2019 LA Marathon Race Cap

It's Game Time!

Relive My Marathon Video

Yesterday I completed my 8th Marathon.   It was fun day.   I went in feeling strong, weather looked perfect and was ready to go after my A-goal of 4 hrs and 35 minutes (or about a 10:30 pace).

Race morning, I woke up at 2:55am, got ready and drove to Santa Monica to catch the race shuttle from the finish line to the start line at Dodger's Stadium.   Ended up getting to Dodger Stadium around 4:35am and sat around waiting for the race to start.   Around 5:30, I ran into a fellow SBRC member - Cami, and Church Pastor - Frances. It was great to have some company as we waited for the race to start.   Best part of starting at Dodger Stadium real bathrooms!!!

Dodger Stadium with fellow SBRC member Cami

Frances and I at Dodger Stadium - it was her first marathon

Around 6:30am we moved to our corrals.  Cami and I were in the same corral, so we continued to hang out until race start.  At 6:30 the wheel chair racers started, 6:45 the elite women, 6:55 the elite men, and 7:00 am we were off.   I was in corral C and ended up pretty much heading out around 7:03am.

Cami and I in the corral

I was warned by several people not to push the first 6 miles and to plan to be slightly slower than goal race pace.   The race starts out with a slight incline out of the stadium, followed by a quick downhill into downtown LA.  At the 5k mark I had an estimated finish time of about 4:31.  Right before we hit the first big hill around mile 4 past the Disney Concert Hall, Coach Mark was there supporting LA Road Runners and SBRC. The course continued the upward climb past echo lake as we headed back up onto Sunset.  At the 10k mark, my estimated finish time was about 4:39, so per plan my pace was right where I wanted to be.

Once up on Sunset, the road became nice rolling hills.  The sun was starting to come out and it was starting to warm up.  I reached the 15k mark with an estimated time 4:38, so slowly catching back up to my target race goal.   But by this time, the mental game was beginning to start.   I was getting really sleepy and starting to feel sluggish.  Somewhere during this timeframe, Shangrila from Feisty Fox Coaching passed me.  She was looking strong, while I was not.  I quickly said hi as she zoomed away, but it was what I needed to get my mind in the race.   I changed my race strategy from 5 mile chunks to 1 mile chunks.   I started to focus on what I needed to do to get to the next mile.   The only thing I remember seeing as I ran down Hollywood Blvd was the Pantages theater.  Somehow I missed all the famous land marks in that area as I was focused on the road in front of me.

As we turned off Hollywood Blvd to get back to Sunset, we reached a nice downhill for a couple of miles.   I still struggle with steep downhills and have a tendency to put on the breaks instead of letting gravity do what its suppose to do.  I reached the 25k mark with an estimated finish time of 4:45.  At this time, I started to switch to my B goal which was to finish under 5 hrs.   It felt really hot out there.  I ended up walking the water stations and pouring water over myself at each aid station.   (After the race I learned the high temp was 69 degrees, so not sure why I felt so miserable, maybe just not use to that temperature after our wet and cold winter we trained in).

Mile 17 by SBRC cheer station

We headed down rodeo drive and turned onto Wilshire, to see SBRC cheer station in full force.  They looked like they were having a blast, and continued to cheer me on as I proceeded along the course.   At the 30k mark I continued to slow down, and my estimated finish time was 4:50.  I knew I had my friends Jac and D around mile 21, so just had to go a few miles to get additional motivation from them.  Everyone warned me about the slight uphill starting at mile 20 going to about mile 23.  They were right,  I could definitely feel it.  Jac and D spotted me and were excited to see me, Jac ran with me for about a quarter mile and kept saying how I looked strong (but really I was feeling miserable).

At the 35k mark, I was starting to get closer to my B goal time.   It had me at an estimated finish time of 4:55:56.   Luckily, my friend Erica was at mile 22.5  in Brentwood and she was there to push me until about mile 25.   (I didn't realize how much pad in my goal time I had eaten up).   Beginning at mile 23 it was all downhill to the finish.   However, I had a side ache, I was tired, and ready to be done.   She continued to motivate me to get to the finish.   At the 40k mark my ETA was 4:59:41.  Around mile 25.5, Erica's parents (Ann and Dirk) and kid were there cheering me on.  I quickly gave them high five, and quickly continued down Ocean. I looked at my watch and realized I had 3 minutes to get across the finish line, that looked so far away.  So I gave everything I got, and managed to cross the finish at 4 hrs 58 mins and 40 secs.

It was a tough course yesterday, I'm not sure what made it tough, but it definitely was run I had to work for.   I still had mental things going on, but I was able to control the mind and keep it from going into a downward spiral.   Which is a big leap forward for myself.   Plenty to be proud of.

Frances and I at the finish, She's officially a marathoner!

It was not my A goal,  but it was my long time running goal.  When I started running marathons, I never thought I could break the 5 hour mark.  So doing that is a big accomplishment (20 minute PR).   I originally said once I break the 5 hr mark, I can stop running marathons, but I'm still improving and do not believe I have reached my full potential.

The crowd was amazing.  There were supporters non-stop from Dodger Stadium to Santa Monica.  The city really came out to support us runners.  I want to thank my friends who came out to cheer us on and everyone at the SBRC cheer station.  Knowing you guys were out there supporting me, helped to keep me going when things got difficult.  

SBRC Cheer station at mile 17- Thanks so much

You just PR'ed in the LA Marathon, what are you going to do next?  I'm Going to Disneyland!!!  Spent Monday walking around the park with Valerie and Anne from South Bay running club.  Of course I had to show Mickey Mouse my accomplishment :)

Anne and I showing Mickey our Bling

LA Marathon Expo - Lets do this!

I Conquered LA:  Santa Monica Classic, Pasadena Half, LA Marathon

LA Marathon Expo - I found my name

Frances and I at the Expo 

Frances and I at the Expo

Beast Mode with the SBRC gang!

1 Week Out - Tapering and lets talk Goals

Take Pride in how far you have come and have faith in how far you can go

Day	Planned	Actual	Comments
Monday	50 Min AR	48:55	4.49 miles 10'53"
Tuesday	1x40 MP	1x40	8'53" Pace
Wednesday	XT	Trainer day	focused on arms
Thursday	OFF	30:00	3.0 miles
Friday	OFF	OFF
Saturday	8 miles	8 miles
Sunday	40 minutes	5k MP	11'15" pace

Monday - Had a long work day, but managed to get the tail end of the sunset.  Gotta love Day light saving time.   Ended up running Redondo Beach,  I had hoped to make the SBRC run group, but missed that by quite a bit.   Overall, the run was not great.  My stomach was cramped and felt hungry, probably from not eating well that day (protein box from coffee bean).  Managed to push through and get more 50 minutes in.  

Tuesday - Prior to Track night, had a great conversation with the head coach from Feisty Fox Training, in seeing what she can offer me for my upcoming Tri in September.  Got to track night, right on time (so missed the warm up), but it turns out Track night was cancelled (news to the entire SBRC club).  So we had to make due with an alternative.   The 40 minute Marathon Pace training run at the track became a hilly 40 minute training run attempting to be Marathon Pace around the neighborhood (2 mile loop).   Struggled with keeping and finding a good average pace.   I would be slower up the hill, and faster down the hill, averaging at a 10'10" pace.    Marathon goal pace is 10'30"  

Wednesday-Met with Kei.  Last time I will see him until after the race.   I told him to focus on Arms, because Coach Mark said no more lifting until after the race.  We did TRX pull ups, lots of push ups (various styles) with bosu ball, and planks.  

Thursday - Per the training plan was suppose to be Off.  But I talked to coach Mark and he said if I was feeling alright, I could run.  So I met up with SBRC Sketcher's run night and did a relaxed pace strand run versus the 5 mile Ponsiettia hill loop.  Overall felt pretty good.

Friday - OFF, but spent the evening continuing the talk with Feisty Fox.   Great conversation and I think the program can definitely get me ready for Santa Cruz 70.3.

Saturday - 8 miler taper run.  Took it easy.   Right leg (calf, hamstring, lower back) was tight the entire run. In the evening, I stretched and foam rolled to try and stretch out my hamstrings, glutes, and back.   Definitely need to focus on stretching and foam rolling this upcoming week.

Sunday - St Patty's day 5k.  This is my 10 year runnerversary race, so I had to do it.  Run/Body felt much better than Saturday's run.  Felt great the entire race,  was surprised to see my average heart rate after the run, because it didn't feel that high during it.    Goal was to do it at Marathon Pace, my watch kept beeping at me to slow down (I guess thats better than beeping at me to speed up).   In the end, my lap splits were closer to what I'm aiming for, but still can slow down. 

Training Grade this week:  A
Nutrition Grade this week:  B+  (Did better with working out and making better choices, but still can improve on what I'm putting in my body).


Goals for the week and Marathon:

Leading up to the Marathon, my goal is to put good food into my body.  Make healthy decisions, take lunch to work, and make sure everything I'm eating is fuel for race day.  Focus on hydration and getting enough water on daily basis.    

Now lets talk Marathon:

My current race PR is 5:19:35 at Chicago, nice Flat course.  So lets go big or go home.  I have been training hard this cycle and also working on the mental aspect of the run. My long run training went much better than my long runs during the training cycle of Chicago.  So with that being said, I'm setting some big goals for a nice rolling hill course of the LA marathon.   (Setting 3 level of goals, so that way I can reassess during the race if needed). 

My A-Goal - 10:30 pace overall.  My 2 - 20 milers, and my 18 miler were all just shy of an 11:30 pace, with out having to walk.  Speaking with Coach Mark, from the 40 minute threshold trial run he felt, it showed a 4:19 ability to finish, but that 4:35 was more realistic based on my miles logged and training.  Which was the same thought I had in my mind.   So this is my plan heading into the race.  

My B-Goal - is my long time Marathon Goal - which is to be under 5 hrs.  

My C Goal - is a PR.     

A Goal Plan

   

B Goal - tracking

2 Weeks to Go, Time to Mentally prepare.

The body achieves what the mind believes

Day	Planned	Actual	Comments
Monday	60 Min AR	52 min	3.81 miles 4 min run/1min walk
Tuesday	1x40 AT	1x40 AT	8'53" Pace
Wednesday	XT	Trainer day	stomach hamstrings
Thursday	60 Min AR	30:00	3.0 miles 10'03"
Friday	XT	DGF S-club
Saturday	1 hr	12.2	Swapped Sat/Sun 10'27" 8 miles MP 10'00"
Sunday	2-8-2 miles	6.35	11'15" pace

Monday - Met up with Valerie and did a run/walk.  Run 4 minutes and walk 1 minute.  Overall felt okay considering I was still recovering from the 20 miler the day after.   For the pace and distance, I was surprised at how high my heart rate was.

Tuesday Track Night - consisted of 40 minute Threshold Run.  2 lap warm up, then managed to run the 40 minutes at an 8:53 pace.   This was about 30 seconds faster than the time I did it in September when prepping for Chicago.   Speaking with Coach Mark, this would translate into a 9’49” pace.  However, he felt a 10’30” pace is more realistic due to my current mileage.   Which was the pace I was thinking of shooting for on race day.  

Wednesday - Trainer day with Kei.  Lots of core work.  Planks, Planks and more Planks, followed by leg lefts and some hamstring curls.   

Thursday - I had a date night with my Hubby to see Apollo 11.   So I snuck out of work early and got in 3 miles before heading out for the night.    I had hoped to get more, but ran out of time.  Overall, felt sluggish when I started, but started feeling better as it went on, as you can tell by my time.

Friday - I did DGF group fitness class.   It included stadium push up 2 min challenge. Then a circuit we did 3 times, which included: Kettle ball squats, TRX triceps,  Lat Pull down, Bear Crawls, Mountain Climbers, and jump rope.   Overall, great work out.  Following that I went to S-Club to try the discounted Gold Flow recovery class.   It entailed: inferred sauna, then 5 minutes of cycling, 8 minutes of rowing, and 8 minutes on a climber (all speed intervals to get the heart rate up).   Following the cardio portion, there was 10 minute foam roller, followed by 15 minutes in a normatec recovery boots, and a massage ball.   

Saturday - 2 mile warm up, 8 miles Marathon simulation pace, 2 mile cool down.  Overall, felt great on the 8 mile simulation pace.  I was shooting for a 10:30 pace, but could not dial that pace in.  I would either be 15 seconds slower or about 30 seconds faster.   Overall I opted to go with the faster pace.   The last 2 miles, felt good.  Made it up Beryl without walking, and then my relaxed pace hit my goal Marathon pace.   So I guess that works.  :)

Sunday - Wow that was an early morning (Daylights Saving Time) and a 7 am date with other runners at Dodger stadium for an LA Marathon first 6 mile preview didn’t help.  Me and 2 friends from SBRC (Anne and Brianna) met other people from various LA running groups: (LA Road Runners, LA Leggers, Pasadena Pacers, Inland Empire Running Club).   The first 6 miles are the toughest in the race with a good climb around mile 4 and 5.    Overall, the run felt good and it answered some questions of what to expect race morning.    We followed up our run, with tacos from Guisados.  So yummy. 

Work grade: A

Nutrition:  B

Nutrition goal for next week.  Log all the food I eat.   So that way I can make a truthful assessment of the food I’m intaking.  

3 weeks to go

If you fail to prepare, then you prepare to fail.   Training is all about preparation.

Day	Planned	Actual	Comments
Monday	60 Min AR	47 min	4.33 miles run/walk 5min/30sec
Tuesday	2x20 AT	2x20 AT	Kept AT under 9 min pace lower back sore
Wednesday	XT	Trainer day	glute strength stretching
Thursday	60 Min AR	34:00	3.0 miles 11'23" left quad
Friday	XT		REST
Saturday	1 hr		REST
Sunday	20 miles	20 miles	11'29" pace

Monday, felt I was still recovering from the weekend. Decided to do a sunset run/walk to get use to start and stop if I need to do that in the Marathon.  Ended up 5 min run/30 sec walk.  Felt good to get out there.

Tuesday was track night.  Ended up keeping both thresholds under 9 minute pace.   The second one was rough.  I could feel it in my hamstrings and hips.

Wednesday, I wasn't feeling it.  Ended up leaving work early and working the rest of the day from home.  Super sleepy all day and my lower back was killing me.  I think I was making Kei fall asleep during the training session.  We ended up doing some glute work, but then did about 20 minute of stretching.  (He probably didn't plan on that, but gave up on me for that session).

Thursday, I had a dentist appointment in the morning and couldn't make sketchers run at the evening, so decided to get a short run in PV after the dentist.  My quad started feeling not normal after about mile 1.5.  I kept pushing through the run, but it definitely did not feel right.   It was bothersome the rest of the day.

Friday and Saturday, I ended up resting.  Didn't want to push my quad too hard.  Need to get to race start.

Sunday, got my 20 miler in.   Overall, it was consistent with my previous 20 miler.   I didn't feel as strong as the last 20 miler.  Took an advil before the run to get through the run.  Lower back and hamstrings felt tight at the beginning.  But went away.  Around mile 17 dealt with a side stitch that wouldn't go away.  But I pushed through and got it done.

 Overall Activity Grade:  B+
Nutrition Grade: B