LA Marathon Race Report

This is the official race report following the format of my prior race reports. I will add the official race photos later, and hopefully, some of them will turn out well.

The event itself: Where? How long? When? Weather?

This course started in Dodger Stadium. From the stadium we went over to Chinatown. Past Olvera Street and the Courthouse. Past Echo Park Lake. And a long straightaway on Sunset. Through Sunset Junction and Silverlake. Onto Hollywood Blvd, past the Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood sign. Past the Walk of Fame. Along the Sunset Strip, through West Hollywood to Beverly Hills. A fun jaunt through Rodeo Dr. And a long straightaway down Santa Monica Boulevard aka historic Rte 66. Past Century City. Past the VA hospital. Through Westwood and Brentwood. You get to see so much running a marathon because it's incredibly long, and if you're me, you're not going all that fast.

Race day was March 16th. Although we had a lot of rain the week before, the weather on race day was nearly perfect. It wasn't too windy, and it didn't even sprinkle. I felt like it was sunny the whole day. I brought a ski hat and gloves, sweatpants, and a sweatshirt, all of which I left behind at the starting line. I had a great experience with my race day outfit and would not have changed anything about it.

Course description and evaluation of event logistics

I do not think that I over-prepared for the marathon. I am glad I made a route sheet, which I used at several points during the race. Knowing when the hills were coming and how my fueling plan lined up with the elevation changes was helpful. I am also grateful that I had a bathroom plan. The restrooms at the early aid stations were absolutely swamped. And I overheard people saying that the toilets at the starting line were horrible. 

I don't know the price of the starting line hospitality, but I did enjoy it. I used the private toilets twice. I used the private gear check. I used the foam rollers and yoga mats. I ate the bagels, drank the coffee, and grabbed two extra Gu's. It was hot and cozy in that tent. They let us in at 4:30 a.m. And I stayed there until about 5:15 a.m. I could have stayed longer but it got increasingly crowded the closer it got to the start of the race. I appreciated sitting in a chair, staying off my feet, and not having to sit on the ground. 

The perks of being an LA Roadrunner were also great. Our pre-race loge level at Dodger Stadium was something that really pumped me up. I used the restrooms there twice and they were nice, clean, and well-lit. It wasn't warm there because it was outdoors, but there was good company and I really enjoyed Coach David's pre-race pep talk. It gave me a feeling of continuity to see Coach David at all training runs, on Thursday zoom calls, before and after the race. I would 100% recommend joining the Roadrunners.

How did you train for the event

I ended up following the LA Roadrunners level 3 training plan. I squeezed in my weekday runs either early in the morning or midday. I did not do any runs in the afternoon or evening. I got a Planet Fitness membership to use the treadmill, which I've written about before. 

Gear and Nutrition

I will do a separate post on gear, but let's say I found a way to fit everything in my shorts pockets and hydration vest. I was actively bleeding (menstruating), so I had to carry tampons and wipes. One Gu exploded in my pocket, so I just ate it in the corral before the start of the race. I wasn't planning on doing it, but I don't think it hurt.

The goal was to get 30-60 grams of carbohydrates per hour for the first three hours and then increase to 60-90g of carbs per hour afterward. It was good that I had each time and a place marked down to eat, roughly based on my estimated pace. I didn't look at this plan every mile, but there were some times when I did look at it, and it helped me feel calm and situated. I didn't rely on the aid stations for food, water, or electrolytes, but I did take them when it felt right. I didn't take any food or drinks from spectators. Most of the water I took from the aid stations was dumped on my body to cool down. Even though I trained with Stroopwaffles and Fruit strips from Aldi, I didn't end up bringing those on race day. I was trying to keep the simplest possible race day strategy. And Stroopwaffles take too long to eat. 

I made my electrolyte plan the morning prior to race day. I wasn't sure I needed to do this, but also I wanted to make sure I had enough salt tablets. I put them in bags. 4 bags with 6 tabs each. Since I ran a bit slower than I had planned, I almost ran out. But also there was a stretch there where I didn't want to eat anything. It was a good thing I brought the Biscoff cookies. That was something I was considering skipping but at the last minute, I threw them in. And that was a good decision because as some point, that was the only thing I could tolerate, and they helped immensely.

The other items I had in my vest were (1) sunscreen, which I did apply at mile 22 when we turned around and had the sun at our back. (2) a chapstick with SPF, which I did apply several times. And (3) Her chamois butter. I didn't use the anti-chafe but possibly I should have each time I used the restroom. I did get some chafing from the tampon string, which I could have put lotion on. I didn't practice that.

Specific experiences

It was pretty special meeting up with my husband around the half-marathon mark. I think he had to pay $3 for parking. We chatted for a bit and he took a video interview of me. I was so flustered I forgot to include him in my Instagram story. My aunt wanted to be there but I thought logistically it would be too challenging to coordinate. She encouraged me to take lots of pictures, which I did. It did slow me down to get my camera out and pose each mile, but now I can look back and see exactly how I was feeling. 

Finish and associated emotions

I felt like I could still run across the finish line. I didn't start crying until I saw Coach David. I almost feel like it hasn't hit me yet that it's over. My legs are still sore, but also I don't feel injured. I feel there's just a lot of trauma there. Kind of like how you feel after giving birth. Everything is a bit swollen. My body feels like it went through something intense, which it did. I might lose my left big toenail.

Overall evaluation of the event 

Overall, I might do this event again. Others said that this year we had the best weather ever. It's a toss up in the spring whether you might have cold, hot, rain, etc. I didn't know how I would feel. As my friend Yahaira pointed out, doing the same race again helps give you a comparison to know if your fitness is trending up or down. What's funny is that even the list of landmarks ends at mile 21 as if the last 5 miles don't exist. I think most people agree that the last 6 miles was the worst. Partly because that's where people hit the wall, but partly because that part of the course was mentally difficult. 

It would be fabulous if the race could have gone to the ocean. But as I understand, the city of Santa Monica was asking 5x as much as every other city for permits. And I didn't particularly enjoy the Santa Monica Classic. It would have been a full-circle moment to start and end the race season in Santa Monica. 

This season was so impacted by climate change it's actually nuts. The mid-season race, the Rose Bowl Half, hasn't even happened yet. It's been rescheduled for April, so there will be a forthcoming race report for that event. I felt it was insincere to hand out the challenge medals at the marathon for doing all three races when one hasn't even happened yet, but it was easier for the race organizers logistically. They decided to give the medal for the races people were registered for, even if the participants chose to skip the race.