Linda, that was an awesome race and a wonderfully inspiring story. Congratulations! Kp
Sent from my iPhone On Oct 29, 2012, at 12:38 PM, "Cavas, Linda" <[email protected]> wrote: > 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.
