Day 2: Count-Down to the Marathon

We are two more days away from the Los Angeles Marathon, and even the most calm ones among us are feeling some pre-race jitters and anxieties. We are exhilarated, and then we have our solitary moments of self-doubt. While most of us just want to pick up their Bib, attending the Nutribullet Health and Fitness Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center can be encouraging, inspiring and motivating. 

Nutribullet Health & Fitness Expo, 2014

Bib Number #17040

At first we find ourselves in an impressively long line to get into the building. While we are waiting, we learn about the running journeys of the people waiting in front and behind of us, even swap phone numbers and personal tips (I now understand why some runners check in toilet paper). I met Luisa in her 60s, who is walking her first marathon from the stadium all the way to the sea: "If I don't do it now, I'll never will." And Jaimé in line behind me is running her second marathon in memory of her brother, an avid runner, who made her promise "to keep a runner in the family". At the time, she had not run a mile in her life. And I? I am running this one in recognition of Dean Prator and his wonderful charity organization, dedicated to help financially challenged students pay for a college education.

Swapping running stories passes time quickly. Soon we find ourselves inside the Convention Center amidst a colorful running wonderland of shoes, clothes, fuel food, and more. We discover our name in the big bold letters "We Run LA", and we cross paths with people from the world. Today it is official; we have our Bib numbers and timing chips. Soon we will be running LA: We are a marathoner. 

"What day is it? And in what month? This clock never seemed so alive. I can't keep up, and I can't back down... it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to lose."

Day 10: Count-Down to the LA Marathon

Navigational Art and Directions by Colleen Yorke, © 2015

"Well, the first guy who ran a marathon died", my friend Will responded matter-of-factly after I told him of my plans to conquer 26.2 miles running. How did the marathon race, inspired by the battle of Marathon and its best runner, become such a trend? 

Forty-two year ago, in the 1972 Olympics, a wiry Yale alumni ran through the streets of Munich en route to the gold medal, unleashing a collective running effort across the country. Recreational running participation numbers spiked, but only a very small group actually ran marathons. The rest of us still perceived a marathon to be well beyond the limits of mere mortals. It took another gold medalist runner in Los Angeles in 1984 to fire up the "you-can-do-it-too" mentality of running 26.2 miles. 

Ever since, numbers have gone steadily up, and running competitions are held all over the country. In the 2013 New York City Marathon 50,304 runners crossed the finish line, and with the sold-out 2014 Boston Marathon on the horizon, it seems clear that the past is only prologue. When I started running, marathoners were those trimmed folks clad in tight silicone pants, skin-clinging shirts, and brightly colored shoes I occasionally spotted on TV.  I certainly did not know what "Bib" or "seeded corral" meant. "Garmin" was a person, and "electrolyte" sounded, well, very electric to me. Goo Goo? Absolutely no clue. And of course I was drawing numbers out of a hat when I was asked about my "pace". 

Yes, I had no idea. And in many ways, I still don't. My mileage count just passed the 1,600 mark, and with the Los Angeles Marathon being only 10 days away, I am still figuring many things out such as how to fuel, how to pace, how to manage my adrenaline, and what it will take to cross that finish line. Over the next ten days, follow me on my own personal marathon journey from the start lines to finish. Have comments or tips? Drop me a line!