I just have to start with this: I love this marathon. I REALLY love this marathon. I ran it in 2016 and now 2018. It’s a very personal experience for me and by that, I mean…the way the crowds interact and really show up for the 25,000+ runners is truly amazing. I wore a white sleeveless t-shirt that said, “Don’t Be Basic” with a few Storm Troopers on it 🙂 I had so many people scream out, “You aren’t basic, E8519!!!” That’s just an example of the crowd’s cool factor. They shouted, screamed, cheered, encouraged. It was truly amazing. My son drove us to the airport Monday morning and we were on the same road that the last mile or so of the marathon was on. I knew, right then, seeing the new sunrise lightening up the Pacific, feeling my quads and butt aching as I sat still, I will be back next year to run your streets, LA.
The course is sublime. Starting at Dodger Stadium – get the starting line hospitality add-on when you register – it is SO worth it. There are bagels, coffee, tea, water, cream cheese (I carried my own almond butter), Gatorade, Clif Shots, some kind of a Clif Bar, yoga mats, a good number of bathrooms, tables & chairs, heaters, to name a few amenities. There is also a bag drop just for the hospitality people. I also liked this because it was situated a ways from the live band (which was VERY good – Billy Idol songs, etc.), it was a pretty peaceful little corner of…well, peace. That’s what I look for before a big race – just a few quiet minutes to get my head straight and consider what is about to go down…26 miles and 385 yards.
The course winds through the city and that’s what gets me – running through a favorite place on foot – that’s something I truly enjoy. Among the sites are China Town, Echo Park, Silver Lake, Hollywood, Sunset Strip, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and of course, Santa Monica. This isn’t an all-encompassing list, but these are the areas that I especially liked. Making that final left turn onto Ocean Avenue and seeing the crowds just blew my mind. People really show up in this town!
Running mantras? I can do hard things. I am stronger. Those are a couple of mine. I was so inspired by who I encountered on the course – a woman with an inhaler, an 80-year old Vietnam vet in a wheelchair who wheeled himself, and hundreds of young people who were part of Students Run LA (sponsored by Toyota).
Now, personally, some things – this was my 20-something marathon – I think 22nd. I used to take fueling so extremely seriously – and it was all marathon approved fuel…whatever that means – such as Gu’s Roctane, etc. Guess what I found to fuel me just as well and tastes better? Well, in December I was preparing to run a half marathon and came across Cosmic Brownies in the shape of a Christmas tree – smeared with green icing. Why not, I thought. 🙂 Hey, it worked and it tasted amaze-balls. 🙂 Lol seriously, it was so good. I don’t eat those and haven’t bought them in years. You can imagine the looks on my teenage daughters faces – “You’re eating WHAT during your half???  Mom!!! Seriously????” But yes.  So, I don’t know why, I couldn’t find cosmic brownies right before my trip to LA. So…I’ll cut to the chase. I fueled for the first half with tootsie roll midgies. I’m sorry, you read right. And for the second half? Peanut M&M’s. Sorry again, you read right again. I’m an RRCA Certified Running Coach. And that’s what I chose to fuel with. I just gotta be honest. The reason I did this is because after years of the other types of fuel, I just grew weary of the texture and overly sweet (to me) flavor in my mouth. I’m 50. I ran this course in 2016 in 5:15 and this year I ran it in 4:44, so I’m pretty stoked about that. No, it was definitely NOT the candy-fuel. I know it was my Orange Theory workouts. I started there in Hell Week last October for my first free class and then I signed up and committed to myself that I would show up twice a week. I didn’t run a full marathon at all in 2017. I had a pretty significant bout of depression from November 2016 through February 2017 and it was difficult for me to get through it. I gained weight. Even though I managed to get out of bed more beginning in February 2017, I still struggled and there was no way I could commit to a marathon. Even though I started running again, I felt like I was being chased by the Black Dog aka depression and I tried my best to stay at least one step ahead of it. In other words, it took me awhile. Finally, as I took inventory of my surroundings, I realized that I had quit lifting weights and running was just that – plodding through miles trying to clear up the junk in my head. I gave myself an ultimatum – start lifting weights on my own or sign up and be accountable. Well, I ended up signing up and it was one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself. At Orange Theory, I get speed work and resistance training at every workout. During my taper, which began now over two weeks ago, I did my last workout at OTF and it was a 90 minute amazing workout that was actually a fundraiser. Today is Tuesday, so I won’t be doing OTF at all this week due to marathon recovery. I miss it so much! I still have a few pounds of depression weight left to lose and I am more motivated than ever to get back to OTF and see what else I can do!
Back to LA – we stayed at the Fairmont, the hotel at the finish line. Yes, it’s a very nice hotel. I think there should be some kind of way that marathoners who stay there can immediately exit and access the hotel. That is not the case and I understand it is for security reasons, but I think there must be a way. As it is, marathoners have to go quite far down Ocean Avenue, turn left on Santa Monica Boulevard, go up a block, turn left, go all the way down to the hotel. That is a LOT of walking immediately following a marathon. And yes, I do know that walking following a marathon is the perfect prescription. I just wanted to see my children, retreat to the hotel, jump in a shower, change, and THEN walk to a restaurant and celebrate! Speaking of walking, my FitBit racked up over 60,000 on Sunday! Wow! And Monday morning, we are right back to zero. I realized how grateful I was for a new day. I seriously wondered (aka doubted) if I had it in me to do another marathon.
I’m home now, of course, and getting back to the day-to-day-beauty-of-life – grocery shopping, making lists, work, school, studying, planning, etc.
My favorite memory from Sunday? After I turned onto Santa Monica Boulevard, headed toward the Reunion area, I cried just a little – the energy was just palpable – families seeing their marathoners walking to meet them and I thought of how proud I was that I felt the fear and did it anyway and then, I spotted my own two children – my son and my daughter, behind the fence, smiling so very big and calling, “Mom! Mom!” It was music to my ears and a sight for my heart forever.
And having those amazing memories from Los Angeles? I feel like I am carrying this bigger than life beautiful dream with me all throughout the day.
My mantra then? Thank You, God, Thank You, God, Thank You, God.
Thank you for reading.
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