What. In The World. Was That. I forgot an important thing about the marathon – you can train for the race. You can mentally steel yourself for the arduous struggle. But a lot can go wrong over the course of 26 miles 185 yards, it’s farther than anyone is meant to run, and sometimes it’s just not your day.
SYSTEM FAILURE
Last year, I missed my bucket list goal by 16 seconds. Determined to finish the job this year, I joined a running group, bought a timing watch to give me real-time feedback, and came back raring to go. Going into the race, I knew I had undertrained, but I’ve always undertrained and performed above my expectations. This would be my 7th marathon overall and 3rd in LA, so I knew what to expect. Following my fuel plan would keep me from “hitting the wall,” and I would draw on the crowds to run faster than usual and cross the finish line in triumph.
Nearly everything I just mentioned was wrong or backfired on me. Just as an example, this was the first race where I got persistent stomach cramps. There was also an IED scare at the start line (false alarm - someone left their backpack on the ground).
Despite all that, I still finished with my 2nd fastest marathon time ever at 4 hours, 10 minutes and 28 seconds. Critically, I feel better about this year’s race than last year’s, despite performing much more poorly yesterday. In 2018, I made a few crucial mistakes and fell just short of an amazing achievement. This year, too many things went wrong for me to reasonably deal with. But I finished, and I got my medals (see picture).
WHAT’S NEXT
I’ve already run 3 races this year and am signed up for 3 more including a December marathon. I may also run a 5k in about 3 weeks (casually! It’s a school fundraiser).
I’m not sure I want to go for a sub-4 again. The last 2 times I tried, racing the clock took the joy out of running.
As for LA, I’m going to sign up for next year’s race. It’s the LA Marathon’s 35th anniversary, and that means the medal will probably be very elaborate. However, I seriously doubt I’m going to fundraise again. I’ve raised over $3,000 in 3 years, I feel like I’ve done enough, and I’m sure you’re tired of me asking you for money year after year. I see myself next year wearing my run club’s shirt with the FSPH hat.
DONOR ROLL CALL
To Amelia, Joyce, Hannah, Jonathan, Lauren, Michael, Taylor, Tiffany and all the anonymous benefactors, thanks again for your support. Some of you have contributed for multiple years, and that’s far beyond what I could ask from you.
This is Alan of Team FSPH, signing off for possibly the last time.
NEXT LONG RUN: 13.1 miles, pacing a friend’s 1st half marathon in Orange County in May
“Again with the lack of updates?” This whole season has been out of whack, but Race Day has arrived all the same.
TAPER
Since the 20-mile rain run, I’ve intentionally run less to avoid leaving my best on a practice course somewhere. Instead, I’ve found myself looking for inspiration by watching movies about space exploration. Lofty goals, impossible challenges, obstacles overcome.
FUNDRAISER
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the School covered my race fees, so I donated the money I would have paid to this fundraiser. Along with some other donors, I’ve met my fundraising goal! Over the last 3 years, people like you have chipped in $3,000. That’s a lot of confidence you’ve put in me, and I thank you.
BIB #24237
Every time I get close to a race, I wonder why I’m doing it, fantasize about dropping out and conclude it’s more business than pleasure. Then I go to pick up my bib, see the “WELCOME RUNNERS” banner, and can’t stop myself from grinning ear to ear. I’m home.
I have bib #24237. Compared to last year (see picture below), the bib is a lot more colorful but the team shirt is almost identical, with a font change from official italics and serif to a simple, upright bold. Appropriate, as I’ve been thinking of this year’s race as a re-do of last year’s.
You may have noticed the “Conqur LA” badge on the bib. To try to keep me motivated throughout the year, I ran the other two races offered by the marathon’s sponsors, and assuming I finish, I’ll get two medals.
NEW DONORS: Jonathan, myself, Lauren, and another anonymous benefactor
FUNDRAISER STATUS: 100% complete!
NEXT LONG RUN: 26.2 miles at The Big Race
RACE DAY COUNTDOWN: tomorrow! Track my progress here: http://results2.xacte.com/#/e/2232/trackers
Sorry for the not updating last week. The past 2 weeks have been a metaphorical gut punch at work.
UP
Despite everything that’s been going on, training has actually been rather OK. Last weekend, I ran 6 miles, then practiced running on tired legs by doing 13 the next day and still managed a sub-2 hour pace. On Saturday, I completed a staggering 20 with my group in the rain and felt pretty decent at the end (see me in action below). Granted, we didn’t go at race pace, but I learned a lot about what the race could be like if there’s adverse weather.
...if you’re questioning the wisdom of running in the rain, I’m right there with you. It IS bizarre, and yet I did it in spite of, or perhaps because of, that thought.
DOWN
It may seem obvious, but it needs to be said that these runs don’t happen in a vacuum. Life goes on, whether or not I lace up my shoes. People sometimes joke that they run because it’s cheaper than therapy. That doesn’t really apply when there’s a buildup to a big race. Then it just becomes another source of stress. Don’t get me wrong, I still feel more alive after a run like I usually do, but the race looms over everything like a quiet background noise.
FORWARD
But like I said, life goes on. In May, I will run the Orange County Half Marathon. When I ran the full course in 2015, Michael Nguyen came out to watch me finish. This year, I’ll repay the favor by pacing him through his first half. Got to build up other people, kind of like what I’m doing with this fundraiser. Additionally, I also registered for the December California International Marathon in Sacramento. This one’s just for me, as I’ve never done it before and it’ll serve as a second chance to break 4 hours in case I don’t do it at LA. The course purports to be flat and fast, though I’ve heard that before.
NEW DONORS: Michael, Tiffany, and another anonymous benefactor
FUNDRAISER STATUS: 47% complete, $339 to go
NEXT LONG RUN: 10 mile step-back
RACE DAY COUNTDOWN: 3 weeks from today - I love this promo video I found! Awesome music synced perfectly to inspiring visuals.
REV UP
I think starting this fundraiser finally got me to put points on the board. Over the past week I rode 40 miles, walked 4, and ran 20, including the race detailed below.
MOTIVATION
While I’d like to be a super motivated person who runs just to run, the truth is that I’m inherently lazy and that I constantly have to remind myself that any reason that gets me to exercise is good enough. There have been many nights when the only reason I ran at all was because I had to mail a package. That 4 mile walk I mentioned earlier? I had to get home from lunch after seeing the dentist.
FIRECRACKER
I completed the LA Chinatown Firecracker 10K for the first time on Sunday. Running it on a whim for the experience, the race was the first time I had actually run in 2 solid weeks. OUCH! The course began with a monstrous 450 foot gain that gave me terrible side stitches. Once I recovered, I was able to make up time on the downhill and actually finished only about 10 seconds off my record, which was set on a much flatter course. The medal is customized each year for the relevant animal in the Chinese Zodiac. I think I’ll do it again next year – the day when I can cruise up that hill will be the day I’m really in shape.
NEW DONORS: Amelia, Hannah, and an anonymous benefactor
FUNDRAISER STATUS: 16% complete, $541 to go
NEXT LONG RUN: 10 mile step-back
RACE DAY COUNTDOWN: Just under 5 weeks
First off, many thanks to Joyce and Taylor for donating without me even having to publicize this page! Fundraising is the least enjoyable part of running the marathon and I really appreciate you two going out of your way to make it easier.
INDOOR BIKING
This is my 3rd consecutive year running this race, and while I’ve accumulated a lot of wisdom, I’ve also built up a lot of fatigue. That’s contributed to my lackadaisical race prep. For example, this week I was supposed to run 16 miles even though it was raining because I should be prepared for anything on Race Day. However, I got lazy and eventually just hopped on the stationary bike I bought a month ago. Combined with an old tablet playing Netflix, that bike has provided a great option for when I don’t want to go outside. It’s not the same though.
FIRECRACKERS
Next Sunday, I’m running the Firecracker Run in LA’s Chinatown. It’s only a 10k, but I’ve never run it before and it promises a challenging course with steep uphill climbs.
GREECE
In other news, a friend recently gifted me a book about Stylianos Kyriakides, a Greek running champion who came from nothing to become a world class runner. After surviving the Nazi occupation during World War 2, Kyriakides saw that his country was starving and made his way to America, where he managed to win the Boston Marathon. His victory spread the news of the plight of his countrymen, and he returned to Greece with a cargo ship of supplies donated by well wishers. Truly an epic story. Too bad the writing is amateurish and has basic punctuation mistakes!