As a participant of the 2010 L.A. Marathon I figured I’d have to post a recap. I’ll bring you up to speed with a little summary of the past year.
Last May, my roommate Christine and I ran a simple 5k for Heal the Bay. It was a few weeks before the 2009 L.A. Marathon. After finishing that we came up with the idea to run the 2010 L.A. Marathon. Even then it was a joke, we weren’t really going to do that.
September rolled around and we took it a bit more seriously. We started a 6 month training program. I look back now and think about the first long run I had. It was 8 miles. 8 miles now is nothing. Training for a marathon teaches you so many things and makes you so much stronger – physically, mentally, and emotionally. Enduring pain almost everyday but somehow you keep pushing through it because the pay off is something life changing.
Our training was going very well up until a few months ago. I developed a serious case of runner’s knee. So bad that on our second attempt of the 20 mile run, I was in tears with the amount of pain I was experiencing. But we were persistent. Easing back into our short runs and pumping pain medication, icing. Soon after Christine developed a minor case. We were 3 weeks out from race day.
A week before the race, we accomplished the 20 mile run. It was something that really made us believe we could do the whole 26.2. We rested our knees and only ran once the week leading up the race. Prayers were said over both of us.
Sunday Morning – 4:00am:
We wake up, hardly sleeping the night before due to being so anxious, nervous, and excited. Start making ourselves breakfast and listening to some tunes to pump us up.
5:30am:
Brittany and Andrew (my boyfriend) drop us off at Dodger Stadium. It’s still dark our and thousands of people are filing into the stadium. I wasn’t feeling nervous yet, but it didn’t feel like I was there either.
6:00am:
We join the porta potty lines.
7:00am:
The race is postponed 7 minutes. Why? Oh the shuttle buses bringing runners to the Stadium are stuck in traffic. How L.A.!
7:15am:
We join the masses at the porta potties again. Nervous pees. Final stretches.
7:30am:
We’re in the chute. The elite runners have taken off with police escorts. We stand in the pack. Literally packed in like sardines. Getting pumped up with the buzz and the amount of people there to participate.
7:47am:
The pack is released. But we still have minutes before we get to the starting line. It’s time. We’re getting ready to do this. Andy and Brittany are at the entrance to Dodger Stadium to see us come down the hill after the 1st mile.
The rest are just some pictures from along the course.
Up the first hill, we turn around and see this!
Warm-Up is finished, we’re well on our way!
These little ladies were so amazing! Such great dancers.
The almost mile uphill we battled between 3 and 4.
I think by the time we got here the Kenyans were already at the finish line!
HALFWAY! (Also ending the pictures I took)
We walked between miles 23-24. It was completely necessary. We ran 23 miles, walked one, ran 2.2. to the finish line!
With my parents after the finish!
Brittany with the finishers!!
The war wound!
The whole marathon experience – training until Race day – was absolutely amazing. I have learned so many things and feel so accomplished. The race itself feels very surreal and there are parts I don’t even remember. It truly was life changing and such an incredible experience. More so than saying I ran 26.2 miles, if you live in L.A. and think about how we ran from Dodger Stadium to the Santa Monica Pier, it seems ridiculous and it is, but we did it! I was able to see the city in a whole different way. If there was ever an inkling in your brain to participate in a marathon, I would say to dedicate time and do it, you won’t be let down.
What’s next for this QueenPin? I’m going to take 1.5 to 2 weeks off from running to fully recover from the marathon and to really take care of my knee. It’s going to be hard but I need to do it. At the end of the break I will start to train for a 10k that’s for Heal The Bay in Santa Monica. We ran the 5k for the same cause last year and now are going to conquer the 10k. You would think we wouldn’t have to train for that, and maybe we don’t, but we’re smart runners and take care of our bodies.
Take care!
– J
(saved the best for last? When you start the speech, start with God, that will fix this little slip up)
