Race Report: Kaitlyn DiBello, NYC Marathon 2019
Don’t Fret there are 26 Letters in the Alphabet
November 3, 2019 I toed the line for my 3rd marathon and my 3rd NYC. Out of all the marathons I had trained for and ran I felt the most confident and comfortable going into this one. Unfortunately, that is not what happened. I learned a lot during this marathon in particular what you do when plans A, B and C all fail to happen.
After 18 weeks of hard training I turned off my alarm at 4:15 and gathered my stuff to travel to Staten Island. After a short Uber trip Gabby and I bid Toni goodbye and headed towards the Sub-elite bus towards Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex. I was surprised how calm I was until we were at Ocean Breeze and incredibly speedy and professional runners surrounded everywhere I looked or turned. I was completely star struck and humbled to be there. I was still somehow calm which is odd as I am often a nervous wreck before a major race. It wasn’t until we were staring down the start line that the nerves kicked but I knew I was ready. My body however had other plans.
My plan was set to stick to 6:50-6:55 pace until I saw my family on first ave. I was on pace for a sub-3 but I knew early on that despite holding the pace in Brooklyn it would be a fight. After getting off the Verrazano the odd muscle pains in my quads seemed destined to stay. I remained positive for the first half especially since I saw so many faces I knew and even had small conversations with several runners. When I passed my coach just after mile 8 I knew that something was off. He jumped into the race and kept me company for about a half mile simply keeping me company and talking to me reminding me to continue to run smart and that I was doing well. As I rocketed down Bedford and towards our team water station I felt my faith slightly restored. I felt the adrenaline and love from the entire team, which kept me going, and helped me refocus.
Once I hit mile 14 I really started to feel my legs and body beginning to go. I watched with agony as the 3:00 pace crew go by me. My first thought was there goes my sub-3 plan and all the hard work that had been put in. My second thought was try to run a PR. Yes plan A was gone but plan B could still happen with that in mind I stared down the base of Queensboro. A year ago the bridge had been my downfall but this year I had practiced it religiously and felt confident going over it. Once I was dumped onto first ave the search for my family began whom I spotted just shy of the 18 mile mark. Soon after seeing them the 3:05 pace group slipped by. As frustration built I realized that both plans A and B were gone. A new goal formed try and stay under 3:10. As I passed through the Bronx I forced myself to walk through several water stations to drink Gatorade and try to regain some sort of connection with my legs. That ended up being a mistake as it began to cause my stomach to cramp. As I crossed the last bridge I knew that the last 5 miles would be tough.
After passing a co-worker of mine and Wataru both around mile 22 my right calf began to seize up. Hoping that some electrolytes would help loosen it I slowed to a walk to down a Gatorade. That unfortunately led to no help. Plan C quickly turned to just finishing the marathon. I had no sense of time of even what finishing pace I was on. I quickly turned my attention to the hill that lies on 5th ave. With tears threatening to escape my eyes due to the pain in my calf and pure frustration I spotted Sarah and Robin. Seeing that I was struggling Robin handed me an extra gel that she had while Sarah kept me company up the hill. With their help I was soon turning my attention towards Central Park. With 1.5 miles to go the 3:15 pace group slipped by. Plan C was gone Plan D quickly developed with one goal in mind to simply run another BQ. Refusing to quit or drop out I managed to find strength and negotiated with my legs to get me to the finish line. I ended in a 3:17.
After getting my medal I was taken to the sub-elite tent. After regaining my composure I gave myself a few minutes in the dressing room to grieve over my race and wonder what possibly went wrong. The only explanation I came up with is that my body just wouldn’t cooperate today. After meeting my family I took one last look at the finish line still shaking my head. New York broke me this year but I’ll return because the city and I have a date for a rematch where this time everything will go right. I’m extremely proud of myself for finishing and finding the energy to BQ. The main lesson I learned this year though is that if plan A fails not to fret because you have the entire alphabet to go through. Yes plans fail and goals may change, marathons are hard but each one leaves us with a lesson and a silver lining. Mine are that I’m a tougher runner now then I was 48 hours ago, I still managed to BQ for a second time in a row and had a huge honor of being sub-elite. My plan is still the same and so is the goal. While I wish I could say NYC went perfectly it didn’t and that’s ok. All I know is that as long as we pick ourselves up and run with our heart when all else fails then we will succeed regardless of if it is our day or not. Regardless of how bad your day or race is remind yourself to not give up and remember that there are 26 letters in the alphabet the sun will rise and your day will come. Thank you for all the love and support just remember to run smart and continue to dream big.
