I finished 26.2 miles without stopping and I am *damn* proud of me.
There is so much I want to say about this race, but I'm not sure where to begin.
Marathon prep took over my life for four months and I was afraid to blog about my efforts in case I jinxed myself or the race. Superstitious much? Now that it's over and decompression is beginning- I need to share.
-begin novel-
Marathon-specific training began in late November (right when I drunkenly jumped onto a moving kiddie carousel and bruised my ribcage enough to cause labored breathing...A shit week to start distance running...) and started mainly through peer pressure. My friends John and Myriam were talking about running a marathon- and I wanted in!! Two months later- Patrick joined our team. He is a seasoned runner, so picking up our pace wasn't hard for him. He joined in right at the second 10 mile week. Just in time for the long-ass-long mileage climb.
Our training plan was culled from the all-knowing Internet- specifically Hal Higdon's runners' resource page. We followed his Novice 1 plan, that emphasizes medium long runs, looong long runs, and rest. Since I had recently tweaked my knee running around the neighborhood- I thought it best to incorporate strength training into this plan. So- every Tuesday and Thursday I attended an intense (I do not lie... that shit is HAAARD) strength training class at 6:30 am. Which meant I needed to wake up at 5:30 if I wanted to get my miles in before class. And then after class too, as the mileage increased. Wednesday a.m. was my medium long run, Saturday was another strength class (not as intense, but a longer class) and some form of cross-training, and Sunday was my long run. Fridays and Mondays were my rest days- and they never seemed to last long enough.
Now- the only way I did this was by treating my gym schedule like work. There was no skipping weekday class or running. I did not miss a single Tues/Thurs class or Wednesday run. This is hard when your job sometimes requires you to stay out until 2 a.m., but I'd be conscious of my workouts- turn down the free booze, and still get up at 5:30. Ugh. The other way I did it was by laying out my clothes and shoes the night before. I made a clear pathway from alarm clock to clothes, clothes to bathroom, bathroom to ipod, ipod to keys so I could easily navigate in the dark. Next secret- walking or running to the gym. Driving is a dealbreaker.
Weekend discipline sucked in its own special way. No drinking or partying or late nights if there was gonna be a long run the next day. And daytime plans had to be arranged around training times.
Upside: you get really drunk off one margarita after running 12 miles.
After being disciplined as hell became easy, so did running! My respiratory system got strong first. I started to experience the feeling of NOT being out of breath no matter how far I ran. My legs and back would get tired and sore before my lungs were gonna quit on me! I quickly gained confidence in my ability to add mileage, since the fear of complete shut down was gone. With the fear being gone, my pace started to improve and I could feel my legs getting stronger. The long runs were always challenging, but once we crossed the 18 mile mark, shit got real. The 20 miler was my first encounter with THE WALL.
The wall is an affectionate name for completely fucking running out of energy. You run and run and keep putting effort into moving forward, but all you're doing is shuffling along at walking pace. Frustrating. On top of that, your quads and hamstrings start to burn with the fires of Satan and you feel as if you might lose a leg on the side of the road. But somehow, you push through it. And on my 21 mile run, I did. But- the plan tells you never to go over 20 miles (whoops- i had a 7 mile circuit and I'm an overachiever- sue me!) so I was definitely scared about being able to complete the whole marathon. Would the wall be too hard hard to push through? Would the medic van have to pick up my sorry ass?
Turns out- NO!
Three of us.
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Three of us, but different.
We got to Dodger Stadium at 6:45ish, I think? I don't know- I was buzzing on nerves and adrenaline. We were shivering our butts off, and entered into the starting queue. You have to muscle forward to try and get near your pace group- so we did some of that- and then at 7:24- we ran. Ran as fast as possible to get away from Randy Newman's "I Love L.A." on loop.
Everyone hates that song.
And ran. and ran. And kept running. I ran through all the water stops, all the people holding out food and beer and random energy shot crap, I ran past my Mom and Joe, Lauren, Capitol Records, Sony/ATV.
I was very familiar with the course, since I've basically lived/worked along the whole thing. I used to ride half of it daily when I would bike commute from Downtown to Capitol. I knew about THE HILLS. L.A. is deceptively hilly. Since we're always in cars, we don't feel it- but once you're on foot, it all becomes very clear. I was anticipating the burn, and had been running through Melrose Hill and Silverlake
There are this many people along the whole course. They all yell for you.
Then I bumped up the ipod and ran extra fast through mile 19 (the marker was in the Sony/ATV driveway!!). This was the beginning of the burn. After grabbing that little water cup, I was realllly tempted to walk. BUT NO! Ran to mile 22, where the OWWCH started. More hills, more pain. That sucked. Mile 24 was marked by an inflatable arch thing- and I thought it was the finish. I got so emotional and happy that the burning was gonna stop. But those fuckers tricked me, and mile 24 was the hardest sonofabitch mile I've ever run. The anger from being tricked powered me to 25, where hope sprang anew.
I felt like one of these cups.
And then I sprinted the last half mile. Running through that long gauntlet of spectators on Ocean St. was the most exhilarating moment of my life. My efforts have never been so completely and thoroughly rewarded. I passed everyone in front of me, and my momentum was causing everyone to yell my name and cheer for me- hundreds of people yelling 'GO SARA!' just fueled the running. Seriously- until you hear hundreds of people cheering for you...you haven't...run a marathon?
When I crossed the finish, I was completely out of breath from my sprint, and red and sweaty- but I felt like a new human being.
And I am not being overdramatic.
Uhhh, I'm doing this again next year.
I got oneeee!
