The 30th LA Marathon took place on Sunday, March
15 with scorching temperatures. (It reached the 90s at the finish line.) The
temperature was expected to be so high that only a few days before the race, race
officials moved the start time of the race 30 mins earlier. They also removed all the clocks along the
course to discourage runners from trying to achieve some personal record
(PR). They warned everyone to run
cautiously, hydrate frequently, and that this race was NOT the race to push
yourself for a personal best.
When I signed up for the 2015 LA Marathon back in September
2014, I wanted to achieve a PR. My last
year’s time was 4:57, and I wanted to cross the finish line at 4:45. I was warned by a friend that my desire was
much too ambitious, because that would require me reducing my per mile time by
30 seconds. I followed the same training
guide from Runner’s World, except for this time, I included more speed runs and
more weight training. I was very
consistent throughout the training until a month before race day when personal
motivation eluded me.
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| at the expo |
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| shopping at the expo. They had some really amazing deals. |
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| My name on the runners' wall |
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| A quick stop to Hooters after the Expo |
The LA Marathon is very special to me. It always will be, not only was it my first
marathon, but Lance and I eloped two days before the 2011 marathon. I also love the famous Stadium to Sea course. The course begins at historic Dodger Stadium and
ends at the beautiful Santa Monica beach/pier.
There are many historic sites you pass along the course, but honestly, I
don’t remember seeing much of anything.
I am so immersed in my own thoughts; it is sometimes like I’m running
blindly out there. I am completely
oblivious. This was
the third time I had run the LA Marathon, and each time, the weather was less
than ideal. In 2011, I had to contend
with torrential rain/thunder. Last year,
I had to deal with high-temperatures, similar to this year. Normally, Lance and I reserve a hotel room at
the start line, but this year, we changed our plans and stayed at the finish
line. Our hotel was directly across from
the Santa Monica Pier, within walking distance from shops, restaurants, and the
finish line. It couldn’t have been a better location. When I finished the race, I walked a short
distance back to our room.
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| Course map |
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| Our room in Santa Monica |
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| View from our room |
What makes the LA Marathon even more wonderful is the support. I’ve run many races, never another full
marathon, but I’ve run countless half marathons, and often the half marathons
and the full marathons courses overlap. What makes such a difference is the Los
Angeles community. From the moment you
depart on the course until you cross the finish line, there are spectators
aligned who encourage and cheer for you.
However, they do more than that.
They are out there giving water, Gatorade, ice, apple sauce, bagels,
coconut water, popsicles, bananas, oranges.
They are spraying the runners with water to keep them cool. These spectators do all of this strictly as
volunteers. Water and electrolytes were
provided by the race every mile, but in that heat, there were many times that I
needed water sooner than that, and there was always a spectator available to
help. There is such a unique and strong sense of community. It makes me love LA.
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| Catching the shuttle from the Santa Monica Pier to the start line at Dodger Stadium |
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| at the start line |
So what was my official time? What was my strategy? Yes, you
run a race with a strategy. Even with
all the warnings, I am too competitive to make adjustments. I wanted to PR, and I was going to listen to
my body. I decided to start the race as
I planned, running at a comfortable speed that I could maintain for close to 17
miles, which is exactly what I did. I knew that I had to take advantage of the
coolness of the early morning air, and I knew once the heat came in, my speed
would suffer. I ran the first 17 miles as if heat was not a factor. I reached the infamous “wall” at mile
17. Many say the wall is reached at mile
20 but for me, it was mile 17. I didn’t think I could do the remaining 9 miles
to reach the finish. I was hurting. It
was hot. I developed a blister on my
feet. I had rash burns on my thighs, and
surprisingly, my left knee started to hurt.
My historically problematic right knee felt amazing. I transferred my knee brace to my left knee. I started late with the 5:30 pacer. I ran onward and soon reached the 5:00 pacer.
I then ran and met up with the 4:45 pacer.
My goal was to run it in 4:45, and as I ran next to the pacer, I made a
decision and gamble. If I stayed with
the pacer, I would be guaranteed a 4:45 finish, but I was feeling quite good
and so I took the risk and just ran on.
I didn’t know if I could sustain that pace, but I took the risk. The 4:45 pacer never caught up to me. I am so ecstatic to announce that my finish
time for the 2015 LA Marathon was 4:34:40.
I slaughtered my PR by 23 minutes, which is almost a minute faster per
mile than my 4:57 time. I couldn’t
believe it, and today, I’m still in shock.
I ran in the heat and was able to kick ass!
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Place
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Name
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Bib
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Age
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Div Place
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Gender Place
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5K Split
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10K Split
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15K Split
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20K Split
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25K Split
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30K Split
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35K Split
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40K Split
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Clock Time
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Net Time
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Hometown
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5321
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ELIZABETH FELLOWS WADE
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8224
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43
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207
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1428
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29:58
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1:00:46
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1:30:58
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2:01:23
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2:32:41
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3:07:00
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3:44:44
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4:20:15
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4:45:02
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4:34:40
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FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CA
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Running is my church.
I can’t explain how incredibly emotional I get during a run. This emotion is at its height during the
marathon. I don’t train for half marathons. There is so much discipline, self-motivation,
and perseverance that goes into a marathon.
There are four months of training, where no one is telling you to
run. You have to become your own coach. I spend hours running long distances on
Saturday. It was lonely at times. When I stood in my corral for the LA
Marathon, I prayed for a safe race.
Throughout the 26.2 miles, I would pray.
I would think of my mom, my dad, my Blackie, and my Sherry. I could feel their spirit upon me. I thought of my husband and children, and I could
not escape the insurmountable gratitude I felt to God. I don’t know if other runners feel this way,
but it is one of the most emotional and moving moments in my life, and tears
stream down my face. It is a good thing
I have sunglasses on, which help conceal the tears. Finally, when I cross the finish line, I end
the race with a final prayer. I don’t think
I could get any closer to God than I do at that moment.
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| Finished and feeling AMAZING. |
I don’t know if it is due to the last two years of excessively
high temperatures, but the LA Marathon is moving the 2016 race to February 14,
2016, and yes, I have every intention of running again. I am very sore, and each time I feel that
excruciating pain of my sore, tired muscles, a bright smile creeps on my face.
One last note--Something exciting happened on pre-race night. We were having our carb dinner at an Italian restaurant when KTLA Channel 5 news interviewed us. We were on the 10 p.m. news that night. It was only about 5 seconds of fame, but what an exciting 5 seconds!
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| a photo of us on the television |
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| Getting interviewed |
