Los Angeles 13.1 - 2013 Race Review

So it has been exceptionally cold...for LA standards. The morning of the LA 13.1 half marathon the low was supposed to be 34 degrees. The day before I laid out clothes - pants, long sleeve undershirt, long sleeve shirt, thick socks, gloves, a hat I could throw away, and a trash bag. The plan was to wear the trash bag over my clothes until right before the start and then dump the hat as my head got warm. I arrived at the start way too early, so I reclined my seat and tried to take a nap...as the cold seeped into my car I would turn the heater on and then after a few minutes of the car off, I would be freezing again, so this was just not working. I decided it was time to head to the starting line and wait there instead. Maybe the race organizers had brought portable heaters...nope, as I got to the starting line, all I found were lines to the port-a-potties and shivering, shacking runners. I stayed close to a news van that was emitting a great deal of heat and then headed for the port-a-potties...It was almost warm in there, but the smell was none to pleasant...little did I know this was an omen of things to come. Most runners seemed to be huddled closer than usual at the starting line and I ended up close to the 2:15 pacer. As the race started I kept up with the 2:15 pacer and decided I would try to maintain that pace as long as possible. As we were running through Venice Beach, a homeless man turned to his friend and said, "man! These folks wanna die young!" Interesting that a homeless man had his own opinion of long distance running. We got to the 5 mile mark and the 2:15 pacer was just out of sight, but I thought that I couldn't be too far behind him...and then it hit me!! OH!! THE STENCH!!! Little did I know that the course would take us past a sewage treatment plant...and I guess business was good! At about mile 7, the 2:15 pacer long gone, I was now fairly certain that I would beat 2:30...but by how much?? As I got close to the end of the race two guys kept speeding past me and then walking...we went back and forth for about a mile and a half before the realized that they were basically keeping pace with a 41 year old. As the last mile approached I committed to finish with them, while maintaining a steady pace. They would dart in front of me, and then one would walk which encouraged the other to stop...their walks got longer which was good because my pace was slowing. At mile 13 the started walking again...mile 13!!! 0.1094 miles left and they decide to walk...so I shouted at them..."hey, don't let the old guy beat you!" and BOOM! They took off!! If they ever make a movie of my life I think the director will have me beating those two guys by inches...but in reality...they left me in the dust! But no matter...I got my PR! 2:21:32 was my official time...almost 20 minutes faster than my fastest half marathon. Next on the horizon is the LA Marathon, but before I can run from Dodger Stadium to Santa Monica Pier, I get to log tons of miles. 

PR!!!! PR!!!! PR!!!!

In 2 hours 21 minutes and 32 seconds I ran the Los Angeles 13.1 half marathon...a personal record!! Not just a PR, but a I totally crushed my previous best by almost 20 minutes!!!As the official test race for the LA Marathon, this was better than I could have imagined...but it started the questions flowing...
--If I could cut 20 minutes off of my half marathon time could I cut 30-40 minutes off of my marathon time?
--My training runs haven't really shown this huge increase, so where did this come from?
--For the first time ever I ran with a pacer (the 2:15 pacer) for part of the race, was this the reason for my improved time?
--For most races I have tried to run negative splits (increased pace in each progressive mile) in all of my previous races, but since I ran with a 2:15 pacer for the first 6 miles, should I scrap that?

So many questions...there will be plenty of time to contemplate them later...but for now I'll just take some time to enjoy my new personal record!! 2:21:32!!! Whooo-hoooo!!!!

Yard sale!!

Running is fun! That's what they tell me anyway!! Sometimes it's more fun than others. It has been SUPER cold lately...well super cold for California standards...so it has been really hard to get out of bed. This morning my bed was exceptionally warm, so it was exceptionally difficult to get out of bed. I finally got on the road about 1/2 an hour after I had intended. Then about 1/2 a mile into my run flop!! I was sprawled out like a yard sale. I was tempted to turn around and go home, but then decided to finish off the run. It got me to thinking...how dedicated of a runner am I? It's a hard question to ponder, but one that seems to come up once in a while. I really think marathon running is partly mental...so I am a dedicated runner...I am!! And I have the scars to prove it!