LA Marathon 2012

Yesterday was the 27th Los Angeles Marathon.  Of course I was very interested in the event.  The winners:
Men's division:  Simon Njoroge - 2:12:12 (5:02 pace!)
Women's division:  Fatuma Sado - 2:25:39 (5:33 pace!)

So out of my league!  I cannot imagine running a single mile in under 6 minutes, much less running 26.2 miles at that pace. The fastest female in my age group (45-49) ran it in 3:12:53.  The top 46 women in my age group all finished in under 4 hours.

I read an interesting story on Saturday evening by James Fell, a fitness trainer who ran the marathon.  It was his first.  His goal was to finish in under 4 hours, just as I hope to do.  In the middle of his training he suffered an ankle injury due to upping his speed too much.  There were actually two articles that you can read here and here.  But here are some highlights:

I thought I was tough. But being in great physical condition is not enough. What matters is listening to your body when it's warning you that you're pushing yourself too hard. Don't let arrogance mute that message.

You only get to run your first marathon once. But if I could do it all again, there are definitely some things I'd do differently.

What I did right:
• I was ambitious. Deciding to run a marathon and find out what you're made of is a good thing, in my book.
• I decided to write about my mission. By making a public commitment, my motivation level was cranked up several notches.
• I fueled my training with complex carbohydrates, including lots of whole grains, as advised by sports nutrition consultant Nancy Clark.
• I listened to medical experts when I got hurt. Despite my eagerness to train, I rested my ankle and followed the prescribed rehabilitation program to reduce the risk of further injury.

What I did wrong:
• I was too ambitious. Had I trained at a 9-minute-per-mile pace, it's quite likely I would have avoided injury and still had a fair chance at finishing in under four hours.
• I failed to seek even basic advice. The mistakes I made were common first-timer errors that were eminently preventable.
• I let my ego rule. Aching thighs were an early warning that I was going too fast, but I paid no heed. Now I'll be attempting a marathon having never gone further than 16 miles in one outing.

So I had to find out this morning how James did... He finished in 3:52:46!

This gives me hope! I plan to learn from him.  I think I may have sabotaged my efforts a couple of weeks ago by upping my pace too much. Two weeks ago I was nailing 9 minute miles, but when it came time to run 13, I was stiff and sore.  Last week, I dialed it back and was able to run a comfortable 15 miles.  Yep, upped the pace too much.  Gotta listen to the warnings my body is sending.