by our new VP, Ann Wilson:
According to meteorologist John Burgos the LA Marathon was forecasted to have rain, wind, and chilly temps. Oh my! Thankfully the weather gods were kind and there was just a bitter chill to the morning. Like in years past, I opted to take the shuttle from Santa Monica. Thankfully, Chris Kim had her wits about her and she reserved a space for us down in Lot 4. Painless!! There was no problem getting onto the shuttles either. You flash your bib number and you’re on! Of course the shuttle ride is filled with idle chit-chat about past runs and racing strategies. Booooorrrring. HAHA. We were on the 5:00 shuttle so traffic was non-existent and our arrival at Dodger Stadium was drama free. The minute we hopped off the shuttle it was time to find warmth.
Tents were set up in the parking lot for runners to lay in, but the faux grass flooring was soaked from the day before. Blech! Thankfully we were armed with trash bags aplenty and we could give our legs a rest. As we migrated from tent to porta potty (repeat) we were able to sample tasty treats from different booths. A favorite = a peanut butter sandwich with honey, bananas and choc chips. YUM! The minutes turned to hours and before we knew it we were disposing of our drop bags and finding our way to Coral B. The lead women were off and then 17:31 later it was time to start the journey of the “Stadium to the Sea” to the tune of “We Love L.A. WE LOVE IT!!”
The first miles were, and always are, a blur. I knew the course had miles of uphill followed by miles of downhill. Who knows, maybe it was the other way around. I was, once again, struck by the subtle climbs throughout the race. It was one after the other. The crowd support, aid stations, and bands were somewhat distracting.
I had a goal of staying within a given heart rate at certain points in the race and I achieved that. At Mile 16 I was starting to rethink my game plan and was visualizing putting it into another gear at Mile 22. Sadly, at Mile 19 or 20 my legs started feeling it and that no longer seemed feasible. What I do know … I was blessed to see Tamera at Mile 20 with the rest of the Pasadena Pacers. She greeted me with an opened pack of Sports Bean, a smile, and words of encouragement. She coached me for the next mile, by pointing out that I was still running and passing people. Hey, maybe I wasn’t doing so bad afterall J. Her words reverberated with me. (Tamera, you are awesome.)
I’d love to say the final descent was fabulous. Um … nope. However, the Lululemon ladies came out in full gear and spirit. I think some necks were tweaked that mile. Soon enough, the finish Line was just blocks away. “Oh, What a Feeling!” Medal?? Check! Finisher Photo?? Check! Mylar blanket?? Check! Animal crackers?? Check! Drop bag?? … Drop bag?? … DROP BAG?!!? … Check! Then it was a leisurely stroll back to the car so we could be en route to the after marathon par-tee. Chris Kim was kind enough to open her place to runners and cheerleaders alike. Food, friends and fabulous fun!! Thanks!!
So, I think the LA Marathon and I have finally reached an understanding. We like each other but there’s no love.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
Brea 8k Recap(s)
Eddie's recap:
Race day is always an exciting time for me. I still get butterflies in my stomach no matter if i'm
running a 5K, 10K, or 1/2 marathon. I'm nervous till the start of the race and we actually start running. A few of us Gritty City carpooled to the Brea 8K so big thanks to Burgos for driving us, being the designated "official Gritty photographer", and cheerleader for this event.
The Brea 8k is a weird distance ( little under 5 miles) but i ran it last year so i thought i knew what to expect. Little did i know they changed the course this year plus added more hills. At least the last 2 miles were downhill. This race must attract all the elite runners as i can't count how many of them flew passed me during the course of this race and i'm just talking about the "Equalizers Running Club". Nothing else puts my ego in check than a large group of ten year old kids running by me.......lol!
It's all good, i'll get the next time :)
No one said running was a piece of cake!
Overall the race was well organized and packet pickup/parking was right by the start line. Also proud that all my teammates ran great and then it was time to celebrate by hitting up the after-party post race expo/free food area. No boring dry bagels and spoiled bananas over here my friend. I'm talking about real food such as pizza, ice cream, Corner Bakery, Hot Dog On a Stick, Mexican food, and much more.
Funny how the one person who ate the most didn't even run......that's you John Burgos :)
See you guys at the next race!!!!!!!!!!
Brian's recap:
I arrived early to the Rose Bowl to meet some of the Gritty team members awaiting our ride over to Brea to run this year’s Brea 8K. Last year in this USAT&F event the Gritty City Track club placed 3rd overall and the expectations were set high for us to match last years’ results. The crew of Brothers Villegas, Pureza, Burgos and I were on our way.
The Gritts had a good group that morning. During the warm ups we gathered with Antonio, Joe and Colleen and just after finishing I learned that Jason and Annie also race. Before we knew it we were off. The course was more difficult than expected for me. I hear it was slightly different than last year and they made is slightly more hilly.
We started down passed, the mall, through a residential street then doubling back passed the starting line for mile 1, just in time for Burgos to catch some shots. Then straight down Imperial Highway before a good climb up to the top to reach about mile 3. All flat and downhill from that point. One more turn back down Imperial Highway before a quick turn into the finishing chute at the mall. Good course, fast people, great weather. .
The Gritts place 4th overall although we were the 3rd fastest team in the race thanks to two Snails’ Pace team’s placing 1st and 3rd.
Custome’s galore in Brea, who knew? And yes three was a banana man running.
The best past about the race – the post-race food! This alone was almost worth the price of admission. We had tacos, pizza, soup, coffee, salad and sad little cup of Jamba Juice.
I will be back for this, and next year, Burgos needs to run it!
Race day is always an exciting time for me. I still get butterflies in my stomach no matter if i'm
running a 5K, 10K, or 1/2 marathon. I'm nervous till the start of the race and we actually start running. A few of us Gritty City carpooled to the Brea 8K so big thanks to Burgos for driving us, being the designated "official Gritty photographer", and cheerleader for this event.
The Brea 8k is a weird distance ( little under 5 miles) but i ran it last year so i thought i knew what to expect. Little did i know they changed the course this year plus added more hills. At least the last 2 miles were downhill. This race must attract all the elite runners as i can't count how many of them flew passed me during the course of this race and i'm just talking about the "Equalizers Running Club". Nothing else puts my ego in check than a large group of ten year old kids running by me.......lol!
It's all good, i'll get the next time :)
No one said running was a piece of cake!
Overall the race was well organized and packet pickup/parking was right by the start line. Also proud that all my teammates ran great and then it was time to celebrate by hitting up the after-party post race expo/free food area. No boring dry bagels and spoiled bananas over here my friend. I'm talking about real food such as pizza, ice cream, Corner Bakery, Hot Dog On a Stick, Mexican food, and much more.
Funny how the one person who ate the most didn't even run......that's you John Burgos :)
See you guys at the next race!!!!!!!!!!
Brian's recap:
I arrived early to the Rose Bowl to meet some of the Gritty team members awaiting our ride over to Brea to run this year’s Brea 8K. Last year in this USAT&F event the Gritty City Track club placed 3rd overall and the expectations were set high for us to match last years’ results. The crew of Brothers Villegas, Pureza, Burgos and I were on our way.
The Gritts had a good group that morning. During the warm ups we gathered with Antonio, Joe and Colleen and just after finishing I learned that Jason and Annie also race. Before we knew it we were off. The course was more difficult than expected for me. I hear it was slightly different than last year and they made is slightly more hilly.
We started down passed, the mall, through a residential street then doubling back passed the starting line for mile 1, just in time for Burgos to catch some shots. Then straight down Imperial Highway before a good climb up to the top to reach about mile 3. All flat and downhill from that point. One more turn back down Imperial Highway before a quick turn into the finishing chute at the mall. Good course, fast people, great weather. .
The Gritts place 4th overall although we were the 3rd fastest team in the race thanks to two Snails’ Pace team’s placing 1st and 3rd.
Custome’s galore in Brea, who knew? And yes three was a banana man running.
The best past about the race – the post-race food! This alone was almost worth the price of admission. We had tacos, pizza, soup, coffee, salad and sad little cup of Jamba Juice.
I will be back for this, and next year, Burgos needs to run it!
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