2011 Rock n Roll Los Angeles Half Marathon Recap

Date: October 30, 2011
Location: L.A. Live
Start: 7:30am
Finish: 1:45:56
Elevation: 

You know I actually can't remember how or why I ended up signing up for this race. There was probably some sort of discount involved. You know how I like a deal. I've been so busy lately that this race just sort of sneaked up on me.

It's been awhile since I've been to the LA Convention Center.

I just wanted to quickly get in and out. 

Except after I picked up my race bib, I started looking around and did some shopping. Rock n Roll sure does knows how to put together a good line-up of vendors.

As I was on my way out, I noticed Kara Goucher sitting at the Nutrilite booth and there was no line so I went over to say hello to her. We chatted a bit and she signed a postcard for me. She was really nice and personable. Good luck at the Olympic trials in January, Kara!

After that I was on my way out again and noticed that Josh Cox and Deena Kaster was about to take the stage for a Q&A session. So I grabbed a front row seat and listened as these amazing athletes talked about racing tips and strategies. Josh said something during the session that really spoke to me. These are not his exact words as he spoke for several minutes on this one topic but this was what I got from it. He said that most people go out of their way to seek out comfort in life and that as runners we not only pay to race but we pay for discomfort. So when we are out there on race day during those last critical miles when we are uncomfortable and just want it to stop, that is the time that we need to push ourselves and embrace the pain! He said that racing and winning is about how much more discomfort you can tolerate than the next guy.

This was just the thing I needed to hear on this day. I am THAT person who will let up at the end because I just don't want to tolerate another moment of discomfort. I was fixated on everything he was saying about this "embracing the pain" speech because it really hit home for me. Thanks for the verbal kick in the rear! Josh finished 5th and Deena was first female across the finish line! She is just amazing!

As for my own race, I barely finished within the 1:45 time slot. I didn't have a goal in mind but for a brief second I thought I had a PR in me. I was just not committed to the idea at the starting line. It wasn't until halfway through the race that I noticed that I was feeling pretty good and decided to see if I could PR. I came up short but am still very happy with my time. I saw SkinnyRunner at the turnaround near mile 9 for me and 10.5 for her. She was dressed in this candied corn costume I think.

This race was awesome and it isn't even because I particularly liked the course because I didn't. This course ran over parts of the old LA Marathon course which brought back so many memories for me since it was my first marathon but it comprised of two out-and-back routing with some inclines towards the back half when you really don't want any (see elevation chart).

I liked it because logistically it was perfect...for me at least. I got up at 5am this morning and was parked inside the convention center parking lot by 6am. I had a lot of time on my hands to work out my nerves and stretch. The 7:30am start time is ideal for me since it lets my body wake up a bit. I used the bathroom twice inside the convention center and they were CLEAN! Plus it was warm inside there when the outside temperature was still a bit chilly. The corrals were organized. The volunteers were top notched. The bands were rockin'! A beautiful sunrise race start with perfect starting temp that eventually warmed up quite a bit though. I found the whole experience to be quite pleasant and would not mind running this race again in the future.

And as always, Rock n Roll knows how to rock the bling!

Mile splits, inconsistent on the back half. 

Mile 1 - 7:54           Mile 8 - 6:17 (probably going downhill)
Mile 2 - 8:09           Mile 9 - 7:45
Mile 3 - 7:53           Mile 10 - 8:25 (this must be around the bridge)
Mile 4 - 8:01           Mile 11 - 7:41
Mile 5 - 7:59           Mile 12 - 7:55
Mile 6 - 8:14           Mile 13 - 7:21
Mile 7 - 8:06           Last .1 - 6:45

I ran wearing some cat ears. Surprisingly comfortable.