Sunday, March 26, 2017

Redemption at LA Marathon

It was 2 years ago that I first ran the LA Marathon and it just so happen to be my first marathon ever. I did not stick with my running schedule and was not prepared both nutritionally and all the hills/inclines on the course. The weather was miserable with the temperature reaching around 99* and sunny skies. It was so hot that the race even started a whole hour early!! I needed a redemption this year at LAM and I GOT it!! My marathon time this year was 5:19 which was a PR of 1 hour and 14 minutes.
This time I made sure to not only focus on my training plan but also my nutrition. For the last 2 years I have only been using Tailwind in my water for all my runs. I seriously never run without it! Even if it's just a short run, I will put at least a scoop of Tailwind in my water. It has truly made a difference in how I feel both during and post runs. For LAM this year I used my back two bottles on my Orange Mud VP2 to hold 2 scoops of Tailwind in each. I had a soft flask with water in my front left pocket on my chest. I did not need to refill my Tailwind during the race but did refill my soft flask twice with water. I never had that bonking feeling and didn't have to stop to use the bathroom along the course. Unlike the first year I ran LAM, I spent a good chunk of time in the bathroom around mile 10 with stomach issues.

I absolutely love this race. It's a point to point race starting at Dodger Stadium and ending near the Santa Monica Pier. The crowd support is amazing! So many people are out cheering you on and providing yummy snacks along the way. Not to mention you get to see a bunch of touristy things all at one time and with no traffic!! This year the weather was near perfect! The downside to LAM this year was their expo. I just was not a fan. When you first walked in, there was the runner wall. Unfortunately they plastered Sketcher Performance sign in the middle of one section and my name was completely covered. They also had pictures of their ambassadors on the runner wall covering up other runner's names. Just not cool. The official marathon gear did not offer a great selection. The female shirts ran small, were SUPER low cut at the chest and most of the logos ran across the boob area. Lots of neon colored tops that were very form fitting and not a big variety to pick from. I LOVED the LAM expo in 2015 when Asics did it.

For race day I wore my favorite INKnBURN water shorts and paired it with the Ella tank. I had on my Orange Mud VP2 with the accessory bag on the back, my visor and buff. I did start the race in my OM arm sleeves but took them off at some point and stuffed them into the accessory bag. In the accessory bag I had my ID, cards, cash, female products, travel sun screen, chap stick, extra packet of Tailwind (just in case), and my arm sleeves. I also wore my blue PRO Compression socks, Goodr sunglasses and Hoka One One Clifton 2s. I wanted to run with my new Topo Athletic Ultrafly shoes but just had not ran enough in them to see how they would do for the longer distance. I wish I had worn them because my toes ended up rubbing with my Hokas during the race.

I do not intend to return back to LAM in the future. I got what I came for and feel the need to move on. I'm thinking about replacing the LAM with the Griffith Park Marathon or 50K next March. I love the trails and would still get some amazing views of LA and the Hollywood sign.

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