ING New York City Marathon 2013 registration
Here we go again. I entered the ING New York City Marathon 2013 lottery! I entered last year, but did not get in. Second time is a charm?
Thank you for your recent purchase with New York Road Runners. You have registered for the following:
Item Name Item Size Item Color Item Quantity Price ($) 2013 ING New York City Marathon - - 1 $11 Grand Total $11
Moving Forward
Roughly a month ago I did not finish (DNF) the LA Marathon. Since then I have taken some time off from running to reflect and heal.
I have decided not to run Rock N Roll Portland Half Marathon in May to focus on rehabbing and strengthening my legs. Every race after that is also up in the air. I don’t want to jump back in too quickly.
However, there is one race that I do plan to run. But luckily that is much later in the year, which gives me plenty of time to train and be 100%. That race is (drum roll please!) the Amica Insurance Seattle Marathon!
In November of 2010 I ran the my 1st half marathon ever at the Seattle Marathon (see full post here). That didn’t go well as planned. Now it’s time for revenge. Back to where it all started. Yes, I will CRUSH the Seattle Marathon. I will be documenting my training up until the big day on December 1st, 2013.
This year I have been very fortunate to be a Seattle Marathon Ambassador! I’m very humbled and honored to be part of the Seattle Marathon Association. Full disclosure: They have provided me with a race entry as part of being a Seattle Marathon Ambassador.
LA Marathon 2013 Recap
The night before the race I did my usual night-before-the-race ritual. I laid out my running clothes and gear in the order that I would put it on in the morning. I went to bed around 9:15pm, but did not sleep as well as I would have wanted and kept waking up every so often. My alarm was set for 4:00am, but I woke up about 15 minutes prior and just couldn’t go back to sleep. I was too excited.
BIB and San Francisco Ambassador shirt ready!
My friend and I left his place around 4:30am. We arrived at Dodger Stadium just after 5am. It was colder than I expected. Luckily I brought a jacket to check into gear check. We walked around for a little bit, but ultimately found a place to sit near some of the barriers until 6am. Listed to the DJ play a lot of awesome songs. Was getting pumped! Checked my gear in around 6:10am and used the porta potty. Luckily there weren’t lines for either. Fast forward 45 minutes later. Time for another visit to the porta potty. This time there were lines everywhere! Didn’t take longer than 10 minutes though.
We then made our way over to the massive crowd near the open corral. While we waited to enter the corral I ate a few of the Cytomax chews I brought with me for a caffeine boost. We were finally allowed to enter the corral around 7:20-30am. This was a pretty emotional part for me. My eyes started to well up. I was finally here after months of training and a nagging injury. Once we started to move in the corral my friend told me “Good luck! See you at the finish!”. After that it was a few minutes until I crossed the start line and I was off. It was pretty surreal moment running out of Dodger Stadium parking lot. I ran a very slow pace. I didn’t want to put too much pressure on my IT band. I kept looking at my Garmin to make sure I wasn’t running too fast.
Mile 1.5, my IT band started to scream at me. I slowed down to a jog. But that didn’t help. I had to walk, there was no other option. Occasionally I would try to run or jog. The pain prevented me from doing that. I walked.
I knew that if I dropped out I couldn’t until mile 7. Since that is where the drop out points started. I had a long ways to go until mile 7. Heartbreaking to be walking 2 miles in. I walked and listened to my music. There wasn’t much more I could do. I couldn’t enjoy myself. When spectators read my name off my bib and yelled “Go Westley!” it was hard not to burst into tears. My pace was slow – 20 minutes per mile. The slowest pace I have ever ‘ran’ in a race before. Going downhill or uphill made my IT band worse. I had to slow down even more from my slow pace just to make it up or down the hills.
Fast forward to mile 8.5. I saw an aid station to my right. I thought maybe some Ibuprofen would dull the pain. Maybe it would help me run. I knew that there wouldn’t be an aid station for a few more miles. I stopped, grabbed two and chased it with some water. Off I went, slowly.
Mile 9.5 , he pain didn’t dull or going away. I had to drop out. There was no way I could keep this up for 16.7 more miles. I decided that the next aid station I see that I would drop out.
Mile 10.5, I stopped at the aid station and told the volunteers that I needed to drop out. They told me that the shuttle back to the start line would be there soon. At this point it was 10:30am. I only covered 10.5 miles in two hours and fifty minutes. Weeks ago I ran 18 miles in two hours and thirty four minutes. Super disappointed. But I had to drop out. This was my first DNF (Did Not Finish) ever.
The shuttle arrived at about 11:15am. Me and 6 other people boarded. I managed to get a half hour nap on the shuttle. We arrived in Santa Monica about 12:15pm and a ways from the finish line. I followed the stream of people to the start line since I had no idea where I was in Santa Monica. I had to find my gear. I asked a volunteer and they told me I had to go into the finisher area to retrieve it. This was absolutely the last place I wanted to be. I entered the finishers area. Saw all the happy (and hurt) finishers displaying their medals proudly. I heard the clank of the two medals – the LA Marathon 2013 medal and the LA/SF Challenge medal. Both of which I hoped to earn that day. But I didn’t. I couldn’t stand to look at the medals. I got my gear and got out of that area as fast as I could.
After some texts and phone calls, I finally found my friend. He was happy about finishing and displayed his medal proudly. Honestly it was hard to be happy for him. I was too down on myself to get past that. I really wanted to get out of Santa Monica. I couldn’t stand to be there.
Later that evening I finally had a beer, which was the first one I had in 42 days. It didn’t taste as good as I expected.
Prior to the race I had ideas of what it would be like to finally cross the finish line. Getting my medals and buying a finisher hoody to display how proud I was of myself. It just wasn’t in the cards this time. I always say that everything happens for a reason.
I will get my revenge. Definitely running LA Marathon in 2014. And maybe the Long Beach marathon or Seattle marathon this year? We’ll see. I’m not giving up!
I want to thank everyone for their support before, during and after the marathon. I can’t thank everyone enough!
LA Marathon Training – Week #18
The last week of training has come to an end. It’s been a crazy roller coaster of 18 weeks!
I’m still dealing with a tight IT band. I’ve been icing, stretching, foam rolling and seeing my sports chiropractor regular to allevate the tightness. It’s a bit better than it has been.
I decided to only run2 of the 3 schedule runs. I opted out of Wednesday’s 4 mile run to allow my legs and IT band to rest.
Tuesday – 3 Miles
Weather: 54 degrees
Actual Miles: 3
Pace: 8:49
Time: 26:21
Notes: Not my prettiest run. I made sure to keep a slower pace (failed at that. Doh!), because my IT band was pretty sore. Tried out an IT band strap. Not sure if the strap worked or not since I was still pretty sore from my sports chiropractor appointment.
Thursday – 2 Miles
Weather: 52 degrees
Actual Miles: 2
Pace: 9:31
Time: 19:03
Notes: Last run before the LA Marathon! Ran with Jon from Gametiime. Knee was a bit tight. IT band was a tad sore higher on the leg. Looks like my marathon pace might be in the 9-11:00 minute (most likely on the slow-ish side) range now.
Total Week #18 Miles: 5 miles
Total LA Marathon Training Miles: 269.36 miles
LA Marathon Training – Week #17
My right leg feels good. However, my IT band started to scream at my this week. I hope to get it mostly worked out before the LA Marathon next Sunday. Looking forward to the upcoming low mileage (only 9 miles total) week!
I’m still seeing the sports chiropractor, but only 3 times a week. The last day I will see him will be a few hour before I fly out to LA!
Tuesday – 4 Miles
Weather: 46 degrees
Actual Miles: 4.10
Pace: 8:34
Time: 34:57
Notes: The first two miles my right leg felt fatigued and a little strained. Last two miles I felt stronger and leg didn’t feel too bad.
Wednesday – 6 Miles
Weather: 44 degrees
Actual Miles: 6.05
Pace: 8:34
Time: 51:59
Notes: Another wet run and soaked socks. Felt pretty strong toward the end of the run. Leg was a tiny bit sore/stiff. Not bad though.
Thursday – 3 Miles
Weather: 46 degrees
Actual Miles: 3.10
Pace: 8:06
Time: 25:02
Notes: Faster pace than I expected or wanted, but I went with it. Definitely NOT the pace I will be running the LA Marathon next weekend.
Sunday – 8 Miles
Weather: 48 degrees
Actual Miles: 7.08
Pace: 8:58
Time: 1:03:25
Notes: My IT band started to scream at me around mile 6 and a half, which is probably due to my sports chiropractor working on it the day before with graston. It tighten up and I finished my planned 8 miller at 7 miles. I ran marathon pace (around 9 minute pace). I slowed myself down when I noticed I was running too fast. I felt myself tighten up my legs and relaxed them. Wore some of the items I will be wearing for the marathon. A semi-dress rehearsal.
Total Week #17 Miles: 20.33 miles
Total LA Marathon Training Miles: 264.36 miles (total miles was really off the last few posts)
LA Marathon Training – Week #16
I’ve been seeing the sports chiropractor the entire week. They have definitely helped my leg with a combination of deep massage, graston technique and taping. It feels a lot stronger than it did. I was able to put a good amount of miles on it this week with minimal issues.
I will continue to see the sports chiropractor up until a few days prior to the LA Marathon. Though it will only be 3 times a week.
Tuesday – 5 Miles
Weather: 46 degrees
Actual Miles: 5
Pace: 8:34
Time: 43:01
Notes: Thought my strained right leg would hurt. Not the case! Took the first mile slow (9:11/mile), but felt good enough to speed it up a bit. Really enjoyed myself during this run!
Wednesday – 9 Miles
Weather: 49 degrees
Actual Miles: 9.10
Pace: 8:42
Time: 1:19:12
Notes: Wasn’t sure what to expect during this run. Started out slow, but felt strong after a few miles. It felt as if I wasn’t injured. Schedule called for 8 miles ran 9. Could have made it to 10 but didn’t want to push my luck.
Thursday – 4 Miles
Weather: 47 degrees
Actual Miles: 4.05
Pace: 8:25
Time: 34:03
Notes: I wasn’t really feeling the run until about 2 miles in, which seems to be typical. Overall a solid run. Leg definitely feels strong!
Sunday – 12 Miles
Weather: 46 degrees
Actual Miles: 2.54
Pace: 8:42
Time: 22:16
Notes: Should have been a 12 miler, but felt the strain at 2.10. I probably could have ran slower and got the 12 miles, but didn’t want to push my luck.
Total Week #16 Miles: 20.69 miles
Total LA Marathon Training Miles: 244.03 miles
Seattle Magazine’s Earth Day 5k
I’ve added another race to my schedule, the Seattle Magazine’s Earth Day 5k on April 20th!
From the Seattle Magazine’s site:
Check-In and race festivities will begin at Bell Harbor International Conference Center. From there, runners will head through the Olympic Sculpture Park and onto the Elliott Bay bike trail. Take in breathtaking views of the Olympics and the oceanfront we are all lucky to call home as you reach Centennial Park and circle back to the Bell Harbor pier for the finish line, complete with sustainable beer garden and awards ceremonies.
The exact race route can be found here.
To entice you to run with me, I have a 15% off discount code for you to use. On the registration form (click here to open a new window) enter RUNWITHWES13 in the coupon field.
I hope to see you there!
LA Marathon Training – Week #14 & #15
I strained my right leg two weeks ago. I could feel the muscle pulling when I tried running, so I stopped running. I rested, iced, and stayed off of it for a few days. However it did not get better. So I started seeing a Sports Chiropractor last week to get this muscle strain worked out. I’ll be seeing him every day for a week to get the strain treated. The doctor is hopeful that it will be good to go for the LA Marathon.
Needless to say, it has been a frustrating last couple of weeks. I still have hope that I will be able to strong enough to run the LA Marathon in a few weeks!
Total Week #14 & #15 Miles: 13.43 miles
Total LA Marathon Training Miles: 209.91 miles
LA Marathon Training – Week #13
Finally back on track with my training schedule with less than 6 weeks to go until the L.A. Marathon! Overall a pretty strong week. I was extremely lucky with the dry weather this week. Definitely surprised myself this week!
Tuesday – 4 Miles
Weather: 46 degrees
Actual Miles: 4:14
Pace: 8:27
Time: 34:55
Notes: Woke up early to get my run in. Nice to finish before 8am. Not a bad run. Right leg felt a little sore and stiff. Overall not bad. Found $2 on the ground during my run. Ran to a store and bought two $1 scratcher tickets. Sadly my luck ran out there!
Wednesday – 9 Miles
Weather: 47 degrees
Actual Miles: 9.3
Pace: 8:39
Time: 1:20:29
Notes: The weather was perfect. I ran a few hours later than planned, but less people were out. Legs felt a little off and I almost wanted to stop 2 miles. Yup, one of those runs! But powered through it and came out with a not-so-bad time.
Thursday – 5 Miles
Weather: 47 degrees
Actual Miles: 5
Pace: 8:13
Time: 41:14
Notes: I could definitely feel that legs and hip were sore. Thought I could only run 3 miles, but hit my 5. I thought I was running slower than usual. I thought wrong!
Saturday – 18 Miles
Weather: 41 degrees
Actual Miles: 18
Pace: 8:34
Time: 2:34:39
Notes: Felt pretty good for miles 1-13. But miles 14-18 were pretty tough! Had to take a few breaks to catch my breath. Overall a pretty good run with prefect weather.
Total Week #13 Miles: 36.83 miles
Total LA Marathon Training Miles: 209.91 miles
LA Marathon Training – Week #12
Not one of my best training weeks. Didn’t get my long run in, but I did manager get my mid-week runs in. <insert-every-runner-excuse-in-the-book-here>
Tuesday – 4 Miles
Weather: 45 degrees
Actual Miles: 4.01
Pace: 8:27
Time: 34:00
Notes: Made it outside before the rain started. Picked my route as I ran to make it interesting. Overall a good run. But I think I’m pushing myself too much and need to pull back a little.
Wednesday – 8 Miles
Weather: 48 degrees
Actual Miles: 8.1
Pace: 8:27
Time: 1:08:24
Notes: Checked the weather, said it would there would be ‘dry conditions’. Not the case at all – sprinkling rain. Oh well, still ran and killed it. Ran one of my first running routes. It was nice to run it again!
Friday – 5 Miles
Weather: 46 degrees
Actual Miles: 3.1
Pace: 8:00
Time: 24:46
Notes: Whoa! Really surprised myself! My left leg was bothering me the other day and still bothered me a bit today. But I ran my fasted 5k yet! And my last mile was under 8 minutes (7:55). In total shock.
Total Week #12 Miles: 15.21 miles
Total LA Marathon Training Miles: 173.08 miles
