FINALS?!!!

As I walked off the track, I felt a peace that I haven’t felt after a race in a really long time. I didn’t know my time or if I would advance to finals but I felt like I had run the best race I could have on today.  This feeling is the essence of why I compete. If I could walk off the track after each competition knowing I gave it a good, honest run, it would be a glorious season.  Its really not too much to ask; a lot of athletes can do it. But the last two years my consistency and internal gauge has been challenging. Anyway, I was happy.

I went into the race telling myself that this was it.  This was why I trained so hard, what my coach coached me for, the pinnacle of any competition I will ever do. There was no reason to save anything or not taper completely going into this race and I was as fresh and fit as I have ever been.  This prelim was The Race for me.  My seed time was such that I knew if I wanted to make finals I would probably have to run a personal best. I did not have the luxury to save anything in case I would advance and have to run again in two days. If I had any hope at all I would have to lay it down now.  And so I did.

            Inspired by the tenacity and guts of the men steeplechasers and Emma Coburn (the other American women who advanced in the heat before me), I ran with confidence. I got out hard and went to the front of the pack.  I heard the crowd as a dull roar around me but remained focused how I felt and what pace we were running.  Two, three laps in we were cruising. Usually, this would be good for a prelim, conserving energy, but today I couldn’t afford it.  Spurred by this comfortable, easy pace (and the pungent aroma of the Ethiopean girl beside me), I made a move.  I knew the other girls were strong; if it came down to a sprint finish, I would most likely be out of the auto qualifiers anyways and the race would have been too slow for anyone to make it into the finals on time.  If I wanted a shot, I would have to push early, make it a faster pace than the heats before. I hesitated for just a second because of the light breeze but brushed it off and moved into the front. There were several advantages to this- being able to sight the barriers better and run your own rhythm, tucking into lane 1 to run the least distance, etc.

I didn’t have to lead for long before the others girls took over and began their push to the finish but I had done my job. I had kept the honest pace through the middle of the race, when things could’ve slowed and time would have been wasted. They would take it from here, at least as fast, if not faster to the finish.  All I had to do now was hang on. A few people strung it out and I dug in. I stumbled on the last water barrier and was sloppy over the hurdles but I was running strong. I crossed the line in 5^th or 6^th but smiled as I looked around, content with my effort and enjoying the crowd!

I was brushed along, weaving through the media mix zone and was stopped by a group of reporters from the States.  I don’t think they knew the impact they would cause with their first question……“How does it feel to have made it to the Olympic Final?”

“What?! Are you sure? How do you know?!”  When it had been confirmed, I let out a few happy shouts of joy before my eyes welled up with tears. They just kind of stood there.  Their shock wore off quickly as they fired a few more questions.  “What did it mean to me and what motivated me coming into the race?” I had been to two World Championships but never made a final. In my mind, I was healthy and had no reason not to move on, take the next step.  I was healthy, I was here.  Many of my teammates and training partners hadn’t made it this far. They had worked just as hard but hadn’t been as lucky as I had.  I didn’t want to take this opportunity for granted because of them.  I didn’t want them to see me make it this far to run an uninspired, blah race because I knew that if they were here, they would have given everything and made it to the finals. The steeplechasers before me had blazed the trail and showed me the way.  They proved that finals don’t just happen, you have to make them happen- the final wasn’t going to just come to me, I would have to go get it.

 When they released me on my merry way, I walk/ran quickly back to the warmup track where Coach Row was waiting.  He smiled and gave me a big hug.  He told me he was really proud of me and how I had run. He wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to do it before the race but the experience of the final was going to be very valuable.  It meant a lot for me to see him so excited.  He told me to run the final for me now. I had nothing to lose.  Now I just needed to recover and see what would happen!