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LA Marathon Race Report, Part 1

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It’s going to be hard to be succinct here.  Bear with me.

Driving into LA on Thursday night, I was struck with emotion.  Driving down the Grapevine, I simply started crying.  I couldn’t believe I was here, and was about to attempt my 2nd marathon.  I was so focused and ready, but this welling up of emotion I couldn’t have predicted.

I settled in to my Mom’s house, and started the laying out process of the things I needed.  I had no other shoes except 2 pairs of running shoes, so I had to borrow some flip flops from one of my sisters.  Other than that, the race weekend was going to be fun.  I went to the Expo on Friday, but I had to get out of there.  Too much excitement, too much amping up for me.  I had to scale back, get in the car & chill.  On Friday night, my coach had said to go to bed early.  But my family was over, all of them…playing games, partying, etc.  I was finally in bed at midnight.  My sister made a stellar pasta meal, and she started to not feel well.  Something I should have paid attention to…

Saturday, I went to The Blessing of the Shoes.  (earlier post).  I was ready.  Focused.  Could see the course in my mind.  Little did I know when I would go by that cathedral the next day, I would already be asking Jesus for some mojo.  I ate some of my sister’s spaghetti from the night before, and started feeling sick to my stomach.  Went to the dinner, ate 2 tortillas, some chicken, beans, rice…and not very much of it.  Starting to get the picture? 

What sticks out in my mind was the Saturday night Pre-Race dinner and festivities.  For my Mom’s birthday, I gave her tickets to it, so she could hear Pete Carroll.  Poor Peter, the race director had to deal with me tweeting him for weeks prior, so I could get my mom to a front table to hear her all-time favorite coach.

 My Mom threw her arms around Pete Carroll’s neck.  I couldn’ t have been happier.  He was quite gracious. And here I am with him too And Dean Karnazes

And Frank McCourtAnd what’s wrong with this picture?  I’m losing my house, he has all the money in the world.  If we got married, I would make him sign a pre-nup.  HAHA Yup, I think like that.    There was a bomb scare, and everyone had to move to the sand, and Pete was standing right next to us.  

But the man of the hour, was

Peter Abraham, Creative Director of the LA Marathon.

He is the one who got us there, who endured non-stop nagging from me…who made it seem so easy to be kind.  I will forever be thankful for him.  Probably no big deal to him, but for my Mom and me, it was something of a thrill. 

We got home around 9ish, started Watching Spirit of the Marathon, but soon felt sleepy enough to go to bed.  I set my alarms, laid everything out, including a new iFitness belt…which I loved.  However, what’s that thing about not doing anything new on race day? 

I was about to find out.

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Next:  Part 2

20 mile motivation

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Ran a 5 mile tempo run this morning, with 1 mile up and back.  Spin class tomorrow was taken off the docket.  All that’s left of this training before taper is the 20 miles I’m going to lay down on Sunday.  I will cue this up right as I’m leaving.  Please send all your mojo love at 5am PST Sunday.

Happy Friday!!

Become Legendary

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I’m no Michael Jordan.

I’m a 51 year old woman, training for my 2nd marathon.

I ran 4 x 1 Mile splits last night.  In around 9:20-9:30 pace.  I did 40 squats.  I embarrassed myself summarily as cars were driving by…putting the squats DOWN.  I was drenched in sweat.

I’m not legendary.  Only to myself.  And my kids.  And my dogs.

But.  At the end of the day, it’s really NOT about the marathon.   It’s about THIS workout.  How I pulled it out.   All over the streets of our town.  How I didn’t think I could do it.

And.  And I did it anyway.

No excuses.  If I can do it, anyone can.

in which i run from one town to another

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(Click on Map to get a clearer picture)

Yesterday, I ran from Ripon to Escalon.  On River Road.  At dusk, with people coming home toward the west.  In the sunset.  Not my smartest move, but you know you have to fit these things in.  Plus, I have a commitment at an AA meeting Thursday night in Escalon.  Perfect idea.

The worst part of this kind of run, however, is to get from Point A to Point B in a certain amount of time.  I had to be at 10 miles by 5:45.  I left my house at 3:50, which gave me a quick 5 minute warmup walk.

My scheduled run was to be:  3 miles @ 11:00, 4 miles @ 10:15, 3 miles @ 10:00.  I already had a pit in my stomach because I was rushed.  One thing about having the Garmin:  I don’t have to worry about how fast or slow I’m going.  It tells me. 

I wanted to keep to the 11:00 minute pace as much as possible, because I know for me, after 3 miles, I am just starting to get in my groove.  Over the overpass, to Spring Creek, out Murphy to the dreaded River Road.  I had never taken River Road out of town, so I said a quick prayer.

Surprisingly, there was a lot of room to run.  I waved my arms wide to show cars how close I was, and this proved to be an effective technique for getting folks to look up from their phones.  Only one girl, who’s head was in her lap continued to drive right into me at that point.  I was feeling good.  My ex-husband and son were bringing me a sip of water at Mile 5, so I knew I would have a little liquid.  Miles 4 & 5 were 10:13 and change.  I ran by McManis Winery, hitting it at a comfortable stride.

I came across a cattle ranch, with stench that reminded me of school days at Fresno State.  It was horrific, because it’s foggy here, but it’s also starting to heat up in the afternoon.  I got my sip of water, threw the bottle, and kept running (sorry farmer…I tried to find it on the way home). 

From Mile 6-9 it was Dog City.  Dogs would start barking on the farmer’s land, and start running toward me.  I never could tell if the fences were open or closed, so I hauled ass.  Literally.  Nothing like the fear of a dog’s jowels in my butt to get me moving.  Mile 6 & 7 I was at 10:22, so I was not hitting my paces, but the little sip of water in my gut was feeling uncomfortable.

There are 3 things I deal with on my runs:  my lungs, legs & stomach.  Usually my lungs are fine.  I never feel tired, in fact sometimes I feel like I’m cruising.  My leg issues usually have to do with my toes or feet.  Oddly, the 6-7-8 mile toe numbing didn’t happen yesterday.  But it was my stomach.

At mile 8, I started yelling at myself.  Pull. It. Out.  PULL IT OUT.  I was supposed to be hitting 10:00 miles here.  I wasn’t going to do it.  I counted 5 farms with dogs, and the sun was setting.  I had checked the Farmer’s Almanac before I left to make sure I would hit the end by the time I lost light.  I was heading to the Escalon Sportsman Club, and there wasn’t a soul there.  Still dusk though, so I was fine.

It’s probably my last time on that road.  Too many obstacles for a lone woman, and not enough room for 2 to run.  Mile 8 was still in 10:30 range, but slowly, I faded.  Mile 9 was 11, and Mile 10 was 12:30? (I can’t remember, and don’t have the data with me.)

Overall, it’s 1.5 minutes faster than the California 10 in January.

I’m happy with this run…that I could stay in the 10 minute range for Mile 4-8.  That was a major accomplishment that I wanted.  I felt good.  I felt strong.  There were some dangerous head trips on side roads, which I willed myself to ignore.  I’m happy that pieces of the town don’t own me much anymore.

I need to work on NOT giving up at the end, which is a hallmark of mine.  My coach reminds me this morning that I am to instead think: I *only* have this much more go…instead of my usual *I can’t make it*.  I am going to spin *GAG* for the next two weeks, and do a few more activities with nutrition designed to get me settled in to a comfortable place.

Peaceful, good.  Just a bit too dangerous for this old gal.  There were obstacles, but I have a dream.  I have faith.

Tuesday Speedwork

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We’re coming down to the wire.

I had a long talk with my coach tonight, because with Saturday’s run coupled with a big weight gain, I was ready to throw the towel in.

Tonight I get the prescribed workout:

5.5-ish miles [2m w/u @ 10:15, 6 x 3-min @ 9:10 w/jogging (NO WALKING) recovery @ no slower than 10:15, 1m c/d @ 10:30]. CORE WORK

Mile 1:  9:56

Mile 2: 10:08

Now.  Mile 3-4ish, I couldn’t read the data, but I set it to only do minutes, and all I did was run my hardest:  It was supposed to be 6×3 min + jog recovery (it didn’t state time, so I counted to 120)  Then I just saw that the recovery was no slower than 10:15, which I didn’t know, so I jogged slower.

I turned off the Garmin after each 3 min.

Here are the paces.  I could not see my Garmin:

9:06

8:59

8:54

9:14

8:55

9:55

anywhere from 9:31-10:23 last mile?  I think 10:23 was the end, but I was mostly under 10

I have looked at the data every which way possible.  The initial splits looks much longer, and then when I read it on a pace chart, my numbers were good.  Even the end was just because I had to hit a circle, but at 4.5 I was on pace for a 9:35 mile.

Good run.  VERY.

I had a long talk tonight with myself, and with my coach.  My head said, “enough”.  But my heart said, “Carry on.”

So I did.

Long, Dark Hallway. Light.

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At the end of the hallway, there’s a crack of light.  Run like hell.  Stick your boot in it.

 

I’m sitting in my therapist’s office yesterday.  She say, so Linda, how do you envision a relationship now?  My answer. Something like this.  I see me married to an older man.  We are comfy, in a comfy house, in sweaters, watching TV.  Loving each other.

 

 

She starts to laugh.  Linda, you’re serious?  Now…be someone who would DESCRIBE your next relationship.  And, it looks so different.  Fun, energetic, stimulating in every way.

This long dark hallway started around 2005.  I found the light…it has nothing to do with the man…and everything to do with me.

Nope.  No running talk, just talk.

Happy Friday, and Happy Hannukah!!

Jogging My Memory

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I’ve been at my Mom & Dad’s in Woodland Hills since Tuesday night.  Wednesday was an off run day, and Thursday was an AMAZING Turkey Trot in Van Nuys, with some of the coolest people from Twitter:  Jennifer, Glenn, Bob, Jen, Carol  You can read Glenn’s Report here:

I did indeed get my PR for a 5k, at 29:47, a 9:36 pace.  I was really struggling at the end, and Bob & Glenn came and ran me in…so partially the PR goes to them!  I realize how much Twitter has become a part of my life.  Ask my family.  SOMETIMES, I looked away from Twitter during this stay.

On Thursday, we had a killer turkey dinner with all the trimmings at my sister and BIL’s house.  We played Trivial Pursuit until we were passed out on the floor, and laughed and laughed at the stupid questions!!

Friday morning comes, and I need to do 4 miles.  I make a big square around my mother’s hood, and I am running along Topanga Canyon Blvd., with all the Black Friday shoppers driving by.  Not a bad run, but nothing to write home about.

Today, on tap was a 1 mile run, 4×30 second hill repeats, and a 2 mile cool down. 

I go to the Hill at Woodland Hills Park, and pick a good spot.  Then, the memories come.  This was the hill that on the day of the 1971 earthquake, my best friend and I met two boys and made out all afternoon.  I ran up and down it, doing crunches in between, and I keep remembering that day.  I run by Collins Street Elementary School, where on a day in 6th grade, I beat all the boys in a 100 yard dash.  I could hear the screams of the boys as I ran by: “You cheated!” and “I’ll see you after school!”  I was challenged on that day to re-race.  I don’t recall if the race ever happened. 

At the end of the run, I go by Hughes Jr. High, (where Karate Kid was filmed), and my Jr. High School.  I see my Dad and I in the 70′s running at 6am.  I hear him coaching me around the perimeter of the school.  

I run down Collins Street, I hear my Dad say, “SPRINT!”. 

And I do.  I do.  The ghosts of my childhood are with me all the way.  And it’s a good thing.

Tomorrow:  4 miles, and back to NorCal I go…

year 2 runnerversary

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A-Cotton-Picking-Machine

It’s Year Two. Cotton Runnerversary.

Halloween 2007, Kim & I with 5 kids between us.

100_0963(circa 10-31-2007)

Trick or Treating

She says,

“Hey, wanna run?”

I’m like, sure.  How hard could it be?

We start training that week.

9 weeks, and we had our first 5K

and pancakes and hamburgers after

because we deserved it, after all.

seriously.  we only burned 300 calories.

but, the effort.

and now.

Personal Records

2 Mi 19:25 9:43 Udder Run
3.1 Mi 30:47 9:56 5K Kaiser Permanente Modesto Classic
5 Mi 53:35 10:43 Hilmar Udder Run-5 miler
6.2 Mi 1:07:15 10:51 Get Out & Run 10K
7.45 Mi 1:24:49 11:24 Emerald Across The Bay 12K
Half Marathon 2:42:00 12:22 River City Half Marathon
Marathon 5:58:16 13:41 Nike Women’s Marathon

 

But.

That’s not the half of it.

The most important parts of the training runs:

The therapy before and after.

Because, after all.  Anyone can run.

We think this is our hill:

IMG_0412

It takes someone special to be a partner.

To be at your door rain or shine.

To run quietly next to you while you cry, to cover you when you need a facility, to make you laugh.

Funniest Schwag: Groceries.  100_1436

To be a partner takes real commitment.

Thanks, Kim!

IMG_0038Udder Run 2009IMG_0299Kim Almond Blossom 2

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Happy Runnerversary!

 

20 miles.

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{My ex husband called to tell me that someone read my blog in where I admitted I was controlling and never loved him.  Any of you read that?  Um, no.  Never wrote it.  My blog went dark over the weekend, but then I realized.  I really love this thing…and these people? Uh, too much time on your hands…drama much?}

***Disclaimer***

If you are an ex lover or husband or friend…I blog whatever I want.  My life has always been an open book…and I am not afraid.  I’m also an adult, and I never spill the gory details in full on here…I know that if I don’t want the world to see it, I put it on my other blog…which is for my eyes only…So, I get the rules.  Now, you need to get them too.  See that little site-meter thingy on the bottom of my blog?  It tells me who reads the blog.  Nothing is hidden.

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20 miles.

I came to Knight’s Ferry yesterday fully expecting to run 22 miles, as was on the schedule.  CharlieBob changed it to 20, which still sounded like a LOT.

I said to him at 6am… “oooh it’s a little chilly”.  He looked at me, and said it was supposed to be 101 yesterday.

It was 6:30.  We started.  I felt like my legs were slugging through mud.  Up the hills to Sonora Road.  I was barely at mile 1, when I realized I had to go to the bathroom.  Badly.  I rationalized that perhaps there would be some kind of porta potty somewhere…there wasn’t.  By mile 3, there was no other choice but to find a bush.  I won’t bore you with the details, but total stops: 5…

There were aid stations every 2 miles, and I had a sip at mile 2.  (Here I must say a big thank you to the volunteers.  It was hot out there.)  Another at mile 4, and an S!Cap.  I packed 5 of them, and I took them all.

Mile 6 and 8 were uneventful.  My back was to the sun, the rolling hills reminded me of Napa-Sonoma Half…but there was absolutely nothing to look at.  Mile 8 is typically where I over-fill, so I purposely had very little.  In fact, I left my fuel belt there, because I thought I would be looping back in 45 minutes.  Nothing could be further from the truth…it was much longer than that. 

Mile 10.  Stopped.  Turned.  In full force of the sun beating down on the road.  In the back was Sarah, Caroline and me.  Sarah scooted on ahead.  At Mile 10, I was wiped out.  I ran/walked for a bit.  But, once you start walking, you are going to walking for a very long time.  I turned around to see Caroline, and that’s when we met up and started this journey together. 

At Mile 12, I picked up my fuel belt.  I sure needed it…it took us a long time to get there.  Iced down my top, back, head, etc.  It was about 80 degrees.  Caroline and I finally got to Mile 14, where her husband was the aid station.  I was starving, ate an orange, a Gu, another S!Cap.  We filled ziplocs with ice, then deliriously went on our way.  We decided to market an IceBra for runners.  It gets like that when you are starting to lose your mind.

We started bargaining.  Okay, walk until that post, then run to that car, etc.  CharlieBob came out in his car as we were going up Big Bertha, the gigantic hill.  I was concerned about Caroline, because she wasn’t sweating.  We had drank and watered down, and iced for a long time.  We stayed together.  I had a headache, and was dizzy.  Just a little.

At Mile 16, the two girls gave us more water and ice.  More ice.

CharlieBob kept driving by us asking us if we wanted to get in.  He met us at Mile 18.  Buzzards were circling over dead animals, and it was a bit creepy.  We weren’t looking so hot.  I kept trying to get enough energy to keep going.  He gave us an electrolyte tab at Mile 18, and a PB&J sandwich.   He kept driving by, wanting us to get in the car.

I finally said, “Charlie, no one is getting in that car with you.”

He drove on.  We started running.  We ran most of Mile 19 & 20, stopping to walk a block in the town.

As we made our way up the hill, we were greeted with about 15 members of the team…cheering us on.  I nearly cried.  They had been in a long time, yet they still were there. 

20 miles.  Ugly ones, mostly…but done.  My legs are thrashed today, and I am tired.  But oh, so proud.