least that's what we kept telling each other.
As race continued on, up and down a roller coaster of little hills, over the forgiving gravel of the Lehigh Valley Parkway, through the uneven covered bridge, around the lake during the longest mile of my life, and into the stadium...I couldn't help but be amazed by the degree to which we had inspired each other. Two years ago, neither Tina nor I were runners, let alone long distance runners. Then we decided to make a difference. She joined Team in Training and raised money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and I began this race against CF. And there we were, side-by-side (well, actually, she was typically about 1 step ahead of me for most of the race) pounding on the pavement en route to a sub-2:10 finish. And while I was stuck in the world of Exercise Physiology...thinking about heat dissipation and extra mass, wishing I didn't have a 3 lb fanny pack on and that I was taking in more water, Tina just kept telling me, "C'mon, Liz. We've got this. We're almost there. Let's do this." And all of the Sport Psychology techniques that I swear by as a professional were being used, quite successfully, on me. Finally, around mile 11 I forgot the fanny pack and the knee pain and started to focus in on the positive self talk, the imagery of sliding into the finish on an ice luge, and remembering that I had two sisters carrying me to the finish.
Finally, after literally being pulled up the hill into the stadium, we started to take our final lap. It felt victorious because I had beaten back the demons that told me to slow down and give up this pace that we had worked so tirelessly to maintain. And the rush came over me. I don't know if I had communicated it to Tina or not-I can't remember now. But suddenly I took off into a mad dash to the finish as did she. We both crossed at 2:07:17, Tina a well-deserved step ahead of me.
If nothing else, this race taught me that races can be fun, even when pushing your comfort zone. Races are also a lot of fun when you're next to someone who is going to push you to do your best, never let you give up, and stay positive the entire way. Tina - you were amazing this weekend and I look forward to doing many more races with you. We've always been a great pair...just now we're trading in our rackets for running shoes.