I might have said I would never run another marathon, but when someone pays your entry fee as a birthday gift I guess you can’t say no (Thanks Devri). I wish someone else would have offered to train and run the marathon for me, that would have been a nice gift. It was difficult to work around Remi's training schedule. I wouldn’t have been able to prepare for the LA Marathon without the help of some wonderful babysitters. Thanks Betsy, LaLa, and John. I rarely even had to ask them to watch the kids. They would call and offer to watch the kids so I could run.
My first day of training was Dec. 1. I woke up to 7 inches of snow. I also woke up to a recorded message from the school district. The message was in Spanish, but I knew what it meant, “Snow Day.” Yes the district was very embarrassed that every employee and parent in the district received two early morning calls that day, one in Spanish and one in English. I was just happy to have the day off.
I thought the winter training would be difficult, but once I actually got out there and started running it wasn’t too bad. I enjoyed the crisp air and the crunch of snow under my feet. I’m a creature of habit, so I always ran on the Greenbelt. It is nice that my parents live exactly 6 miles from my house on the Greenbelt. Their house made a great bathroom/water stop. On my 16 mile run I was thankful for the Nutterbutter cookies.
After 4 months of training, race weekend was here. I was really looking forward to not being a mom for a few days. I only had to pack for myself and going through airport security was a lot easier without 2 little kids and a stroller. I actually finished reading a book. Devri and Ryan picked me up at the airport and right away the laughing started. We went out to lunch and then headed to the race expo to pick up our race numbers and t-shirts. Then to our hotel to relax and try to figure out where we needed to be at 6 in the morning for the shuttle.
The night before the race Ryan and his girlfriend Lauren took us to a great little Italian restaurant. Then we went back to the hotel to try to get some sleep. First Devri had to put pain and titanium patches all over her legs. If she was in that much pain maybe she shouldn't be running a marathon. We watched several weather forecasts for the next day and each one made the rain storm that was coming sound worse. We weren’t looking forward to running in the rain, but we crossed our fingers hoping it would hold off until after the race.
Race Day! Getting to Dodger Stadium for the 7:20 start was actually pretty smooth and dry! We had to wait for about 45 minutes for the race to start. Then the countdown and everyone threw off their sweatshirts and jackets and started running. It was crazy, 25,000 people running across the Dodger Stadium parking lot, not sure where to go. Right after the start there were about 20 guys going to the bathroom on the stadium. Devri decided she had to join them. Then we were off again and the rain started. I tried to keep up with Devri, but I just couldn’t do it. I watched her hat fade away with the crowd.
It was great seeing all of the sites of LA. The crowds were great through the entire course. My name was on my race bib, so it was encouraging to have people cheer me on. I was wet, but feeling good until about mile 17. I had to take a little break in a port-a-potty. I won’t go into detail, but it was by far the grossest port-a-potty I have ever seen. Then I was off again. At first I tried to avoid the rain puddles, but then it got to the point where that was impossible. There were some intersections that were like small rivers. I was soaked.
I hadn’t seen a mile marker for a while and I had been running for 3 hrs 35 min. I finally saw one coming up, I knew it had to be mile 20. As I got closer I saw that it said 19. I couldn't believe it. I was so disappointed. I knew I would have to step it up if I wanted to reach my goal of finishing under 5 hours.
I pushed through the rain, wind, and pain and finished at 4 hrs 52 min. I quickly got my mylar blanket and wonderful medal. Then I was looking for food. I was so disappointed to find only potato chips and mandarin oranges. Where was the soup, baked potatoes, and cookies? It was the worst finish line I have ever seen.
Then I had to walk a mile in the rain to the family meeting spot. Knowing in my mind that Devri was probably safe and warm in the hotel room. I was happy to see Lauren waiting for me with a warm coat. Devri was just around the corner on the "warming" bus. She ran the marathon in 4 hrs 29 min. Ryan and Lauren drove us back to our hotel where we got into bed and didn't move for several hours.
I didn't think my body would ever feel normal again. It took about a week to fully recover. Now I'm wondering what race will I do next?
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