The marathon started at 7 am. There was race day packet pick-up starting at 5:45 am. So I made my way to the Merry-Go-Round at Griffith Park. I took the Griffith Park exit off of the 5 freeway which was right after the Los Feliz Blvd exit. There were plenty of parking spaces at the lot when I got there. I parked and walked up the hill to the packet pick-up tent at the starting area. I picked up my bib and shirt, but they had run out of marathon bags. They were going to give me a half marathon bag, but I didn't need another bag especially if it wasn't for my event.
Race day packet pick-up
I went back to my car to relax a bit before the start of the race. At about 6:15 am, I grabbed my stuff and headed over to the starting line. I hit the portapotties along the way. I talked a bit with my buddy Eddie. We had been running in a lot of the same races lately. We took a pre-race Marathon Maniacs photo before getting in the starting corral. After some last minute instructions from Keira, the race director, it was time to run a marathon.
Pre-race Marathon Maniacs photo
Last minute instructions from RD Keira
Map
I found it somewhat surprising that some of the better runners were reluctant to be at the front. So on the downhill asphalt section leading up to the trail, I was running with some fast runners. As we hit the first incline, I fell back and slowly they start putting distance between me. I remembered from last year that there was a super steep section near the beginning, so I kept in mind to take it easy and not to burn myself out. The plan was to go slow on all of the uphills. I allowed myself only to run the flats and downhills.
Angel Alison! What a sight for sore legs!
Awesome place for a run
The section leading up to and around the golf course was where I ran the most. That section was nice and flat. But after the turnaround, I started having trouble. My legs felt very heavy. The legs were definitely not fresh from all of the racing so far this year and a trail race is always tougher than a road race.
Walking up to the aid station
As the race went on, the weather kept getting warmer and warmer. So surely, my legs started cramping up really bad. The course was pretty much the same as last year, but with a few changes, the section on the popular Mulholland Trail was extended. The turnaround point was and felt quite further this year... all the way to Mt. Lee Road.
Some of the views were pretty spectacular, but there were plenty of butt burning inclines that we had to hike up in order to see them. They even had a bench up there for you to enjoy the view. Boy was I tempted to sit for a spell, but the sun was out and I just wanted the race to be over.
As I got closer to the finish line, I was having difficulty running the downhills as well. A couple of my friends passed me and urged me to follow them, but I was having all sorts of trouble. Besides the leg cramps, I was having headaches. The heat was definitely getting to me. I thought that I best just take my time finishing. After walking a bit and taking deep breaths, the legs eventually loosen up enough for me to jog to the finish.
Finish 5:55:46
I got my medal and belt buckle. I like this year's buckle better. I was completely out of fluids, so I went and got some after crossing the finish line. I was a bit disappointed with my time being about 10 minutes slower than last year's time. After talking to a few of my friends at the finish area, I left to go eat a pair of Double Doubles near home. Boy, did they hit the spot!
Double Double
I then went home and got cleaned up. For dinner, I went out to eat some soon dubu and bulgolgi at Cho Dang to help me recover for tomorrow's half marathon. I tried to get in my body as much protein and calories as I could, but in hindsight it was still not enough.
Soon dubu and bulgolgi
Complimentary self serve ice cream!
Sunday 3/30 Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation Half Marathon
A good friend of mine urged me to run this race because he thinks I could run a half marathon in my sleep. I guess I can be talked into running just about any race for a good charity. The last time that I ran this race was back in 2008 when it was only a 10k race. I got to Irvine Valley College right around 6am. There was a lot of traffic in the parking lots. After getting parked, I made my way to the expo area to pick up my race packet. I love races with race day packet pickup. Besides the normal bib and shirt, Asics gave out a pair of red arm sleeves. Finally they give out something that's useful. On my way back to my car, I bumped into my friend who was coordinating the volunteers for the race. She's awesome!
WE ROCK's Andrea!
Bib
Start and Finish
As the start of race got closer, I grabbed my stuff and headed for the starting corral. My friend spotted me along the way. I wanted to get closer to the front, but my friend was planning on taking it slow so we compromised a stood somewhere in the middle. I knew that my legs were not fresh, but I wanted to still push the pace to see what they were capable of on tired legs.
Starting corral
Map
To my surprise, the legs were a little sore but they were moving pretty well. I was cruising along at about a 8 minute per mile pace for the first 5 miles, but I think I got too greedy and kept my foot on the pedal for too long. By the 6th mile, I started having problems. The right hip started to get sore again and I had trouble maintaining the same cadence. The bottom pretty much fell away beneath me. But it kept getting worse. My energy level just kept getting lower and lower. I tried to jog as much as I could for the remainder of the race, but the more I tried to run the more that I felt faint. During the last two miles, I had to walk a lot in order not to pass out. I was starving, but had no food on me.
1: 8:09
2: 8:11
3: 8:05
4: 7:51
5: 7:56
6: 8:37
7: 8:59
8: 9:35
9: 10:35
10: 11:27
11: 10:20
12: 14:17
13: 13:49
13.1: 1:03
Finish: 2:08:53
That was one epic bonk! I have never bonked that badly before in a half marathon. Today I only had about a 10k in my legs. But I guess I've done worse at a half marathon without having run a hard marathon the day before.
After crossing the finish line, I ate an orange slice and a banana in the finishing chute. I grabbed a bag of PopChips, a bottle of water, and a Propel Zero electrolyte drink. Then I headed to the tables to find a place to sit down. I stopped by the Wienerschnitzel truck to pick up a hot dog and a corn dog. They were giving them out for free! I grabbed a seat and quickly ate the hot dog, the corn dog, and a bag of PopChips. Then I grabbed another chili dog to make sure that I had sampled one of everything that they had put out.
Wiener Wagon
Wiener dog
Sample corn dogs and hot dogs
After scarfing down everything, I felt much better. I then went around to all of the booths to check things out. I even found a booth for Krave jerky. I had no idea that Meb was endorsing them! I love Krave jerky! I also sampled a spoon of Italian ice from the Mustache Mike's truck.
In-n-Out booth
Meb eats Krave jerky
Italian ice
I would love to run this race again and every year. It's for a great cause. I just hope not to run it again the day after a marathon. It also normally falls on the same date as another marathon that I'd like to run. So if it fits my schedule, I'll plan to run it again.
Reverse Goofy
Then to make sure that I feel better, I made my way over to The Habit. I love their Double Char with raw onions. They had a new item on their menu, fried green bean. It was pretty much tempura. I liked it and it does count as healthy food, right? :)
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