5ish miles on the CIM course. We were able to get on the course at mile 8, 13, 17, 20, and 25. It was an emotional Rollier coaster for me to say the least. We had Amber, Emily, and of course Jen we were cheering for.
Mile 8: This was a surprise to Jen that AmberD and I were going to be there. We had her girls make a poster and she said the first thing she saw the poster. Her and AmberG were with the OTQ pacer and they looked incredible. I had butterflies in my stomach and Jen was so excited/shocked to see us.
Mile 13: Amber & Jen were still right with the pacer. The pack had spread out a bit and wasn't quite as big but they looked so incredibly strong.
Mile 17: Amber & Jen were leading the pack, They looked incredible. My butterflies were turning into anxiety....but good anxiety. It's going to happen!
Mile 20: Jen was a step behind Amber, her cheeks were flushed, she looked up at us but did not wave. But she was still on pace.
Corom (Jen's husband) was navigating the course and miles 21-26 were a bit more difficult to get on to.
Mile 25: waiting impatiently! I saw Amber, she was alone but she looked good. I cheered and said a quick prayer that she would make it. Where was Jen? I started frantically jogging backwards on the course, the longer it took to find her the harder I cried. Why? Why was this happening,,,where was she. I was a basket case! I ran with her for 1.5 miles with a complete mix of emotions. It is crazy how quickly things can slip away.
Jen ran a 2:48. It was a 6 minute PR but it was not what she wanted. She will get there, that I know.
My thoughts: I know that none of the three girls will ever use this as an excuse or even mention it. But in my opinion the 100% humidity was a major factor. It's just difficult to train to replace that kind of fluids when your training in Utah. When your chasing such a fast time every single little detail has to come together perfectly and I personally think, for Jen at least, it came down to fluids.
We had a 10 hour drive home after the race to talk about a lot of things. Jen is already Registered for Boston so that more than likely be her next shot.
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