LA Marathon

I ran the LA Marathon yesterday. I'm trying to focus on the positives about this race and my effort but I'm having a hard time doing that right now. Maybe later this week or next weekend I'll be in a better place but today I'm not happy with it. I know it was the best I could do yesterday. However, it was my 7th marathon and my 7th disappointing finish that was 4+ hours. I can't seem to get in under that 4 hour mark and I find that incredibly disappointing.

One positive about the LA Marathon was their tracking system for the runners. Both my husband's and my cell phone received five texts over the course of the event. These were the texts received:

• 10K in 0:57:40. Pace: 9:17. Est: 4:03:23. ETA: 11:37:44.
• 20K in 1:53:17. Pace: 9:07. Est: 3:59:01. ETA: 11:33:23.
• 30K in 2:54:42. Pace: 9:22. Est: 4:05:34. ETA: 11:40:07.
• 40K in 3:57:54. Pace: 9:34. Est: 4:10:49. ETA: 11:45:22.
• Finish in 4:08:19. Pace: 9:28. At 11:42:44.

It's pretty cool to see my race like this. My plan was to stay under 9:00 until Mile 20 and then pick it up to finish in under 4 hours. Obviously, that didn't happen. Too much jockeying for space for many miles, too many bigger-than-I-was-expecting rolling hills in the first half, some severe calf cramping late in the race... it all adds up to a disappointment for me. I had plans to sign up for another marathon soon -- either Ojai (Ca) in June or the Foot Traffic Flat in Portland (Or) in July -- but now I'm rethinking marathons. I don't know that they are really for me. I love the sense of accomplishment, I'm just tired of the disappointment. I don't think adjusting my goals is the answer either. I always have trouble late in the race. I've got some major blues happening today.
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The Start Line at Dodger Stadium.  The City of Los Angeles Mayor and the owner of the Dodgers were both there.  A woman from the band the Pussycat Dolls sang the National Anthem.  Another group of singers sang something else.  Three helicopters flew overhead since the race was being televised locally.  It was cool but dry.  I thought I was in the Corral start, but apparently I wasn't and I ended up starting behind the 5:00 runners.  I eventually caught up to the 4:00 group about mid-race, but a few miles later things spiraled out of my control and I lost them...
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The Finish Line along Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica.  The headwind gusts that we experienced for some of the race seemed to disappear in Brentwood but then roared its ugly head at the finish.  It isn't a long finish along Ocean, maybe a full mile total, but the winds were crazy strong.  No one was hanging out in the finish area longer than absolutely necessary, which is unfortunate because I would have loved to have laid out on the pavement and taken a nap.