Pain is temporary.

ISU runner Evelyne Guay’s quest for a title at the Canadian Track and Field Championships in Edmonton, Canada, began with the junior 800-meter preliminaries on Saturday.

It was a race in which Guay said she felt less than 100 percent, but she was still able to qualify for a spot in the finals with a second-place performance.

“[ISU women’s distance coach Andrea Grove-McDonough] and I were a little worried and it kind of gave us a new approach that it’s anybody’s race and that anybody could win it,” Guay said.

The next step was preparing for round two, the finals of the event, which took place the following day.

In the end, Guay’s persistence prevailed over the pain she experienced during the race.

“I planned to start moving up with 300 to go,” she said. “With around 100 left, I kept saying over and over again, ‘Pain is temporary, pain is temporary,’ and decided to unleash my kick and then didn’t look back.”

Guay had specifically trained for that moment.

“Training this summer, we really focused on getting to … the ‘pain zone,’ so exposing myself to that level of lactic acid and that area where you really have to dig deep and push through. Just finding another gear,” Guay said.

Behind a large support system and her coach at her side, Guay crossed the finish line first, edging out future teammate Erinn Stenman-Fahey, with a time of 2:10.15. 

Grove-McDonough expressed her excitement for Guay on Twitter:

Freshman Evelyne Guay is your NATIONAL CHAMPION!! #ACTFchamps @Erinn_S_F in 2nd! #CyclONEnation #RUN4ISU

— Coach McDonough (@andreagrovemcd) July 5, 2015

// <![CDATA[ // ]]>

Not only was Guay crowned champion of the junior 800-meter final, she also punched her ticket to the Pan American Junior Athletics Championships.

“I have a huge support system here,” Guay said. “Just so many people who have been supporting me. When you win the national title like this, it’s really comforting when you have all these people reaching out to you. It’s nice to hear that people see all the hard work I do.”

And it didn’t hurt to have Grove-McDonough on site to catch a glimpse of the future of the ISU women’s track team.

“Coach McDonough has been a huge part of this,” Guay said. “She came out to nationals and she’s been a huge part of helping me improve not only my physical strengths but also my mental strengths. I’m really appreciative of her as a coach.”