




ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A special thank you goes out to the TEAM!
Lori Christensen of viXen training was my foundation for the LA Marathon. Lori., you kept me laser-focused on my fitness goals. Your super training kept my body injury issue (IT Band) manageable and safe, which helped me cross my very first marathon finish line. YOU ARE THE BEST!
Ubi, The Healer is my masseuse. Ubi, you worked your magic on me constantly throughout my ongoing injury issue and got me back on the track in faster time than expected. Your hands caught what could have become a problem during my training. My body was at 100% on race day and I don’t believe I would have gotten there without you. Thank you, Ubi, for having the GREATEST HEALING HANDS!
Sporteve, a specialty retail store for women’s fitness gear, always meets my training and racing needs. Sporteve, your technologically advanced clothing and accessories got me back to running comfortably throughout my injury issue. You are so knowledgeable about new, cutting-edge technologies and products on the market for women, and you always provide me with whatever I need! I LOVE YOU LADIES! THANK YOU!
LA Roadrunners Group 10 was my surrogate family for seven long months of tough (and fun!) training. Special thanks to my four frontrunners, Bradley, DJ, Sharon, and Stan! Extra special thanks to Linda, my awesome running partner, the yin to my yang! YOU ALL ROCK!
Big, warm, thanks to everyone else (Cheryl, Michael and Denham) for all your love and support!
MARATHON RACE REPORT
Sunday Morning, Race Day, March 21, 2010
3:18AM – crawled out of bed and stretched for 30 minutes. Breakfast was a pita bread stuffed with two eggs, four strips of turkey bacon and a slice of Swiss cheese. I also had a whey protein shake with flaxseed and a large banana that I finished on my way to Santa Monica.
4:30AM – Santa Monica was crowded with people trying to park their cars and get to the shuttle busses that were going to Dodger Stadium. Even though I knew the ins and outs of downtown Santa Monica, it seemed like everyone else knew the same secrets this morning. I felt stress.
5:30AM – Got on the bus and met a lady named Judith from San Francisco. She said she worked for IBM and that she traveled a lot. She’s run marathons all over the country. Her registration number was 27,000+ and her pace was the same as mine. We talked about everything, ex-husbands, jobs, how much money the City of LA was getting for this marathon, men in general, etc. for 45 mins.
6:10AM – Arrived Dodger Stadium. Judith and I wished each other luck. I thought we might bump into each other again, but that was the last time I saw her.
6:25AM – Found my Roadrunners group (group 10)! Groups like ours get special privileges to the clubhouse restroom facilities. Since the lines were really long at the regular restrooms, it was time to take a bathroom break.
6:40AM – Checked in my backpack that held all my gear for after the race: sweatpants, jacket, camera, tennis shoes, socks and even almonds. I was ready now and met up with my group to head out to the starting line corral.
Roadrunners Group 10
Racing with a group has been so different from racing on my own. I have the support of a group of fellow runners and we all put aside personal training goals for the sake of the group, for each other. The Group asks, “What happen to you last Saturday?” The Group questions you on if you did your workout during the week. The Group cares if you become injured and looks forward to your speedy return. Group 10 has been my surrogate family for seven months and they were my #1 supporter on Race Day. I haven’t found that anywhere else. As a new marathoner, I am so grateful for my group for all their support and encouragement. It’s been the best group experience I’ve ever had.
The Pace Leaders
DAVE, DON, EVA, GARY, and ORLANDO have been my #1 supporters. I could not have asked for better leaders. For seven months, they answered all my questions in preparation for Race Day. They kept me on a steady pace and gave me tips on how I could handle my first marathon. Thank you so much, you are the GREATEST!
The Starting Line
I saw a sea of people waiting to start running. The start time was pushed back to 7:25AM and I crossed the starting line at 7:56AM. Before the start, people were pulling off their clothes and stuff and throwing them down on the ground, so it was easy to be hit in the head with something. Heading out, I had to watch my footing to keep from tripping on all that stuff! I didn’t want to start my first 26.2 mile marathon with a fall.
The Run
At mile 3, I felt good. My running partner Linda and I agreed that it was music time. When we got to Echo Park, I remembered that my friend Mariela lived here and that she said she’d watch me run by. I didn’t know what street corner she’d be standing on, so I kept looking for her while I was running. Just as I was about to stop looking, I saw her on a corner with her dog. I called out to her and so did my group. It was so great seeing her and acknowledging her wave. THANK YOU, MARIELA for your support!
Next I was looking for a restroom since I was about to explode. To the left, I saw a Mickey D’s and to the right a doughnut shop. I figured Mickey D’s would be crowded so I headed to the doughnut shop. FYI: leaving a group is very dangerous because I risk never seeing them again. I knew the group would continue their pace and I would have to double or triple time it back to catch up to them. It’s a very hard task to run outside of the pace that I’ve been trained for. My bladder didn’t care.
At the doughnut shop, the clerk at the counter tried to send me to Mickey D’s across the street. I offered him $5 to use their restroom. “No.” $10 got a head nod and his finger pointed to a door. The door was locked so the head nod went back to “no.” I pulled out a $20 and a customer said, “Go to the laundromat down the ways. ”$10 just not what it used to be. I spent 5 mins at the doughnut shop and another 5 at the Laundromat because an employee was using the restroom. So much time had passed that I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to catch up to my group.
After what felt like a gallon of water pass through me, I was back on the route and I knew I had some serious time to make up to get back to my group again. I knew they walked 1 min at water stops which are at every mile, and that they use the stands on the right. I also knew they ran in the middle of the road on even ground. With so many people ahead of me, it was very hard to see. If they weren’t in 2x2 formation, I could easily pass them by.
I realized I would have to run at my faster triathlon pace to catch up to them and not take that 1 min walk break at the water stations. I made sure to drink water at every mile but I kept on moving and my speed was 7.2 when I picked up water, after the water it dropped down to 6.8, which was very acceptable. I was so glad I wore my Suunto watch and heart rate monitor because they helped me manage my faster pace. I wanted to make sure I didn’t drop dead. The average speed for my group was 5.3 to 5.8, depending on the pace leader. I was confident that at my current speed I should catch them at a water break. I promised myself that I’d keep up this pace until I found my group and my partner.
I caught up to Don, my group’s Pace Leader, but apparently, the group had split and
Don
I settled back into the regular pace and turned my i-Pod back on (while I was playing catch-up, I was so focused that my i-Pod was off). I was so happy to be back with my group and partner that I started singing out loud. Everyone started laughing because I’m singing happily, loudly, and very off-key.
For several miles, I had been noticing that someone was running to the left of me and that this person had been mirroring my pace and movements. When I avoided a walker, she avoided that walker. When I avoided a group of seniors, she avoided them too. She wasn’t wearing a Roadrunners shirt. I introduced myself and found out that she was in my group and had taken off her Roadrunners shirt because it chafed. Her partner hadn’t shown up that morning. “Oh! This is Linda, my partner,” I said, “and I always run to the left of her.” Linda responded, “I get lost if Nina’s not on my left.” Then I said, “I get lost if Linda’s not on my right.” Rachel laughed, “You guys are funny!” I got to be Rachel’s surrogate partner that day.
It turns out that during training, Rachel would run in the middle of our group, and since I always rain in front, we had never met before. Rachel was like a true athlete, she kept on pace, stayed with the group and never took a restroom break. YOU GO, RACHEL!
When Pace Leader Dave took a restroom break, he asked me how long it took to catch up with the group. When I told him “3 miles at triathlon pace,” he replied, “a 10k race.” I think he was visualizing what he was going to do to get back to the group after taking his break. Dave left us at mile 12 and I didn’t see him again until mile 21. He’s our fastest Pace Leader and was missing for 9 miles because Dave is just funny. When he caught up to us again he said, “Wow, you guys are hauling ass!” I said, “You did it, Dave, you ran like a triathlete.” At mile 26, he reminded us to splash water on our faces to look clean and crisp for the finish line photos.
The Finish
Our group started out with 45 and at the end, we were 8. For most of it, I ran as part of the front 6 until Dave and another rejoined us to make 8. Linda and I kept pace throughout.
When I turned the corner from San Vicente to Ocean, I was feeling the runner’s high. I heard Dave say, “There’s the finish line, you can take off now. Go!” I was like a race horse ready to take off. All I heard was “GO!” I didn’t think, I didn’t check in with my partner, I just took off. (ADD at its finest moment.) I took off with all my speed and might, my legs stretched out, my arms flowing with my stride, and I was a rocket! People on the sidelines were cheering me on and that made me go even faster! This was not the plan. Linda and I were supposed to sprint together across the finish just as we had agreed. I failed my partner on the last leg of the race.
When I got to where I thought the finish line was, there was nothing but balloons. There were no cameras, no announcer, just something that had looked like a finish line to me. I looked back and couldn’t see Linda or my group. I felt very disappointed. I continued to run and figured that the real finish was about a half mile away. I felt angry at myself and Dave and I could feel it getting the best of me.
One of the LA Roadrunner Trainers saw how upset I was and started to talk me back down to a normal pace. “Relax, you’re almost there” his calming voice said, “Bring your arms down, take in your breath nice and easy, and release it. That’s it, you got it.” Thankfully, he helped me regain my focus. I let go of my anger and returned to a nice easy pace. I don’t remember where my heart rate was or my speed but I do remember that he was running on the sidelines next to me, keeping the conversation within earshot. I am so grateful to him because when he found me, I was without focus and very upset. It was because of him that I got it back and got back on track and was able to complete my race. I wish I had gotten his name.
My Goal
I trained for seven long months, giving up all my Saturdays in order to finish the 2010 Los Angeles Marathon, my very first. I reached the finish line with a time of 5:18:23 and a pace of 12:08/mile. It was so worth it! I made new friends like Kia, Nannette, Nicole, and Teresa just to name a few. I had an amazing group experience with the Roadrunners Group 10 who just ROCK! I feel strong and empowered. WHAT AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE!
Disclaimer
I may have omitted some stories or left out some names of important people. I apologize to those people whose names and/or stories did not appear in this race report. Please know that I love and appreciate you. Thank you so much for your love, support and understanding.
Nina
Triathlete/ Marathon Finisher
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