We train, we diet, we deal with injuries all year long but somehow someway we find a way to make it to the starting line of every race we sign up for. Training prepares you for the race but one thing you cannot train for is mother nature. Feeling 2 months short of being physically ready to run the marathon on Sunday, I laced up my shoes and my grabbed my gear and got ready regardless of what type of shape I was in. I had worried all week about rain but Wednesday’s sunny upper 70’s weather made me think that it would be another year where every runner worried about rain and we would all overdress and then the sun would play its normal trick on us by popping out when we least expected it to, causing many to dehydrate before even reaching mile five but with dark clouds looming all around dodger stadium, we could have only hoped for the sun to bless of for a few miles.
As the race began, Elizabeth and I hung back or I should say I had to run to the bathroom again. I think I hydrated too well because I made at least 4 trips to the bathroom before the race began. I figured there was no rush considering we have timing chips. By the time we jumped into the pack, fifteen minutes had gone by. This landed me amongst the slower runners and walkers, which was just what I needed. My plan was to walk and run the race because with only a month of training, there would be no way in hell I would be able to successfully be able to just haul ass from the start to finish without completely falling apart by mile 8. I also planned to take pictures along the route because I had always admired the view of the crowd from within the crowd. I figured I would make an adventure of the race by carrying my camera. I also realized that I may have had too much stuff. I had a carrying pouch for my ipod, camera, gum, and other stuff, then I had a hydration belt with only two of the four bottles with fluids.
From the start, I knew there was trouble. The timer on my brand new watch wouldn’t even start. I had no way of even keeping an accurate time on my walk breaks but I just went with the flow. The drizzling had already began but I figured this is what we would have to deal with the whole way. I had a plastic poncho over a broncos sweatshirt, over a dri-fit short sleeve shirt. I felt like I was warming up so I ditched the broncos sweatshirt and no soon as I did, the drizzle picked up to rain. I have run in rain before so it was no big deal but by the time I hit mile 4, the rain turned into showers. Showers turned into more showers and before long, I knew we all were in for a test of our endurance and will to deal with the extreme conditions.
My legs felt heavy, and my energy level just seemed non existent but I stuck to my plan. I walked when I needed to and when I felt like running, I ran but I still felt sluggish and heavy. I knew it had to be my hydrations belt. I had no choice to take it off and ditch it. It made me feel lighter and by the time I hit mile 8, I knew I was on a roll. I picked up the pace and really got into a good rhythm. The streets progressively began to look like flowing rivers and it became impossible not to slush through floods of water which were basically at ankle level. My feet were never dry after mile 8. The one rule in running a marathon is to do your best to keep from getting your shoes wet. That completely went out the window. I didn’t worry so much about it because I’d covered my feet with Vaseline so my feet and toes felt good.
As the rain hammered down, it became increasingly difficult to take pictures because my hands were dripping wet. I could barely control my ipod. My cheap poncho caused me so much grief because the hood kept coming off, so I had to tie a space blanket around my neck to keep my hood from falling off. I was starting to look like a bag person but in conditions like this, no one cared about looking good except for the few idiots running without shirts as if it was 90 degrees outside. Apparently thousands of other runner’s didn’t get the message that running for more than hours at a time with little to no clothing in conditions such as these can be dangerous. Everywhere I looked there was someone looking like a popsicle. This would explain the countless amounts of people being treated for hypothermia after the race.
When I got to the 18 mile area, I really fell into a groove. In my mind, I knew 8 miles separated me from the finish line and my eighth straight completion of the Los Angeles Marathon.
There were not a lot of thrills to this race. With visibility at a minimum, the only real goal was finishing the race. When I crossed the finish line, I was proud and relieved. I finally stuck to plan. I knew that I could have run a bit faster and I could have finished with a better time but knowing that I was able to successfully execute a plan feels so much better. I felt so good after the race I ran another mile and a half to the car and I didn’t even feel tired.
I admire all those who stuck with it on Sunday from the runners to the volunteers. Runner’s run regardless of the conditions. It’s what makes us better runners. I’m hoping Sundays race can get me jump started for the upcoming running season and I have plenty of ammunition for next year’s marathon.
Pictures coming soon..
Stay dry
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