Los Angeles Marathon XXIII - RunMarathon

After burning myself out with sub-8 splits on the downhill through miles 2-4 last year, I was determined to run my pace and not worry about the pack. I wanted to be around 9:00-9:06 starting out. Mile one, an uphill with dense pack, was 9:10...so far, so good. But when I went through mile two at 16:54 (7:44!), I was concerned. Felt great and was not pushing, but I didn't want to be there.

I was careful the rest of the way, but still was running comfortable 8:12-8:30 for much of the first half. A good sign was hitting 10K at 51 min, where last year I was at :48...and headed for a long, long, day.

Last year, I knew I was in trouble by mile 11. I seriously thought I might drop out at the half. Not this time. My right calf cramped up at mile 10...and never really uncramped, Endurolytes, bananas, and Gatorade, be damned...but I was staying in a comfortable cadence and knew I'd finish (and maybe even challenge for a sub-3:50).

Nutrition/hydration-wise, I was taking a gel every 45-50 min. and alternating water with Gatorade+water every water station.

Where mile 16 was the beginning of torture last year, this time I made a conscious choice to pick up the pace a little through 15 and 16. Not enough to threaten my finish, but enough to convince myself I was doing well.

I spotted my wife in the middle of mile 19 and told her I had an outside shot at 3:50. That proved true all the way until the bridge ascent through the 22 mile mark. My feet were tired after that and mile 23 was the toughest. I was walking that mile last year, so I really forgot that it is an insidious gradual climb leading to the 6th Street bridge. Crossing the bridge, it looked like maybe 3:53-3:54...I stretched it out on the descent on the west side of the bridge, but didn't really gain much.

With 2.2 miles to go, I picked it up a little bit, but my feet were not giving me much energy. To compound that, mile 25 is a run north through a warehouse district with no shade and the noontime temperature was getting up around 70. I actually felt slightly overheated for the first time.

Approaching the 25 mile mark, the course enters downtown, heading mostly west, so it's shady...a major relief. Two groups of taiko drummers were pounding away at the end of mile 25--that's my favorite moment in the race. I really felt a surge of energy from them.

Didn't have a lot left, but was passing a fair number of folks. Handwriting was on the wall for a 3:55...as long as I had some kick. The course finishes with a right turn at the 26 mile mark, then two long blocks uphill. I sprinted hard the last 200 yds and crossed at 3:55...something I'd not have predicted less than two months back.

Not much. Got to find a way to rein in miles 2-3, though. Really hard...steep downhill and everyone is fresh, so it's easy to lose perspective.

Felt okay, other than the cramped right calf. Got my finisher's medal and walked through the finish area collecting drinks and grub. Stretched for a bit before getting my finisher's photo taken. Made my way through the mass of humanity at the exit from the finisher's area and found Liz at our pre-arranged meeting site. Reward for finish: A really tasty turkey hot link sausage. Yum!


Less than I expected. I added a second knee strap (I've been wearing one on my left knee since the injury), because I was getting some compensatory issues in my right knee. Hadn't run with that strap on, so it's possible that the cramp in that calf was related to that...or it could just have been a random cramp. Otherwise, shoes, apparel, and nutrition/hydration seemed fine. Best decision of day was bringing a small sample pack of Endurolite capsules along with me...I've never tried them before, but I think they did help moderate the cramp.


LA Marathon has a poor reputation (inter)nationally and the new course (introduced in 2007) still gets mixed reviews (at best), but it is a good community event and there are spectators along the entire course. If--like me--you like variety of urban environments and ethnic enclaves, it's a good tour of the city.