Los Angeles Marathon - RunMarathon


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Los Angeles, California
United States
Los Angeles Marathon
82F / 28C
Sunny
Total Time = 4h 50m 7s
Overall Rank = 5430/26000
Age Group = M 40-44
Age Group Rank = 632/?
Pre-race routine:

Carbo load dinner with Family and Runners Club , go to bed early . Carpooled with Friends to race site , ate dry breakfast cereal, apple, pbj , chewy bar , drank gatorade 1-2 hours before the race.
Event warmup:

Waited for toilet(was crazy crowded) , streching nil , got to starting area 1 min before start , was packed solid with 25000 people with fencing on both sides so hard to impossible to creep up .
Run
  • 4h 50m 7s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 11m 04s  min/mile
Comments:

This was my First marathon , I Was excited to try and run it . I was also cautious of starting too fast and crashing later. Starting at the back was due to us having to wait for the bathrooms for so long . Mainly it was a good thing as it meant my pace was held back and i would have juice left for the twenties. Was pretty fun and the monster field of runners were in great spirits. Many wearing the Student Run LA , La Leggers , And Team In Training colours. I Saw a Blue Afro guy and an Elvis in a white Las Vegas frock with a baby jogger filled up with a car radio amplifier and loudspeakers blasting the King's Tunes . Another guy was dressed in a Viking outfit. Many were running with ballons in their hair. A we crested the only hill of the course the road narrowed and the mob slowed to a walk . Then we headed into Hollywood and the downhill helped get people going. Its a part of the course I drive every two weeks so it was fun to run it. There was no chill in the air so i knew i would have to watch the heat and drink plenty of water and gatorade.
Brian Had suggested taking salt tablets with me in a small ziplock bag.
I took his advice and brought 10 or so. This was new for race day and sounded like good advice against cramps. I also had my 9 packs of my favorite GU on board to help replenish calories.
we continued down beautiful treelined Rossmore into Koreatown down pico into Normandie to the halfway mark . Into exposition Park and finally i spotted lots of portapotty with no lines . :) That was the only break i needed . Decided to walk 1 min after and adjust The remaining GUs from my back to my front pockets for easier access. Continued onto MLK and turned back towards Staples Center . Mile 18 or 19 .
Started to take a Gu every 2 miles in between the Gatorade stops . And aim for every fire hose that was on. Mile 20 . OK only a 10 k left . but my feet hurt from blisters , i am hot and every time i stop to drink it gets harder to get moving again. Mile 22 we hit a long incline up towards boyle heights and it seems everyone else is walking WTF , i continue to run but shorten my stride up the slight hill . It also seems like we keep going away from the finish line. Kind of discouraging. Through "scenic" Boyle Heights and turn back on another bridge . Now this is way better as we are now facing downtown. OK! HAng in there ! We are going home Gang. This running thing is hard. My pace keeps slowing and the heat keeps rising. My HR stays around 155 .
I try not to focus on the pace amd more on my mechanics : pull knees through, rotate heels back to get a good extension . Thoughts about that time "The more I run the quicker I will be done" . I have thoughts of picking up the pace but decide not to. Mile 24 : ephoria sets in , almost there , Mile 25 ; 10 more minutes . Upon sighting the banner for Mile 26 : Shade from the tall buildings , Another runner asks how much longer . I tell hime the finish is right around the corner . i have ZERO finishing speed left. The heat and distance have sapped me pretty good . I just try and smile and raise my hands up and continue jogging through the timing mats and in for the pictures :) Wow! i am done .
What a challenge. what an accomplishment. My Pace is Off 20 mins but i think running slower in the heat was the way to go. I Did not hit "The Wall".
Things just got harder as i went along. And my only minor pains came from my blisters which i shut out.
What would you do differently?:

Do more long runs for endurance conditioning , pick a smaller event for the next one , run in cooler temperature.
Post race
Warm down:

A little dizy when i stopped , there no grass to sit down on, walked for 10 minutes , found the gang and rested , discussed the pros and cons of the new course with the other runners . Every one finished but was slower than expected , heard complaints about the heat and the hills in the second half. We then headed to the subway and then back to the cars . Subway was delayed because Another Marathoner got sick on the subway so paramedics were called and took him out on a stretcher. ;(

What limited your ability to perform faster:

More experience and include more long runs for conditioning. Run in cooler temperature .
Get new shoes , Blisters slowed me down a little especially in the second half.

Event comments:

Enormous event , so lots of buzz , plenty of volunteers and abundant aid stations . but course is crowded and its hard to Run your best. It Would be nicer to finish In a big park setting with trees and grass to relax on.


Profile Album


Last updated: 2007-01-12 12:00 AM
Running
04:50:07 | 26.2 miles | 11m 04s  min/mile
Age Group: 632/?
Overall: 5430/26000
Performance: Good
HR ave 152 , creeping up in the last three miles and on the initial uphill to 160 and dropping 148 on some of the downhill. Never felt out of breath , Always confortable below threshold. splits 1-10:45 2-10:54 3-9:44 4-10:32 5-9:58 6-10:46 7-10:40 8-10:24 9-11:05 10-11:04 11-11:36 12-11:32 13-9:28 14-12:42(pit stop ;) 15-10:05 16-11:48 17-10:26 18-12:21 19-10:34 20-12:15 21-10:17 22-12:07 23-12:17 24-11:32 25-11:48 26-10:33 26.2-2:43
Course: Fron Universal studios past hollywood , down rossmore and normandie to Coliseum up to Staples out to Boyle Heights and back downtown for finish. Mostly flat or downhill with later uphill inclines gradual and smooth so entirely runable .
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %0%
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 3