John’s LA Marathon Report


John’s Happy Ending

Report from the slowest of the three “Rebel Runners” from the LA Marathon.

The last few weeks I have been running with fellow Beach Runners Kristin and Lani (a.k.a. Rebel Runners). We branded ourselves rebels for doing some things differently, like driving most of the LA Marathon course last week to help us prepare. We stuck together for most of our training runs. Sometimes I was a little faster. On Sunday, when it (in theory) mattered most, I was the one to fall back.

There’s one aspect of my running that I’m not happy about. Maybe I don’t look it, but I am officially a “Master Buffalo” (go to the Catalina Marathon website for the definition). I am male, over 40 years old, and (ugh) over 200 pounds. Of course, I can‚t do anything about being male or older, but my weight could come down a bit.

One thing I learned on Sunday: buffaloes run better when it is 30 degrees than when it is 80 degrees. In my case, nearly 1 hour better.

I already knew I would run the LA Marathon slower than my last one in January. First, a ligament in my left ankle had been tender for a couple of weeks, and I needed to avoid injury. Second, weather reports warned us of a hot marathon, which would slow us down. Third, Beach Runner Mentor, Jesus told me that a 7-week break between marathons was extra challenging. He explained that a short break between his marathons affected him at Pacific Shoreline, where he “bonked” and couldn’t match his blistering 3:19 Las Vegas Marathon time.

I was tempted to think that lesson was: Jesus should stop running sub-3:20 marathons and be more like the rest of us. Instead, I took his advice and prepared myself for a slow run.

The start was incredible, with Coach Steve and about 20 Beach Runners all bunched together, raring to go, and watching 20,000 people ahead of us slowly get across the start line. Steve gave numerous people leg massages. He gave a banana to Kristin when her pre-race banana got victimized by a wayward trickle of pee, courtesy of somebody who couldn‚t wait in line for 30+ minutes to use a porta-potty.

After a couple of miles with the big group, Lani, Kristin and I rebelled and ran a bit faster together for about the first 16 miles, probably averaging about 10:30s. It was around that time that “body sensing” started telling me that I was going to have to go slower. I wasn’t suffering any injuries or pain; my left ankle was holding up really well. Instead, my heart was pounding and focusing on breathing well wasn’t getting the heart rate down.

So, I knew from experience the heat was getting to me. This happened at times last summer in our Beach Runner training. I used to run in extreme heat long ago when I ran in high school in the summers in Arizona, 25 years and many pounds ago. My body was telling me to slow down or it might shut down on me.

I still managed to keep Kristin and Lani within sight. At mile 18 we stopped for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and other goodies, courtesy of Kristin’s boyfriend/Beach Runners Helper Wade and Lani’s (ha-ha) fiancé/Beach Runners Helper John. (Ask Lani sometime about the ha-ha part.) I decided that survival was more important than speed. I munched down food and water like a buffalo grazing at the beginning of springtime. Then, we, along with Mentor Chris who caught up with our group, ran off.

Or more accurately, they ran off. For the first time in a marathon, I started walking. My body told me to treat the last 1/3 of the marathon more like a walking buffet than a run.

Walking gives you a different perspective on a marathon, when many people are passing you instead of the other way around. I admired how so many runners were obviously burned out like me with more than a 10K to go, and yet they were walking or shuffling along determined to finish the race. I saw many who were not very “chi” in their running but were nonetheless passing me up. I admired those who had running form issues and yet could finish marathons.

I was so happy that even though I was so obviously having a bad race, I didn‚t care just as long as I avoided hyperthermia and finished. Maybe I would have been upset if this was my first marathon, or I had hoped to PR in the race. Instead, I knew there would be more marathons ahead. In fact, I am hoping to run a sub-4:00 marathon one of these days. To do that, I know it would be best not to injure myself or pass out in this race. And, of course, drop some lbs. in the future.

Around mile 20 I walked with Coach Gary and we chatted generally about the joy of running even when you’re walking.

Gary then went backwards to find other Beach Runners. I then employed my new version of ChiRunning®: walk up the hills; trot down the hills; and do something in between on flat lands. And, chug down liquid at each water station like a buffalo who just completed a trek through the Sahara Desert. I was gulping down 3 or 4 waters/Gatorades every time, in addition to what I had left on my fuel belt.

Around mile 24 Coach Steve and Beach Runner Mark caught up with me. They were slow because they are running the Catalina Marathon in 2 weeks. Slow … and insane is all I could think at that moment. Then another Beach Runner caught up; the heat fazed her so much, she described how she felt dizzy during a rest stop. I thought, “Man, we are all insane to be going through this stupid race.”

A wave of insanity (as well as shade from the clouds and tall buildings) hit me at mile 25 and I ran as fast as I could to the finish line. A few Beach Runners (including Barbara and Kristi) cheered me on as I made the last turn to the finish. Per Garmin, I finished at 5:15, crushing my “negative” PR time by 33 minutes. I was a happy buffalo.

I caught up with rebels Kristin and Lani and learned the heat eventually slowed them down. But they came in about 15 minutes faster than me. One of them (I won’t say who), was rather woozy from the whole experience.

I then found my wife/Beach Runner Helper Laura, who hugged me and fed me more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

As I send this off to Coach Steve on Wednesday, I am feeling less sore than I was after my prior marathons. My tender left ankle held up well, and everything else feels pretty good. Everything that comes with the Beach Runners (ChiRunning®, Power Yoga, great running buddies especially the Rebels) did their job again.

The LA Times reports that Fred Mogaka won the marathon with the slowest time in its history. When asked if he liked his time, Fred said: “I was very happy with my time because I win.”

If you finished this marathon, you win, so be happy.

Beach Runner and SoCalRunning.com Member, John

March 7, 2007 | Filed Under Race Reports, Steve's Posts 

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