Packet pickup started at 6:30 am. I was pretty tired from the marathon and the air travel, but I got up and I arrived right at 6:30 am via the Downtown Gate entrance. There was a huge backup once I entered the parking lot. They were funneling 3 lanes of traffic into 1 lane. Seriously, what the hell? It was worse than trying to park during a Dodger game. You have a huge parking lot with multiple entrances and you funnel the cars through 1 lane.
After parking, I jogged over to the packet pickup area just in front of the pavilion area. It was a bib, souvenir chip, and a nice looking race shirt. I then jogged back to my car. It was already feeling pretty warm and humid. Along the way, I bumped into my friend. We decided to start the 10k together. After getting into the corral, we made our way closer to the front. After some of the Dodger legends spoke and the national anthem was sung, it was race time. I'm not too particularly fond of this race announcer. He's always trying to energize the crowd by shouting and playing super loud music. He's just not my cup of tea especially when he blew the air horn into his mic which nearly blew out our ear drums!
Dodger legends
Start/finish line
10k at 7:30 am
The first couple of miles felt okay but it was mostly uphill to the Top Deck area. It quickly turned for the worse as we left the stadium and ran up hills in the surrounding streets. The rolling hills and the heat quickly got to me. By mile 3, I was looking for water to dump on my head as I was starting to get a little dizzy. I had to slow down and walk a bunch during the second 5k because I kept overheating.
10k - 59:40
I know that I had just run a marathon yesterday, but that was way too hot and there was not enough water stations. My actual finishing time was over an hour. I'm not sure what happened with their timing mats. I was not feeling well and my brain felt a bit fried. I knew I had to get fluids into me ASAP. I grabbed a banana, an orange, and a couple of bottles of water. I felt bad taking more than 1 bottle, but I was not feeling good. My friend finished ahead of me stayed with me to make sure I was okay. She even got a coconut water drink for me. I quickly chugged the coconut water. I did not feel better until I forced myself to eat the banana and the orange, and drink a bunch of water.
I felt better so I decided to get back into the starting corral for the 5k. It was super crowded inside the corral. To make things worse, there were still people finishing the 10k. I knew when I saw the race event schedule that they wouldn't have enough time to clear the course before the start of the 5k. It might have been wiser to start the 5k first.
5k at 9 am
I was feeling much better, but I made sure not to over do it and I carried a bottle of water with me. The 5k course was identical to last year's course. The weather was getting warmer by the minute. During the last mile or so, I talked to a big guy that was walking. Of course we talked about the Dodgers. He told me that he hadn't trained for the race, so he was struggling. Before taking off for the finish line, I gave him some of my water to drink. Shortly after I crossed the finish line a girl in the nearby vicinity had collapsed. The race announcer was calling for medical aid.
5k - 36:42
While the finisher medals looked pretty nice, I was somewhat disappointed that the medal was the same for both races. It was basically a 5k event with a 10k and a kid's fun run on the side. I think that they would do well to keep it to one race only and start the race earlier. It's September and it's always going to be hot! There was definitely not enough water stations for both races.
I picked up a bottle of water and an orange before finding a table to sit at by the pavilion section. Afterwards, I walked around the warning track inside the stadium. They were pretty strict in that only water was allowed inside. I was reprimanded by one of the grounds crew stationed there to watch the field when I had set down my water bottle on the grass while I was taking a picture. The bottle was on the grass for 5 secs tops. Next time I'll remember to set it down on the dirt instead to spare myself of the tongue lashing.
Walking around the warning track
I would very much like to continue to support the LA Dodgers Foundation, but they really need to fix some of their race issues. If it's another logistical disaster next year, they'll almost for certain lose my support. With that said, I'll be back next year and I'll be sure not to run a marathon somewhere across the country the day before! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment