Erin’s Moving LA Marathon Race Report


Erin Kisses Her Deserved Finisher’s Medal

Well, my first marathon went off without any major problems. The only real setback was the heat. At the starting line all I could think was “Gosh, I’m so nervous. I hope I make it through this!” Then I thought of the advice given to me just a couple of days before by my aunt (a 25-time marathoner who has finished in the top 100 women in Boston). She told me “My advice to you as a first-timer: just have fun!”

Before I knew it, I was at mile 3 and my roommate was waiting on me with a Cliff bar. Then at mile 4 I developed side stitches. I thought “Great. This is going to be a loooooong day if I’m already experiencing pain”. I stopped and walked for a few minutes until the aches subsided.

I saw Tonya at mile 12 and I had to stop and get rid of a pebble that had somehow made its way into my shoe. She shared some of those frozen orange slices with me. By mile 13 I realized that I wasn’t going to finish in the time that I wanted but the frustration didn’t last too long. I just remembered my aunt’s advice.

Miles 14-20 were pretty much a blur. I took advantage of that pain-relieving spray at mile 19! My left calf kept feeling like it wanted to cramp. With the heat being as intense as it was I didn’t take chances. I walked when I needed to and jogged when I felt strong enough. I think it was at mile 20 that I saw Larry and jogged with him for a little bit until I had to walk again.

Between mile 21 and 22 I walked. I saw a young woman laid out on the sidewalk receiving medical attention. At this point I’m thinking “Am I going to make it?” Despite all of the water, Gatorade and Gu I had consumed I felt zapped of all my energy. I heard someone call my name from behind but thought I was just delirious from the heat, but it was Gary! I was being hard on myself and he said “Look behind you! You’re ahead of a lot of people.”

Soon he left and I was alone again. I almost wanted to cry, call my friend Amy and tell her that I was ready to quit. Right before mile 22 I had a bad thought. As some of you may know, I’ve lost a signifcant amount of weight since joining the Beach Runners in May of 2006. Some evil little voice was telling me “Just because you lost weight doesn’t mean you can finish a marathon.”
As soon as I thought that then something else hit me. The thought soon turned into “Look at how far you’ve come already! You’re doing something that only a small percentage of the population will even attempt. Your mother (R.I.P.) would be so proud of you!”

That’s really all it took because I was suddenly able to run steadily from mile 22 all the way to 25 when I passed the drummers. That last mile was eerily quiet. There was a good crowd but only a few continued to cheer. I saw Larry and Beth up ahead, mustered what little energy I had left and yelled “Laaaaaaarrrrryyy!” He turned around and in typical Larry fashion yells “Come on, girl! Aim for my butt!” I did and I ended up passing him.

I saw the mile 26 sign and it was so close yet so far away. I walked fast then jogged and repeated the cycle. When I rounded the corner and saw the finish line I pictured my mom cheering me on and I cried like a baby. I cried so hard that when I finished, the volunteers thought I needed medical attention. Then another volunteer asked “Do you just need a hug?” to which I replied “YES!!”.

My time was 5:59:38. Today (March 9th) my mother would have turned 50 years old. Finishing this race was my gift to her and to myself. If someone had asked me Sunday or Monday if I wanted to run another marathon, the answer would have been NO! Now that I can walk without a limp I’m thinking “Hmm. I have to beat this time!”

Erin, Beach Runner and SoCalRunning.com Member

March 12, 2007 | Filed Under Race Reports, Steve's Posts 

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