Marathon #32: This one is for the kids!

       LA Marathon has always been a beautiful show, especially after the new course was designed, covering the most prominent LA's landmarks. All ages, all shapes, all fitness levels. Due to work, I came to race day without proper training, but with a full heart as I was running for St. Baldrick's Foundation and all kids battling cancer. I could not avoid to think that kids with cancer always come to the challenge frightened and unprepared. 

       I knew I was not alone in my hopes and questionable fitness, as I met my friends from Marathon Maniacs for a group picture (some of them ran a marathon on the day before, some came running to the start).

       And this was lesson number one: YOU ARE NEVER ALONE, IT DOES NOT MATTER WHO YOU ARE.

       As all the runners crossed the start line at Dodgers' Stadium, the first drops of rain started to fall, announcing a challenging race. Winds started to pick up as well, making a chilly endurance statement. Seasoned runners like my friends and I started to worry about risk of hypothermia, but that all added to the race thrill, especially considering we all woke up about three hours before, and now our homes were very far away. The pretty sightseeing kept coming by, coloured by the racers and their jerseys and jackets, but the cold started to pick up. At mile 14 I was soaked, and the cold wind in my chest woke up my asthma, bringing fears of shortness of breath and race quitting. I knew if I was able to continue running I would warm up, get dryer, and breath better, so I kept going.

       And this was lesson number two:

WE ALL HAVE FEARS, WHAT MATTERS IS WHAT YOU DO WITH THEM.

       One of the nice surprises of this new course was to have the race coming to my  neighborhood, running just few blocks from home. It was a blessing from Heaven to see my beloved wife on the corner, and a kiss was the medicine I needed to cross mile 16 running light with a smooth pace. That made me sure I was going to conquer this challenge without any horrible happenings.

       Lesson number three: YOUR FAMILY WILL ALWAYS BE THERE, AND YOU SHOULD COUNT WITH THEM. 

        I came across a lot of concerns during this race, and the worsening weather did not help at all. Having passed the middle point at about 2 hours and fifteen minutes, I knew my finish time would most likely be above four hours and fifty minutes. The rain rushed my stride, and running along my friends reinvigorated my legs. In an attempt to improve my time, and also to avoid the rain, I resorted to my secret weapon: to close my eyes... I always use this in order to avoid looking at the watch or the mile markers, staring the uphills, or getting afraid of the long distances in front of me. I simply look inside my brain and rekindle my courage.

        Lesson number four:

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF: YOU CAN DO MORE THAN YOU THINK.  

        After a sprint over the last two miles, I finished the race in 4:42:42, with few tears hidden by the rain, at least eight minutes faster than my expectations. 

        This is the report of my marathon #32, not my fastest, but my best marathon, because this one was for the kids!  

New Marathon PR!

After a rushed weekend I have the pleasure to tell I have achieved a new marathon PR: 4:22:15. This and the fact that I ran NYC Marathon for three times probably may turn it into my favorite marathon, but it is still debatable.

I had forgotten how rough New York is, and that was for sure reminded in a three-day-stay. It all started with a crowded train from Newark to NYC, and people kicking your bag and pushing you to the side at Penn Station. At the marathon expo, rushed people trying to conquer space on narrow walkways and expensive merchandise and food were additional slaps on the face of a tired jet lag sufferer. At the hotel, twenty minutes of waiting at the front desk, staff people screaming at the corridors and windows facing brick walls.

Do not get me wrong: New York has its own charm; the abundance of convenience stores and Starbucks on almost every corner, the exotic foods from all over the world, the Central Park, and the lights of Times Square. But to appreciate all of that requires to overlook ugly people on dark clothes, avoid hundreds of smokers on the sidewalks and forget people stepping on your neck to run the blocks.

Getting to the Expo on Friday, left Saturday for rest, and we took opportunity to watch Run for your life, a documentary about New York City Marathon and its greatest architect, Fred Lebow. It was a very inspiring movie, perfect for few tears and fueling for the race. The pasta dinner was another perfect New York postcard, with a long line, rushed people and crowded tables, but the best was to eat and leave early.

For about a week I was dreaming with the race, but the two nights before the marathon I was so tired I slept deeply straight. Buses took us to Staten Island for the start and then the real marathon began. The morning was cold and windy, about 38 degrees Fahrenheit, with people squeezing together under tents for about four hours and a half, wearing plastic bags and trying to relax. Unnecessary to say that Port-a-potties ran out of paper.

The NYC Marathon will always be a wonderful spectacle because of the crowds of spectators and its course. The weather was warmer from the start, and the organization in corrals made possible to run your own pace in middle of a sea of runners. Once again my compression socks helped my stride, and the right combination of gels, energy bar, Gatorade and water made possible my journey without hitting the wall. I crossed the half point at 2:05:10, but started to slow my pace. About mile 18 I thought I would just be able to break my NYC Marathon PR (4:28:13), and stopped looking at my watch. When I crossed mile 25 at 4:12 it gave me new life, and finished strong summing up a pace of exact 10 min/mile, achieving a new Marathon PR.

Of course, New York still had to give its message: it took me an hour just to get out of Central Park, and when I got to the hotel I barely had time to take a shower before being expelled from the room by the manager in order to get future guests. After I met my wife, who also ran the marathon, it took from us twenty minutes and a walk for four blocks until we could get a taxi cab to JFK Airport to come back home.

Today I have just passed the usual tiredness and post-marathon depression, still treating a very painful shin splint. Inspired by my recent achievement, I have registered for Vineman Ironman 70.3, in July 19th, 2009. Now things are getting faster and more exciting. Just when I started thinking I was becoming too old for new records...

Talking about achievements, Dean Karnazes has finished the Sahara Race in second place. His feats always give me inspiration and strength.

Next races: Turkey Tri (11/30/08), Vineman Ironman 70.3 (07/19/09).

Hero of the week: My wife. She is my strength and my comfort. Without her I would never have the confidence and the boldness to face all these challenges. She is the one who allows me to throw myself in uncountable hours of training and racing, and hears all my complaints about hunger, soreness and race results. Without proper training, she went ahead and ran her second NYC Marathon with me, not able to enjoy New York the way she likes, going on shopping and dinning. And even after all of that, she had to take the flight back to LA without a shower, due to the hotel problems and the departure time.

Quote of the week: "The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark." Michelangelo