Race Report: 2012 LA Marathon

This is a bittersweet race report. And even one I contemplated not writing. In the end, I decided to write it more as a journal of sorts and perhaps a reminder of mistakes not to make again in the future. Read on if you care to.

The short of it is this: I'm injured again. From what I've experienced in the days after this race, it feels eerily similar to the stress fracture of my left cuboid bone back in 2009. I've tried resting, icing, wearing my walking boot, etc. and still it has been acting up. More on this later but given the circumstances, this will not be your usual novel length race report that I tend to write.

The LA Marathon has been the one and only road marathon I run each year (since 2007). Yes, this is primarily because a road marathon in my experience is more taxing on the body than a trail race of equal or greater distance. Also, I just love running in the mountains so much more than flat paved roads. That being said, I haven't exactly trained my body to deal with the stress of running on the man-made stuff as I - very admittedly - have been looking beyond this race into a 50 and 100 mile race coming up.

In fact, I believe my longest run on the road was a meager 13-14 miles. Anything 2+ hours was reserved for the softer trails. Stupid in retrospect. You have to pay more respect to the marathon distance. You have to train for each and every race at hand. I did neither of those things.

My head by the "2"

Got to the race via a 4:30am shuttle from Santa Monica to Dodgers Stadium. It was a lot of waiting from there on cold concrete floors & walls until the 7:20ish am start. I was donning arm sleeves, gloves and a trash bag and was still shivering eye-balling those who decided to don old sweats/blankets with great envy. Couldn't wait to get moving.

Around 7am I made my way to the 'B' corral and said what's up to some familiar faces in both my and the 'A' corral. After the national anthem, I along with 20,000+ runners finally got going. There was some apprehension about the weather this day but the rain that was forecasted never came. The winds however were a different story.

My goals for this race was to start conservative for the first 10K or so where the majority of hills were and then pick up the pace and run an earnest race hopefully finishing around 3:30ish. That went right out the window once the gun went off and I made the mistake of starting off too fast. To my credit though, it never felt like I was going fast but in the first couple of miles, you can't really tell the difference.

Early, not exactly loving life

I just never really felt that great at any point in this marathon. I kept waiting for that feeling to go away and to hit that sweet spot when I felt dialed in, but that never came. For the first 10 or so miles it felt like a struggle and as the miles wore on, my pace gradually slowed. The winds sucked the energy out of me especially on the stretches that were directly due west. Gels didn't help. Running into and with friends didn't help. The amazing crowds and volunteers only aided me in the times they were within earshot. My feet started feeling sore early and would for the remainder of the race. When we came down from Sunset and rounded right into West Hollywood, a part of me even entertained the thought of breaking left and making the <1 mile run to my girlfriend's place and crawling back into bed. Of course I didn't but pure shame was more the impetus than anything else.

Mile 1 - 7:21
Mile 2 - 7:06
Mile 3 - 7:14
Mile 4 - 7:17
Mile 5 - 7:54
Mile 6 - 7:48
Mile 7 - 7:29
Mile 8 - 7:35
Mile 9 - 7:47
Mile 10 - 7:22
Mile 11 - 7:43
Mile 12 - 7:48

Through it all though, I tried not to walk. There was one moment on Sunset Blvd around mile 14-15 when I felt light-headed (bonked?) and had to walk for a bit. But other times I kept my head down and kept chugging what my body and spirit would allow. I of course also experienced the usual cramping in the waning miles. When my friend Colin ran in with me for the last mile was probably the only time I really enjoyed myself as we both joked around and bantered with the crowd.

Mile 13 - 8:14

Mile 14 - 8:25

Mile 15 - 7:57

Mile 16 - 8:13

Mile 17 - 8:41

Mile 18 - 8:17

Mile 19 - 8:26

Mile 20 - 8:39

Mile 21 - 8:40

Mile 22 - 8:49

Mile 23 - 9:06

Mile 24 - 9:11

Mile 25 - 8:41

Mile 26 - 8:30

Mile 26.4 - 8:01

Officially I finished in 3:33:34. But race times of course only tell a small part of the story. While some might deem it a "respectable" time, it was not the effort/performance I wanted to put out there. And the bigger story of course, there is the lingering pain in my foot that hasn't gone away since.

Cruising down San Vicente

Always happy to be finishing

I've scheduled a doctor's appointment with my ortho in late April but it looks like whatever grand racing plans I had for spring/summer will now have to be canceled. Whatever. It is what it is. Given how crazy my life is these days, I'm sure I'll find a way to fill that time with something else. My mental health and waistline will no doubt suffer however. But I look forward to the challenge of rebuilding my body and fitness from square one in a few weeks/months.

I just wish this could have been a more positive race experience and report. But I had to keep it real and tell it like it is, if for no one else but me. Will likely post back after getting the results of my MRI. Thanks as always for reading.

Race Report: 2012 Malibu Moonlight Madness Half Marathon

This race has been on my radar somewhat after hearing about it through my friend Andee. Unfortunately I waited too long and missed online registration by a day but the race organizers were nice enough to let me sign up day of.

So a couple of hours prior to the 6pm start, I grabbed my headlamp, water bottle and made the ~hour drive up the coast to Point Magu State Park and arrived with about 30 minutes to spare. Of course me being the forgetful dumbass I am, I left my water bottle in my car after making the long walk to the start line long ago and I now only have 10 minutes to go back for it. Thankfully my friend Colin had an extra to spare for which I was very grateful.

After receiving some instructions, us half-marathoners along with the 10K runners started the race shortly after 6pm. We started off on flat Sycamore Fire Road for about a mile and immediately about a group of 8-10 guys and girls take off in front of me. I hang back determined to not make the common mistake of starting off too fast but then I start thinking "hmm...this is only a 1/2, why not?". Nay the smarter half of me reasoned, save (most) your race legs for the LA Marathon next week.

So I ducked in behind the 2nd group of runners after a mile onto Serrano Valley Trail consisting of 1st female and a dude with a Portland Marathon shirt and eventually lost sight of the frontrunners. I finally switched on my headlamp after several minutes once evening settled over dusk. I dutifully followed along these two runners for a couple of miles on windy and at times, well-covered single tracks feeling really good. The trail eventually led out to the valley portion of the park which I love from a scenic standpoint but really couldn't see but a few yards in front of me so I kept moving along. One after another, the two runners ahead of me sidestepped off the trail to let me pass and the next thing I knew, I was running solo (and would be for most of the rest of the race).

I passed the 3.2 mile 10K turnaround mark and lost a few more runners in the process. No one really visible in front of me, a smattering of headlamps several yards behind me. Otherwise, it was me and vast darkness of the park. Loved it.

The course then began to climb a bit more (one of two 'big' climbs of the race) but was wholly runnable. It peaked out just around 5 miles before the steep technical descent down where I passed a trio of night hikers (wtf?) and another racer. Next thing I knew, I was back on flat Sycamore Canyon Fire Road running alone again trying not to let the noises in the bushes next to me spook me too much. We hit our one and only 'manned' aid station being run by D'Lynda a gal who runs Sports for Eve, a fantastic Culver City store. I topped off my water bottle, grabbed a gel and thanked her before beginning the last climb that rose about 700+ feet.

I definitely increased my exertion wondering if any other frontrunners would come into sight. It was a little disorientating with the occasional headlamp in view here and there but had no idea if they were in front or back. I kept running the entirety of the climb anxiously waiting for the downhill to really start spinning the legs. Shortly before mile 10, the course finally began to tip downward and I let loose for as fast as my mid-pack legs would take me.

Unfortunately for me, my eyes couldn't keep up with my legs as somewhere on the Overlook Fire Road my right foot caught a rock and I fell and slid a few feet forward. I'm guesstimating I was going somewhere near 7 minute/mile here. Momentarily stunned, I picked myself back up and kept on running without really surveying the extent of my injury. The only thing I did was reign in my speed a bit and really focus on each footing.

The final few switchbacks were technical and tough with some oddly placed steps to really force me to keep my focus in spite of the cowbell and cheers coming from the finish line. I eventually crossed in 1:59 (officially) and 6th place overall. The course measured a bit short (~12.5 miles total w/ 2,400+ ft of elevation gain).

Finished!

When I saw the extent of my injuries, it made me cringe a bit. Thankfully they were all superficial and more of a pain when it comes to treating them. While I wanted to stick around and cheer in fellow friends + runners, it was getting chilly and I was famished. So Colin and I made the long drive back to civilization and noshed on some excellent Cuban food.

Forearm. Shiver. 

B's Knees.

All in all, a great night and a greatly organized race. Thanks Desert Dash. Next up, bring on the rain + the LA Marathon...looks like it's gonna be another wet one!