A good day for running, or how I beat my PB by 17 min
Los Angeles Marathon (08/03/2020) race report
BY ANTERO SILVA
Pre-race
It all started with a work congress, planned months in advance, scheduled to take place in Los Angeles. A quick google search revealed, to my surprise, that the LA Marathon, the fourth biggest marathon in the US, would take place the weekend before. “Nice!”, I thought, “It will be my first serious run for Fredrikshof FIF and my first international marathon!” Arrangements were made for a solo trip, with a vacation week after the marathon. Preparations went smoothly, training was going well, but I was unsure about the shape, as it was a late winter marathon run.
LA Marathon being a point-to-point run, “From the Stadium to the Sea”, like they say, made me choose to stay near the finish line (good choice), but I booked a bunk bed in a hostel (bad choice). For the three following nights, there was a roomie snoring so loud, that I was awake like 😳 😳. So lesson learned, get your own room if you want to sleep/perform well :P
Race day
4 AM. Slightly underslept, it is time to take the shuttle to the starting line. It is pitch black, but the good vibes and music keep the spirits up. There are thousands of participants (28 000) but the organisation is flawless, you can notice they are experienced. After the anthem and the singing just like you see in the movies, the race is on!
The first hour (7 to 8 AM) is ran easily, temperature is good at dawn, legs are working fine, pace is not too quick. I decided to run with the 2h59min pacer, my previous personal best was 3h 13min so my expectation is to do better than that. We run though Chinatown, Little Tokyo, up a couple of hills towards Disney Concert Hall and I am surprised by how many people woke up early to cheer the runners 👏 👏.
The run itself is a big party. Loads of animation and good music accompanied runners throughout the course, but also hundreds of people making all sorts of noises (clapping, cheering, shouting through megaphones, you name it). It is incredible as you barely see a stretch of 10 metres without public.
During the second hour we pass on Hollywood walk of fame (where the well-known stars on the sidewalk are) and we spot the world famous Hollywood sign on the hill. Legs are still going, the carbloading done with Dunkin Donuts must have worked.
The last hour is spent running through Beverly Hills, large avenues with palm trees, and finally downhill towards the sea in Santa Monica. Saving the best for last, I decided to pick up some speed at km 40. The finish line is there, the sun is shining, so pedal to the floor on those last two kilometres (3min 32 sec/km pace at the last kilometre) and BAM! I am happy to cross the line wearing Fredrikshof FIF vest at 2h 56min 33 sec (128th overall). I become emotional over my first sub-3 marathon, something I had trained for a long time. Later on the same day, I will post a message on Facebook to thank my mates from Fredrikshof FIF running club, and our coach Fredrik Urbhom, with whom I developed during the past months!
“ I am happy to cross the line wearing Fredrikshof FIF vest.”
Post-race
The congress got cancelled the day after, because of covid-19. Nothing else to do than to go home before the flights are restricted and relax during the self-quarantine!