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On New Years Day, I wrote a message on a running bib: In 2016, I #ResolveToRun a BQ (Boston Qualifying) time. In February, six weeks before a marathon I had signed up for, I injured my hamstring. Then in March, I received a lottery spot in the Nov. 6 New York City Marathon.On Sunday, I unfortunately didnt achieve my Boston qualifying goal.I did, however, run almost 10 minutes faster than my personal best. I completed the 26.2-mile trek through New York City in 3:48:16.The weather was nearly perfect (though I couldve done without the 15-mile-per-hour wind), my body felt strong and I was running in my favorite city. The first mile, windy and uphill on the Verrazano Bridge, was about a minute-and-half behind my goal pace of 8:00 minutes per mile. While you cant win a marathon in the first mile, you can certainly lose it. But I didnt panic. I knew what my body had to give, and I couldnt worry about making up that time in the second mile -- it would have to be throughout the race.I felt very strong through mile 23. The Queensboro Bridge was quiet and offered spectacular views of Manhattan. Around mile 17, I saw my mom, my boyfriend and my best friend who had surprised me for the weekend. Near mile 18 I found out other friends were cheering me on, and at 103rd Street I met up with one of my running partners.But at mile 23, the slight incline of Fifth Avenue in Manhattan became intimidating, and my hamstring really started to feel the pounding. By mile 24, I decided I could give everything I had left into running the best personal record I could. I saw my mom, boyfriend and best friend again at mile 25.5 and had tears in my eyes because I was going to accomplish that new personal record.As I finished the race, I pulled out my phone to take a selfie with my medal, and my dad FaceTimed me to congratulate me on my accomplishment.Shaving just one second off a personal best is a huge accomplishment -- but to cut nearly 10 minutes is downright incredible. But it comes with mixed feelings as I relive the race over and over again. Im sad to not have reached my Boston qualification goal, but nothing can take away what my body accomplished on Sunday. That night, I celebrated with family and friends with pizza, beer and a smile on my face.The Monday after the marathon in New York is a great sight -- many runners from the previous day waddle around wearing their medals over work clothes, and engraving machines are up and running. The only medals I engrave are the ones Ive received from the New York City Marathon, and to know that this years medal has my personal best time on the back is huge.As I hung up my medal on Tuesday, I was reminded why I love the crazy endeavor of running marathons. Training can be hell, but you find a way to bring yourself back from it through the joy and pride of race day. Race times may not always be your target, and what matters is that youve run a marathon and you can say youve accomplished a huge goal.Im really sad that this particular marathon journey is over, and its been difficult to sit down and evaluate the health of my body. I dont know what my next marathon will be, and I dont really know when I will run again, but I am still a runner and I ended this journey with a 3:48:16 personal best.Megan Flood is a seven-time marathoner and half marathoner. She is on a quest to qualify for the Boston Marathon and hopes New York 2016 is her ticket to Boston. 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Here are our predictions for what we might see on August 5-7.FormatThe Open bracket will begin with a mix of 96 amateur squads battling it out through a series of double-elimination, best-of-three matches, with the top four teams qualifying for group play. Those four teams will be slotted into predetermined groups of CWL teams, with every team then slogging through best-of-five series against its opponents for pivotal positioning within the Championship Bracket.From there, the top two teams in each group will advance into the Championship Bracket, in which another set of double elimination, best-of-five matches will commence in order to crown the MLG Anaheim Open champion.Now with the format formalities out of the way, lets break down who has the best odds of advancing into the Championship Bracket from group play!*Note: Predictions will not include amateur teams because the winners of the open bracket have not yet been determined.Group AGroup A teams: Team EnVyUs, ex-Team SoloMid, eLevateWho will advance: Team EnVyUs and eLevateGroup A boasts two teams coming off very different ends to the CWL Stage 2 season. After rallying to a first-place finish to end the Stage 2 regular season, Team EnVyUs erupted through the playoffs, losing just two maps en route to the Stage 2 championship. With some of the top competition to the CWL throne (heres looking at you, OpTic Gaming and FaZe Clan) having been knocked out early during the playoffs portion of Stage 2, Team EnVyUs appears to be the hot team heading into MLG Orlando.Whatever definition of hot you may want to use, eLevate is certainly not it. At one point sitting firmly in contention for a Stage 2 playoff spot, eLevate dropped its final four games, ending the season with an 11-11 record and on the outside of the eight-team playoff, sitting just map-percentage points behind Dream Team, Luminosity Gaming and H2k for one of the final spots. The team is certainly not devoid of talent, as Ulysses AquA Silva managed to put together the second-best kill/death ratio (1.14) in the CWL during Stage 2, but the rest of the team must step up in order to make a dent during group play.As the ex-TSM squad put up an even more disappointing record in Stage 2 (5-17), this may be a group where an open-bracket team could make its mark.Group BGroup B teams: Ex-Dream Team, H2k, InfusedWho will advance: Infused and Ex-Dream TeamAfter falling short in its mission to claim the Stage 2 European crown, Infused appears to be in prime position to make some noise at MLG Orlando, although Group Bs open bracket team may throw a monkey wrench into these projections. Infused posted a 14-4 record during the European Stage 2 regular season, culminating with a second-place finish at the Stage 2 playoffs, and placed fifth/sixth at MLG Anaheim. Dont be surprised if the team places even higher than fifth/sixth at MLG Orlando.Speaking of defying expecttations, the team formerly supported by Dream Team has seemingly beaten the odds since the start of Stage 2.dddddddddddd The squad flummoxed both FaZe Clan and Luminosity Gaming en route to a second-place finish during the Stage 2 playoffs, a feat few people predicted heading into the event. And with emerging star Martin Chino Chino set to compete at MLG Orlando, thanks to crowdfunding efforts by the Call of Duty community, people are expecting great things of this team at Orlando.Group CGroup C teams: Rise Nation, FaZe Clan, compLexity GamingWho will advance: FaZe Clan and compLexity GamingPick a team, any team! At the moment, each team in Group C could make a case to be considered among the top tier teams at the tournament. Whether it be Rise Nations impressive consistency throughout Stage 1 and 2, FaZes Clans potential revenge performance after an early loss in the Stage 2 playoffs to Dream Team, or compLexity Gamings reconfigured roster, each team has the potential to make an impact at MLG Orlando.FaZe Clan and Rise Nation would have matched up well against the previous compLexity Gaming roster, but since the team brought on Patrick ACHES Price and Andres Lacefield Lacefield, compLexity Gaming could have a chance to sneak into the Championship Bracket. Its a longshot, as FaZe Clan and Rise Nation have arguably the most prestigious rosters this side of OpTic Gaming, but after a topsy-turvy Stage 2 playoffs, anything is possible.FaZe Clan should come away with the first spot in the group, as they will be in hyperdrive mode after a playoffs loss, but compLexity will sneak in as Rise Nation looked lackluster in their Stage 2 playoff lossGroup DGroup D teams: OpTic Gaming, Luminosity Gaming, Team KaliberWho will advance: OpTic Gaming and Luminosity GamingRevenge is a dish best served cold. After a humbling upset loss to Luminosity Gaming in the first round of the Stage 2 playoffs, this may be a proverb OpTic Gaming finds appealing.After dominating the Call of Duty scene for the better part of a year, OpTic Gaming now sits at a precarious position heading into MLG Orlando. Before the Luminosity upset, OpTic looked like a runaway World Championship favorite after first-place finishes at Stage 1 Playoffs, ESWC and MLG Anaheim. Will it bounce back and challenge for a first-place finish at Orlando, brushing off the Stage 2 playoff loss as a fluke, or has the rest of the competitive scene finally caught up to the Green Wall? One thing is for certain: its unwise to discount a vengeful, motivated OpTic Gaming.After its terrific performance during the Stage 2 playoffs, it wouldnt be a shock to see Luminosity Gaming continue its successful run and cement its name among a handful of other elite fixtures of the competitive scene. Luminosity Gaming will likely rely on the slaying capabilities of Anthony NAMELESS Wheeler and Renato Saints Forza, the hero of the Stage 2 playoffs upset over OpTic Gaming, to propel it through the tournament. If either player struggles, look for Team Kaliber, who picked up a handful of former CWL players in Cole ColeChan Chancey, Jevon Goonjar Gooljar-Lim and Nick Happy Suda, to push its way into the Championship Bracket conversation. ' ' '