Joined
·
555 Posts
<span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><b>(Tetsujin, domo arigato gozimasu</b> for your wonderful advice and all the kind support you have given me!)</span></span><br><br><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:medium;">I heard many negative things about the LA Marathon: it is always hot, no one PRs, the course is a point-to-point designed for political/business reasons because it’s hilly and full of concrete, goes through ugly areas, etc., but I figured I should do my hometown marathon once. Other gripes are the narrow road that’s a big uphill and steep downhill between miles 1-2, and the last 13 miles are gradually uphill plus there is an uphill finish.</span></span><br><br><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:medium;">But I also heard it’s like a big block party—there’s music and entertainment, crowd support is great, you get to see parts of L.A. you wouldn’t experience otherwise through a car window, and of course, there are those wonderful Taiko drummers near the end.</span></span><br><br><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:medium;">With all this in mind, my goal was to just experience the circus and finish it. It’s a people’s marathon, not an elite race. No way will I ever BQ, so this was a great race for me.</span></span><br><br><span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';">On race day, I had to make adjustments because it was sunny, windy and warm outside (in the 70s) and I had trained in colder temps and rain. Also, I had a persistent phlegmy cough and a strained hamstring so I decided to run/walk at 12-13 minutes per mile.</span></span><br><br><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:medium;">I took it easy on the first half, since I heard too many people go too fast on the downhill. I saw a girl blow out her knee at 2.5 miles. I also saw 3 Elvii, Marilyn Monroe, Uncle Fester, and a guy dressed as a Trojan. I heard that Pizza Box man and other famous stunt runners were out there too. But it was mostly people who were fundraising, running in memory of loved ones, first timers, experienced marathoners, and legacy runners. There were 8000 Students Run L.A. kids, and they were very well behaved and just as determined to finish as any adult.</span></span><br><br><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:medium;">I slowed down even more for the second half because I got very dizzy and my heart rate was too high. My legs cramped (a new problem for me). I had white salt deposits on my skin (never happened before either). I had taken Gu every hour and drank liquid (H2O and Gatorade) at every water stop, so I was surprised by all these problems; I heard later that a lot of people had leg cramps. But I was determined to get a finisher’s medal no matter what.</span></span><br><br><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:medium;">Miles 16-19 were tough because I was trying to manage the dizziness, too fast heart rate, and leg cramping (it seemed like a lot of people around me were hurting too). At mile 17, I saw a man down and medics were putting an IV in his arm. I didn't want that to happen to me. I ate some orange and banana pieces, which really helped. As soon as I could, I resumed my run/walk strategy and started passing a lot of people. I felt a lot better by mile 20, passed the Trojan, and ran the last mile nonstop, passing even more people, and finished happy and relieved at 5:55.</span></span><br><br><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:medium;">Other stats: I finished 10,534 overall (out of 17,30<img alt="cool.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/cool.gif">. Women 3177/6694. Age Group 411/670. Age Grade 41.7%. I may not be speedy like many of you folks out there, but at least I wasn’t last<img alt="cool.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/cool.gif">!</span></span><br><br><span style="font-size:medium;"><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';">My DH was awesome. He handled all the logistics of driving from the start to the finish line (not too easy with all those street closures and one-way streets) and he met me at the finish with a bunch of roses<img alt="biggrin.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/biggrin.gif"></span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';">.</span></span><br><br><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:medium;">Race support was great! The crowds were very enthusiastic and helpful. There were plenty of water, Gatorade, fruit and pretzels on the course, mostly in the poorer neighborhoods than the richer ones. The LA Fire Department took good care of us, turning on fire hydrants when it got warm, and quickly tending to the hurt and heat exhausted.</span></span><br><br><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-size:medium;">Thank you for reading!</span></span>
