Great job Linda. You will be doing Boston soon. Steven Brake
Sent from my Verizon Wireless Phone ----- Reply message ----- From: "Cavas, Linda" <[email protected]> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Subject: [COWs] Marine Corps Marathon Date: Mon, Oct 29, 2012 12:38 pm A big THANK YOU to everyone who posted about my race yesterday. It was awesome! Many of you know that my dad was a career Marine, runner, and cyclist. In 1976 the Marine Corps organized their first marathon and my dad was one of 1500 runners who showed up for the race. He ran it in 3:38 before the days of energy gels and water bottles, and I will never forget running down and crossing the finish line with him that day. I was so proud of him! He died a few years ago of ALS which he contracted from vaccinations during the Vietnam War – he certainly lived and died for our country. So this race is very special and emotional for me.. I went to the doctor last Friday and was diagnosed with a slight knee sprain in my left knee. Of course the doc recommended that I stay off the knee and skip the race…and looked at me and knew I wasn’t going to do that. So I was worried about my knee going into the race, but as I approached the start yesterday morning all focus just turned to the race and it was “on”. For 22 miles I was able to block the pain and just run my pace and I felt good. But starting with mile 22 there are two bridges and enough grade and hills that just pulled on that knee. The final .2 miles are straight uphill to the Iwo Jima Memorial. Needless to say the last 5.2 miles were agony. I dropped from an 8:40 pace to over 9 minutes. Missed qualifying for the Boston Marathon by 6 minutes (needed 3:45) which I wasn’t even shooting for in this race. Overall I had a great race and some amazing memorable moments….as a fierce patriot, the city of Washington DC is a special place to me. My dad is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, which is close to the start of the race….and coming over the bridge to the Lincoln Memorial I found myself reciting lines from the Gettysburg Address (“Four score and seven years ago… that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth)….I was pretty surprised that I remembered that much of it. I guess I was thinking about that because of the upcoming election and regardless of whether you are Republican or Democrat, the fact that members of our armed forces dedicate their lives to protect our country and the rights we have was visible as I ran through the streets of Washington. Along a quiet stretch beside the Potomac, volunteers had lined up photos of young Marines who died in Iraq and Afghanistan -- was tough to stay dry eyed running beside all the faces of those men and women…and a few more miles later there were more than 25 volunteers with the T.A.P.S. Program who each stood silently holding huge American flags that gently brushed against me as I ran underneath them….and seeing a young Marine keep pace with me while holding a huge black POW flag for the entire race… ….so many unforgettable moments. I highly recommend this race for anyone who is considering running a marathon. Thousands of Marines come out in uniform and stand along the course encouraging runners. Can’t get that at any other marathon! Thanks again to Jonathan for giving me such a great deal on his spot in the race -- good luck with the ACL surgery next month! And thanks again to all of you who have supported and encouraged me through my training. I now know that qualifying for Boston is a reality since I came so close yesterday – even with a sprained knee and dodging huge crowds that at times slowed my pace. Not sure the knee will be well enough to get me a qualifying time when I run OBX on 11/11, but I’ll certainly be ready to give it a shot at the Myrtle Beach Marathon in February!! -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CyclistsOfWilson-COWs" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected].. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cyclistsofwilson-cows?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CyclistsOfWilson-COWs" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cyclistsofwilson-cows?hl=en.
