Til I Collapse...A Recap of the 2011 Long Beach Marathon

Date: October 9, 2011
Location: Long Beach, CA
Start: 7:00am
Finish: 4:26:55
Elevation:


***I headed to Long Beach on Friday with some coworkers to pick up my race bib. They always like to go just as the expo opens. I was going to wait and go to the expo on Saturday but something came up and I'm glad I got it out of the way.

They had these art mile markers lining the entire course but I decided that I wasn't going to run with my camera this time since I was terribly under-trained and it would probably take all my might just to run.

One race down, two more to go to get this! It's a big honkin' medal. 

I'm also looking forward to getting this cool medal in December.

This was how I spent Saturday night...in a hospital room munching on some baguettes for my carbo meal. There was a pain chart in the room (what I'm pointing at), I am pointing to the "no pain" option. Today I would have been pointing to the "lots of pain" one. I look awful in this photo as I had been in that room almost all day.

And why was I at the hospital the day before the race? Because my beautiful niece was born. Cute right?

Everything started out fine. I actually don't know what mile this is, with no one around me.

It all started to fall apart around the midway point. I had a bad race but it was my own fault for not training properly. My lack of training caused my knee to start acting up. You know what they say, use it or lose it. My right knee started to bother me a bit around mile 17 until the finish line. It would cramp up every other mile so I ended up walking a couple of miles and even had to sit down to do some yoga a couple of times. And look a photographer actually caught a photo of me limping around.

It was also freakin' hot! I had my handheld water bottle refilled a couple of times, plus I drank at every station. I have to say that it wasn't as hot as when I ran Chicago last year but it was warm enough for me.

My knee cramps were so demotivating that I called M to get a pep talk around mile 17 and almost asked him to come and pick me up from Cal State Long Beach. But I didn't because I realized that I might not run a stellar time but I could still walk. By the time I got to mile 25, I was pretty much toast. The knee cramps were coming in and out...then Enimen's Til I Collapse came on my iPod and I started running again. I was determine to finish running. Head down but keep running. Don't stop!

So I ran and ran...slowly...right before I hit the final stretch to the finish line I heard my friends D and J cheering for me and M was cheering for me closer to the finish line, so I ran with what might I had left. I ended up passing about 70 people those last 2 miles. Here I am running it in.

Wish I had that will earlier on in the race. It was a tough day for me mentally...to be sidetracked by knee issues. I've never had knee issues before. I had the energy to run but couldn't...so frustrating! I think I need to start running more if I want to continue to attend these races. Also, I've never had good luck at this race for some reason. One year I got a blister that made me cry from mile 16 to the finish line. That was awful. I don't know why but I feel like I want revenge on this course. That's all I have to say for this recap.

It has been a crazy weekend and I am exhausted! Note to self...please train harder before the Santa Barbara Marathon..because no one wants to hear your excuses. Tough love, that's what I'm all about.

Here's the medal!

Refueling meal of champions...ramen of course!