I drove into Downtown LA at about 11am and parked at the same parking lot as last year at the Northwest corner of Flower St and 8th St. I hoofed it over to the race expo at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel on Grand Ave between 5th and 6th St. The expo was pretty much identical to last year's. The flow of traffic was well thought out last year, so I'm guessing they were not going to mess with something that worked. You first go downstairs to pick up your bib and race hoodie. There was even a nice sign pointing out the features of the new course. They pointed out the 5 major hills and the removal of the tour of the Dodger Stadium parking lot. Yay! Then you go up to another floor for the expo.
Beware of the 5 hills!
Expo
I didn't buy anything or sign up for any races on the first run through of the expo. After saying hi to some of my running friends, I left the expo and made the long trek out to Men Oh Tokushima Ramen to eat my pre-race bowl of ramen. I sat at their bar and had their spicy tonkotsu ramen and Tokushima bowl combo. I then returned to the expo to charge my phone and ended up registering for the OC Marathon for $100 at the expo which saved me a few dollars on registration fees. It would be their 10th year and I have not run the race since 2007. I did volunteer as one of their section commanders back in 2010, but I was curious to see how the race has evolved from the runner's point of view.
My new year's resolution: Eat more ramen! :)
Spicy tonkotsu ramen with Tokushima bowl
I had some more time to kill so I made my way over to The Mixing Room at the JW Marriott to watch the football games and have a couple of Racer 5's. They should make me run faster, right? :)
Racer 5!
I went back to my car to get ready. I checked my gear bag and headed to the starting corrals. I bumped into a couple of my friends. I even met a fellow Marathon Maniac with the bib#666. I had #665 and was wondering who had the unlucky memorable number. I wanted that bib! :) The race was supposed to start at 7pm, but was delayed a bit due to the course not being secured on time.
Starting line
Maniacs at the start
#666!
I wanted that bib! :)
It was dark and I could not spot a majority of the mile markers, so I ran mostly by feel. I ran the first mile a bit too fast, but otherwise I took it at a fairly good pace for current fitness. I just wanted to finish somewhere under 2 hours and save something for tomorrow's marathon. In my opinion, they certainly improved the course to where we were not covering every square inch of the Dodgers Stadium parking lot. There were still some good climbs. They're just unavoidable especially if you want to run from Downtown to Dodgers Stadium. I for one liked the new course. On the way back I started struggling and was actually cramping up, but I was able to hold it together long enough to coast in just slightly under 2 hours.
1: 7:42
2-3: 17:00 (8:30)
4-5: 19:19 (9:40)
6-9: 34:33 (8:38)
10: 9:07
11: 10:14
12-13: 19:17 (9:39)
13.1: 0:50
Finish: 1:58:02
After the race I got my gear bag, put on my jacket, and made my way into the beer garden. They actually had Sierra Nevada beer which was much better than that Michelob Ultra crap that they give out at other races! I was able to bump into a bunch of my friends where we shared our race stories while drinking our beers. I had to bail "early" as it was still a lengthy drive out to Camarillo for me to get "Goofy" at the Camarillo Marathon. I hit the portapotties one last time before hitting the roads.
Post race beer!
Post race beer with friends
I actually had to haul ass over to Camarillo so I could shower and at least sleep a little. It was a bit further than I thought. I even had to pull over once to put gas in the car and to use the restroom. I also made a quick and important stop at the In-n-Out to pick up a Double Double before checking into my hotel, the Good Nite Inn. It was more of a motel than a hotel. I got there pretty late at around 11pm. I parked in a handicap spot near the front desk to get checked in. I then drove around the place to find a regular spot to park my car. The only space left was next to a pretty sketchy panel van. There were people in the van transferring stuff to another car. I just minded my own business, got my stuff, and headed to my room hoping for the best. I ate my burger and showered before calling it a night.
Everything was fine with my car the next morning. There was no crime scene or dead bodies, so I guess the uneasy feeling comes with staying at a cheap motel. Overall the room was clean enough and I felt that I got what I paid for, so I would be willing to stay here again if I need to in the future.
Good Nite Inn
Double Double with cold cheese
Sunday: Camarillo Marathon
It was still pretty dark when I got to the Freedom Park and parked in a big lot. There were no volunteers directing us so a few of us were a bit confused as to if we were okay with where we parked. I walked over to the starting area to pick up my race packet. The shirt was one of those cheap tech shirts with an ugly unmemorable design... into the donation bin it goes. After some last minute instructions from the race director, the marathon started at 7am. It was a pretty small field and actually nobody was pushing to get closer to the front. Maybe nobody was that eager to run this race.
As for me, I was pretty much done with wanting to run after the first two miles. With the small field, the runners quickly spread apart from each other. Holy super wind gusts Batman! The winds were so strong, I had to take off my visor and use it to shield my eyes from the dust being blown into my face! It was especially windy all along Calwelti Rd. as well as the out and back on Aviation Dr near the end of the loop. I was tempted to call it a day after I finished the first loop. The winds and the exposed course made it a pretty rough go the entire way. The strong headwinds during mile 15 nearly stopped me in my tracks. It was pretty demoralizing to be that tired and drained by the winds. Oh, did I mentioned that there was a lot of wind? :)
1: 8:50
2: 8:49
3: 10:15
4: 10:34
5: 9:25
6: 10:18
7: 11:20
8: 11:42
9: 12:32
10: 13:06
11: 12:29
12: 12:15
13: 14:55
14: 14:20
15: 17:15
16: 15:41
17: 15:37
18: 12:10
19: 11:41
20: 12:28
21: 12:28
22: 13:56
23: 13:00
24: 12:34
25: 12:58
26: 14:08
26.2: 2:56
Finish: 5:27:42
Goofy done!
None of my friends and/or people that I knew were around when I finished so I packed up my stuff and headed on home. Wow, these "Goofy" weekends of racing sure are tiring! This was my first time running this marathon and well most likely be my last time. The race as a whole was well organized, but the course was just unremarkable and the gale force winds left me practically crying uncle. I drove back home and as per the usual, I stopped by my favorite local ramen shop, What's Up Men, to eat a bowl of ramen and drink a glass of ice cold beer.
Asahi draft
