Race Recap: The USA Championships
photo by Zach Hetrick
“The absence of alternatives clears the mind marvelously.” -Albert Einstein
I didn’t expect to find myself in the lead within the first 50 meters of the USA Championship steeplechase final last Saturday. In fact, I had prepared myself to be swept up in a hoard of ladies, all elbowing and jostling for a safe position– especially during the first few laps of the race. My race plan was to be patient, stay out of trouble (ie, don’t fall or trip within a big pack of girls), and follow Emma Coburn (the best and strongest steeplechaser America has ever seen) when she inevitably broke away from the pack. Emma is usually a front runner, so we expected her to make a decisive move that would shake out all the less advanced steeplers (all of us); my goal was just to stay with her for as long as possible, hoping to create a gap between the two of us and the pack, and giving me a solid chance at making the World Championship team without battling with 5-6 other girls until the very end.
It didn’t play out that way.
I found myself in the front and looked around, slightly flustered. Where was everyone? When I realized I had gapped the group, even at a slow pace, I mentally shook myself and kept my eyes forward. I knew what I wanted: to make the team. I was going to do it, no matter what the race plan was.
Photo by Zach Hetrick
It would be an easy cop-out to say the rest of the race was a blur, but it really was. I tried not to look behind me (it’s easy to see the back of the race in the big screen that’s positioned on the curve by the finish line), so I didn’t know until I saw pictures later just how close the group was to me. I wasn’t sure whether to push the pace to try and form a gap myself, or stay steady so that I would be ready and not fatigued when Emma took over, and I think my splits probably reflected that indecisiveness. For the most part, I felt strong and in control and just tried to stay calm.
At a certain point (3.5 laps to go? Again, it’s a blur), Emma came around me and all I remember is thinking, “Here we go, HOLD ON.” I was fatiguing– the weather that day wasn’t ideal for racing (in the mid-90s) and it was windy on the backstretch; I remember earlier that morning, Coach telling me to tuck in behind the leaders as much as possible because the wind would tire them out. The moment Emma ran around me at a fast pace, I thought about all those windy backstretches I had just ran through and steeled myself to stay strong for just a few more laps.
I managed to “go” with Emma, which did break us both away from the pack of girls following, but with 600 meters to go, I started to tire quickly. She pulled away from me on that second-to-last water jump and all I could think was that I had just one lap left. As I ran through the bell lap, I knew the girls chasing me (Colleen and Leah) were fairly far back– I was probably safe, but at this level, you can NEVER just coast it in. As much as I knew it would be a long shot for them to catch me, I couldn’t risk it by letting up.
The last lap was UGLY. My form was a mess– I was just throwing myself over those hurdles– and my body was tying up. The college girls had some major momentum racing each other and I was in No Mans Land with tunnel vision… I just wanted to cross that line in second place. I’ve seen the last lap from the NBC coverage and as I finish, the announcer says, “And Garcia is staggering to the finish…” YUP.
It might have been the hardest way possible to make a team– but I did it. I did it! Everything I’ve focused on, everything I’ve worked for, this wild adventure finally came together. I don’t think it’s sunk in yet. Four years ago, I made a team– but it took a summer of racing in Europe to hit the A standard and an injury from another girl to put me there.
This time, it was real; it was earned. I was handed an American flag and a medal and got to trot a victory lap. It’s moments like these that keep us hungry and fighting through brutal winter weather, boring threshold workouts, never-ending long runs. It’s that feeling– of crossing the line knowing you did it– that brings us back, year after year. I’m so thrilled and grateful and blessed and happy. But I’m also ready to work. The girls behind me aren’t trying to stay behind me and the times are just getting faster. Just as in that last lap– I can’t let up for a second.
Photo by Track and Field Photo
But it all comes back to the quote that started this post– one I’m starting to tattoo deep down on my heart. When you give yourself no other alternative, you have a focus that trumps everything– a race plan gone wrong, conditions, throwing yourself down the home stretch. When you believe in yourself, your dreams really CAN come true.
Did you miss the race? You can see it in all its glory here!
