ASICS LA Marathon: 3/9/14

The LA Marathon was my fifth marathon and my first big race with over 25,000 runners! I would also have to say that it was my most difficult marathon both physically and mentally. For the past few weeks I have been struggling with pain in my calf and shin which returns after every run. It all leads back to my shoe issues but that is whole different story. I had doubts that I would even be able to run this race. I didn't want to do anything dumb and end up feeling worse yet at the same time I did not want to settle for a DNS if I could still run. I thought about it for the week leading up the to race and decided that if I could run at a decent pace on the Thursday before the race and be pain free on race day then I would go for it. This was able to run 5 Miles@8:30 pace on the Thursday before the race which was encouraging.

I talked about it with my other half and he told me that I should run it and not be arrogant and worry about my time. I told him that I can accept a time that is not within my goal range but I did not want to be out on the course for 5-6 hours struggling in the heat that was expected on race day. The course is a point to point so getting back to the Start would not be easy so I had to really think about it. I knew that I could not get my money back for the race or my hotel room so I really wanted to run the race even if I did not finish it.

We checked into the hotel and immediately headed to the expo to pick up my bib and and to see the famous wall with all of the names of the runners. The expo was not all that great for such a big race. I did not buy anything and did not stay for very long at all.

There was still a 5o/50 chance that I would run. My niece and her friend were also running the marathon so we headed out there together. I was still going to go and cheer them on even if I decided not to run. We went to dinner together and boy did we carb load! I haven't had a cupcake from Sprinkles in a long time so it tasted pretty good!

We talked about our race plans for the next day and the plan was that I would call my niece and her friend in the morning and let them know what I was going to do. Our hotel offered shuttle service to and from the race so we were planning to catch the shuttle at 5:45 am. The seeded corrals closed at 7:00 am so I needed to be there on time.

I did not sleep well that night because my mind and thoughts were all over the place. I was also nervous about the time change. I set my alarm but wasn't sure that my phone was going to cooperate. The clock in the hotel was not going to change and upon check in the front desk gave us a memo telling us not to rely on the clocks inside the rooms. I must have woken up every hour to compare the time on my phone to the time on the hotel clock. I woke up at 3:30 am and never went back to sleep. I stayed in bed for an hour thinking and decided that I was going to run the marathon and just accept the outcome no matter what. 

I called my niece and told them the plan and when it was time to head down they were not ready. I ended up catching the shuttle alone because I didn't want to be late and get shut out of my corral. It was a short walk to the get to the shuttle bus and the line was pretty long. It took about 20 minutes to get on a bus and there was standing room only. 

The race was just a few miles away so the ride was quick but crazy. The bus what about half way to Dodger Stadium when a car cut the bus off and the driver slammed on the brakes! Those who were standing lost their balance and pretty much fell into the person next to them. The man next to me slammed into my back and stepped on my foot so hard I wanted to scream.

The bus arrived at Dodger Stadium around 6:30 am. The lines for the porta potties were so long so I decided to skip the bathroom and head straight to the security check since it closed at 6:45 am. There were so many people and it took me a while to figure out where the seeded corrals were located. 

I was in Corral B and it was not crowded at all. One could easily find a spot to sit, stretch and eat until it was race time. Once I found my corral, I sat and ate my bagel. I said a prayer before the race and left it in His hands. Before I knew it the wheels chairs were off, the Elites were off and then it was everyone else.

The race starts in Dodger's Stadium so the first .40 miles are at an incline. Once you exit the stadium there is a short downhill and then a series of never ending climbs with small areas of flat roads in between. Some of the climbs were steep and some of the climbs were gradual but lasted for a while. If hills were not a big part of your training, it was going to be tough race for you! So yes, it was tough for me. I won't lie to you!

Mile 1: 8:30 (very crowded)

Mile 2:8:02

Mile 3: 8:34

Mile 4: 8:37

It did not help that the weather was 57 at the Start and about 85 at the Finish. I have never ran in this type of weather so I was really nervous about it. I ran into Monica at Mile 2 and we ran together and chatted about the race and the weather for about a bit. I looked at my Garmin and our pace was 7:45 so I told Monica to have a great race because I knew I could not keep up with her. The weather wasn't bad at all for the first half of the race so I had this crazy idea that I would try to maintain an average pace of 8:35-8:40 until the weather dictated otherwise. I was feeling good and only had minimal pain on the inclines. The hills at Mile 4-5 were a little tough but didn't last too long.

Mile 5: 8:49 ( hill)

Mile 6:8:55 (another hill-crap!)

Mile 7: 8:23

Mile 8: 8:31

I basically ran the course according to the elevation. When it was flat or downhill, I used that to make up for the times on the uphill. I did not push myself too much the first half since I knew that I would pay for it in the end. This was the first race that I did not wear my hydration belt which was a big change for me. The course had water every mile so I carried my hand held and refilled it as needed. The course was scenic and there was tons of course support which included the media, cheerleaders, Mickey Mouse, the Pope, hot dogs, oranges, pretzels, Vaseline and drag queens. The course support is the most amazing part of the LA Marathon!

Mile 9: 8:31

Mile 10: 8:28

Mile 11: 8:40 (refilled my water bottle)

Mile 12: 8:28

Mile 13: 8:45

Mile 14: 8:43

I knew that Mile 15 was going to give us a break since it was downhill so I could hardly wait. I needed a small break at this point and it felt great to not see a climb ahead. I swear that all of the mile markers were sitting on top of hills when you spotted them.

Mile 15: 8:16 (downhill!)

Mile 16: 8:33

Mile 17: 8:59 (gradual uphill climb)

Mile 18: 8:51 (gradual uphill climb)

Right after Mile 18, the heat was really starting to set in and I was stopping at every water station to drink and wet my head to stay cool. Shade was scarce so things started to get tough right about this point in the race. I knew that it was time to bring the pace down because I knew that I could no longer maintain sub 9 miles in the heat without crashing.

Mile 19: 9:00

Mile 20: 8:59

Mile 21: 9:29 (uphill and hot)

At Mile 20, I realized that I could run 10:00 miles and still come in under 4 hours and I was good with that. It was hot, I was tired so I told myself that I could ease off a little bit but no walking! 

Mile 22: 9:54 (uphill, hot and serious calf pain..oh crap)

Mile 23: 9:57 (worst mile...hot, tired, salty mess, painful, losing hope and all of that good stuff) 

Mile 24: 9:48

Change of plans! At this point I had to stop and walk even though I didn't want to. The hills were becoming more painful and it was just getting tough out there. I massaged my calf and kept on walking for about a minute or so until the pain lessened. I really wanted to quit but I was so close to the Finish. I saw a friend of mine who was supporting his running group and he gave me that extra push to keep on going. Thank God I saw him. His wife later told me that he said I looked very focused. I guess he was being nice.

From Mile 24 on, the course starts to head downhill but I couldn't really feel it until about Mile 25. I had a good talk with myself, pulled myself together and sucked it up. I knew that I was not going to be done until I hit 26.45 miles because I did not run the tangents properly. I tacked on an extra .25 miles by dodging back and forth to find the shade. This probably cost me a couple of minutes but I had to do what I had to do to survive out there.

Mile 25: 9:15

Mile 26: 8:53

.45 (8:19)

I finished in 3:53:40. That finish line never looked so good! It was not a PR but I was not disappointed with my time since I was secretly praying hoping for a 4:00-4:15 finish. I did my best on what I would not consider an easy course for me. Lots of runners had a hard time out there due to the heat so I have a lot of respect for every single one of  them who went any distance of the the LA Marathon! It was really about hanging on and finishing the race and not about the time for most of us.

The medal is really nice and I feel like I really earned it more than any other medal that I own. Running a big race is a tremendous experience! The crowd support is awesome and the event is very well organized. This is a perfect race for a first time marathoner. This marathon taught me what mental toughness is all about. It taught me how to push myself when the conditions are not ideal.  I will take these lessons with me to my goal race in May to push myself to fight for that BQ!

Did you run the LA Marathon this year? Any other year?

Thoughts?

February Recap and My Goal for LA Marathon

These past two weeks have been tough. My whole ordeal with finding shoes has really put a damper for the past two weeks. The pain that I have been having in both my right shin and my left calf are still there and I am not sure where the pain is coming from. I don't feel the pain once I get going on a run but sometimes it takes a while to get into my run and it has been frustrating. It has also been raining her in So Cal so I have been doing most of my runs on the treadmill which I didn't really want to do either. I made it through February with 123 miles since I missed my long run last week. I should have come closer to 140 miles if I would have completed all of my scheduled runs.

On Friday, I just need a good run. It was raining and I headed to the gym for an hour run on the treadmill. It was painful in the beginning but once I got going the pain was gone. It felt good to have a decent run since I have been scaling most of runs back my decreasing the pace.

I am still going to run the LA Marathon but unfortunately I have to go into this race with no big goal. My original thought was to shoot for a 9:00-9:09 pace and attempt to come in under 4 hours but I am not sure if that is going to be possible on Sunday. The last thing that I want to do is injure myself or have a terrible race that lingers in my mind for my goal race in May. Looking back at my last marathon, the Long Beach Marathon, I went into that race feeling pretty confident about my goal because I had such a great race in May. 

I am really feeling thankful right now that I did not choose LA Marathon as my goal BQ race or I would be feeling pretty bummed right now. I am really hoping for a solid race where I don't hit the wall and I can cross the finish line in one piece wearing shoes that have about 400 miles on them! If I can come out of LA Marathon feeling strong even if it is not at the pace that I had originally hoped for, I will be somewhat satisfied. 

This week I will attempt two short and easy runs and hope for the best on Sunday. After this race, I am going to get busy looking for some new shoes and looking into out why I still have this lingering pain in my legs.

WISH ME LUCK!

Taper Time and A Crazy Goal!

LA Marathon is less than three weeks away and that means that it is taper time! My long runs for the past two weeks have been 22 miles and this last one was pretty good. I ran with a friend from work (and her friend) who are members of the Snail's Pace running club and it was so nice not to have to run 22 miles alone. They are both going for a sub-four marathon and I think they are more than ready to make it happen! I think I am going to seriously consider joining a running club. It was really nice to have the support out on the course and the snacks were the best! I never eat while out on my runs but I did on Saturday and those pretzels tasted sooo good!

We ran out by the beach and the weather was great! I was expecting it to be much warmer but it was really nice. I pushed myself the last couple of miles (8:08 and 7:35) and even after that I could have kept going. I was pretty surprised since that rarely happens. It must have been the snacks!

I am planning to do somewhat of a long run this weekend but will be cutting my mileage way back. I am starting to get some ideas of what my goal for LA Marathon will be. I have a pretty crazy goal in mind but chances are that I am going to move forward with it. I will share it when I am 100% sure that I am ready to take the chance! 

Do you eat during your long runs?

If you do, what do you eat? I never do. GU is about all I take during my long runs.

Four Weeks and Counting!

I can't believe that LA Marathon is just four weeks away! The weather has been so great lately so I am hoping that race day is the same. I have been thinking about a goal for this marathon but I honestly don't want to put pressure on myself for this race. I have never ran a big race like like LA before so I am already a little bit nervous as it is. I guess I will start thinking of a plan as race day gets closer.

My mileage was a little higher than usual this past week. My longest run is usually 4 weeks before race day and this week it was 22.29 miles. The weather was perfect and it drizzled the entire time. The sun did not come out for even a minute and it was great. I have to admit that after mile 20 I was pretty tired. That worries me a little but mile 20-26.2 are always a battle for me.

I also had a great 11 mile run this week. I had planned on 7 miles but the weather was so great that I decided to take it easy and keep on going at a relaxed pace. Sometimes I feel like I really need to slow it down and enjoy the run.

I wrapped up my week with about 40 miles and I am hoping to get another 20 miler in this weekend at an easier pace. I wasn't too satisfied with how I felt during my 22 miler so I think I need one more push before LA Marathon to get my confidence level up. After that, I will start tapering and bringing the miles way down! I hate tapering because it makes me feel like I am doing nothing!

How many miles in your longest run when training for a marathon?

I have never ran more than 22 miles but have heard that some people actually run 26!

Three Reasons Why November is Going to be Really Exciting!

1. I feel like I am kind of pushing it here in terms of races but how do you pass up a great opportunity to run with a friend on a team that is sponsored by two great companies (Nuun and Pro Compression?) I will answer that for you...YOU DON'T! My friend Caroline asked me if I would be interested in running Ragnar Las Vegas with her and I didn't have to think twice about it! The only problem is that we will be flying out of town on my wedding anniversary so I kind of had to ask for permission! My other half gave me his blessing and the rest is history! So on November 7th, I will be leaving on a plane to Las Vegas with Caroline since we are practically neighbors! We will be in Van #1 together so I am excited about that too. I am also excited to meet some other ladies who I know from their blogs but have never met in person. I guess I will be overdosing on Watermelon Nuun and losing sleep in Sin City in just a few weeks!

2. About a week after Ragnar Las Vegas, on November 17th, I will be running the Surfer's Point Half Marathon with my other half. This will be "our first half marathon" as a team. It will be his first and #14 for me. I am really excited about it. I love running in Ventura and I am excited to see him take on this challenge. As of now we have no goals for this race. He doesn't care about time and just wants to finish the race and take it all in. 

3. I will start training for the LA Marathon the week of the Surfer's Point Marathon. I will be using this half marathon as my first long run of my training. I think I am going to use the LA Marathon as a trial run for a BQ to see how close I can come to a qualifying time of 3:45! Just the thought of it makes me nervous but I think it will give me a good idea of where I stand and what my chances of a BQ race in May might be. I can never be confident enough when it comes to the marathon because it is such a humbling experience.

Anything exciting happening for you in November? Please Share!

I'm Registered!

I registered for the LA Marathon today! This is a race that I have been wanting to run for quite some time. I have heard so many great things about the course and the crowd support especially the nice downhill finish!The race starts at Dodger Stadium and ends at the Santa Monica Pier and takes the runners through lots of landmarks along the way. I registered for the race back in 2011 but due to a hamstring injury it was DNS#3! Instead of running the marathon, I laid in my bed and had a pity party while I watched it on TV! That was a really tough year for me. Let's change the subject...

The purpose of running this marathon is to keep me on track for my goal BQ race in May, 2014. I will also use this race to experiment with any new things that I might want to try our before race day. I have been trying to convince my other half to run the LA marathon with me but he said "NO WAY." I am hoping that he will change his mind after he runs his half marathon in November. Once he realizes he can run a half marathon, maybe the crazy thoughts of running a full marathon will enter his mind!

So on March 9, 2014 this is where I will be along with 20,000+ runners! There has been some crazy weather conditions in past years so I hope we all get lucky in 2014!

Anybody else running the LA Marathon next year?

I Love to Torture Myself!

Maura sent me a text on Wednesday night asking me if I wanted to go to the LA Marathon Expo with her on Friday. I was hesitant to go to the Expo at first because I was already feeling sad about not being able to run the race. I decided that I might as well go and pick up the shirt that I paid for so off we went. I am a terrible co-pilot so we got lost of course, but we made it.

 I am kind of glad that I went because I have never ran the LA Marathon before so it gave me the opportunity to familiarize myself with the area and see how they run things.  I actually picked up my bib, t-shirt and my goodie bag and then we did some walking around. We spun a few wheels to get some prizes, ate and drank lots of free samples and visited the Lululemon trailer and took this silly picture.

One of the first things that we did was try out KT Pro Tape.  They were taping people up for free and I was curious to see if it really works.  The guy who was doing the taping was a PT so I explained my injury to him, hopped up on the table and he taped me right up. 

I don't know if it was in mind or not but I was able to get a great workout in that evening which included a jog/walk on the treadmill followed by serious 15 minutes on the elliptical without any pain.  I also had no pain when I got up  Saturday morning. The KT Pro tape is water resistant and can last up to a week or longer.  I showered with it on and it didn't come off so that was a plus.  I decided to take it off last night because I thought three days was good enough and I am going to buy more and attempt to re-tape myself.The PT told me that he would post an instructional video for me so that I can do it myself.  How nice of him!

I also did some shopping and decided to buy some CEP Recovery Compression socks. I have been wanting a pair and decided to treat myself! They were a little bit cheaper at the Expo not to mention no tax and no shipping costs! I am glad that I went to the Expo but at the same time it was a form of self torture when you know that you won't be crossing the starting line :(

A Meltdown, H-Waves and an Extension!

I was feeling pretty bad this morning about going to PT.

I guess I am just sick of being injured and not being able to run!

The pain is still lingering and the fact that the

LA Marathon is this Sunday did not help.

Today was the day for my re-evaluation at physical therapy.

The results would determine if I would need to continue 

with the physical therapy or not.

My PT will be running the LA Marathon this weekend.

All of the patients know about it and she was telling them

how great her training is going and how excited she is.

Great...just what I needed to hear.

My PT was asking how I was feeling and I told her I was frustrated.

I told her that I know that I am better but not 100%.

I told her that as long as I can't run, I don't consider myself better.

She started talking to me about the healing process..blah blah blah

and I had a meltdown!

I explained to her that it has been five weeks and I am done!

I even told her that perhaps I was misdiagnosed and something

more serious must be wrong.

Legally she cannot discuss my MRI with me and I have to consult
my doctor but she disappeared for a moment and then returned.

I am pretty sure she took a sneak peak at my MRI because

she told me that my diagnosis was correct and that I would be 

running soon but just need to be patient.

Soon, what does that mean?  A year?

She did lots of PT things to me today that she doesn't 

normally do.  Today she gave me a massage, ultrasound therapy 

and this..

It's called H-Wave and it's a form of electrotherapy.  It's supposed to
help with pain and healing.  I thought it was weird how it made my
leg jump around! It made me feel like it was working!

I think my PT felt sorry for me so she extended my treatment
for another 8 weeks because she said that she wants to see me
running before she sets me free!
The plan is alternating jogging and walking 
on the treadmill.
The highest speed I am allowed to do is 5.0!
That's some serious speedwork so watch out!

I have my last big exam to complete my degree this Saturday!
I will be so glad when it's over.
On Sunday, the LA Marathon will be broadcasted live so
I will be in my bed crying on Sunday at 7:00am in case you need me!
( I know, I'm such a complainer...I promise I will stop soon!)

Downgrading and DNS#3 on the Way!

This is where I hang out on Thursday mornings!

It is Week #4 of physical therapy and my PT seems to think that I am getting better.  Although the pain is mild when I am doing nothing it hurts a little more after any type of cardio workout of  20 minutes or longer.  I have no pain during my workouts but it's the next day that reminds me that something is still going on in there. I talked with my PT today and she told me that it is normal for me to feel pain after a workout and as long as the pain goes away and doesn't get worse than I should be fine.  She increased my workouts on the elliptical from 20 minutes to 30 minutes today (WOW) and I actually broke a little sweat.   Check out the few drops of sweat on my shirt!! It was pretty exciting to see some sweat!! Weird..I know.

I am registered for three races in the next couple of months and I have decided to downgrade from a full marathon in May to just a half.  It took me a while to make the move and login to the website to make the change.  I felt like I was giving up when I was doing it but I think my chances of running a half marathon are probably better than tackling a full marathon so soon!  So that means no LA Marathon on March 18th for me either!  I am not sure what is bugging me the most. If it is the $155.00 that I paid for the LA Marathon or is it just the fact that I can't run it?? In any case, it's not happening this year... DNS#3!! I am hopeful that I will be able to run a half marathon in April so I am keeping my fingers crossed. 

I think I am slowly (very slowly) coming to terms with all of this and realizing that the more rest I give this leg the faster it will heal!  I am trying to see the positive side of this whole injury situation....trust me I am!