After a week
of ridiculously warm weather in the Los Angeles area, the clouds once again
descended on us just like they should during one of the coldest months of the
year. After what proved to be a rough 15 mile run, this week had us Team to End AIDS runners doing a recovery run of 8 miles. In the past I would have said
that 8 miles was no big deal, having trained for the Los Angeles Marathon for
the past four years, but after being reminded of how battered my body can get
after last week’s 15 mile run I came to see that our marathon training can no longer
be taken lightly at this point.
Getting
myself out of bed that Saturday morning wasn’t too much of an ordeal, and I am
happy to say that I didn’t get too caught up in watching Martin Scorsese’s
remake of Cape Fear, made back in a
time when remakes were rare and actually worth watching, before I drove out to
Griffith Park in the safest way possible.
When I
arrived at Griffith Park, Coach JC was talking to the Team to End AIDS runners
about the most important things to keep in mind when running a marathon. With
this being a recovery run, JC reminded us to take it easy and not speed our way
through to the finish line. The most important mile we end up running in a
marathon, he said, is the first mile. The second most important mile in a marathon
is the second mile, and it served as a much needed reminder of how easy we need
to take it at the start of things. Trying to set a land speed record at the
start of any marathon is always doomed to failure. Besides running a marathon
isn’t about how fast you can finish one in, but of how much you can endure in
the process.
After that
we did our warm ups which involved moving our heads from side to side, rotating
our hips and feet clockwise and counterclockwise and doing high knees and kickbacks,
we were herded out one pace group after another to the starting line for a run
that was confined to the inside of Griffith Park. We would start out on Zoo
Drive like we always do, and then we would continue on to Crystal Springs
Drive. This would take us to the other side of the park at which point we would
turn around and hopefully not get run over by cars or bicyclists.
Before that,
I caught with a number of my fellow runners who have returned to the fold after
being away for a number of weeks. One of the main things we talked about was
how certain members of our family kept having severe emotional breakdowns on
Christmas Day. I experienced that myself when my niece went through a roller
coaster of emotions this past year. While she has a strong affection for Santa Claus,
she also has serious issues with his wife who is in charge of leaving goodies
in our stockings.
A fellow
runner said that her mother handed out checks to the family for Christmas and that
she apologized for the amount being smaller than usual. We all agreed she has
nothing to apologize for.
I once again
brought my Droid phone with me in an attempt to track my run with Runkeeper. I
had the workout all set up and ready to go, but when I pressed the start button
it seemed to forget that I had set up intervals. Once again, I had to rely on
other’s watches to keep track of when we ran and walked. Maybe I should try the
Strava app that Floyd and Stephen use on their runs. Either way, I really need
to get a new watch with interval timing. I have to believe that those kinds of
watches still exist.
One of the
joys of today’s run was meeting up with all the AIDS Life Cycle participants
who were riding through Griffith Park on their bicycles. Many of these
bicyclists previously participated in Team to End AIDS training programs and it
was great to see them again. People like Madonna Cacciatore, Robin McWilliams
and Esther Kim are among those I have trained with in the past, and seeing them
take on a new kind of endurance challenge is both wonderful and encouraging. It
also serves as a reminder of how long it has been since I rode a bicycle. Come
to think of it, I can’t even remember the last time I rode a bicycle. Yikes,
I’m getting old!
Another
bicyclist whose name I can’t quite remember called out to us and said, “Hey,
how are my T2 bitches?” Money can’t buy that kind of loyalty.
On this run
I tried to remain conscious of my form as it was starting to feel like I was
leaning forward more than usual. I make an effort to keep my back straight, but
I also don’t want to make it look like I’m running up and down the street with
a stick up my ass. I’m not in the military for crying out loud. No offense to
those of you who are serving or have served in the armed forces and thank you
for your service by the way.
My legs are
still recovering from last week’s 15 mile run which left me in need of a long
ice bath, but I managed to hold it together and didn’t run out of energy thank
goodness. This past week, with the exception of one all night bender, I stayed
away from alcohol and kept hydrating myself with water and Gatorade. I also
went out of the way to make salads for myself which contained butter lettuce,
avocado, a very light parmesan ranch dressing and a hard-boiled egg. I’m trying
to cut down on what I eat, but I’m also aware that I will need carbs for other
runs to come. Just like Floyd said, running gives you a great excuse to eat
lots of pasta. As for myself, I’m always looking for an excuse to put alfredo
sauce on my angel hair spaghetti. You know, the good kind where the grams of
fat are in double digit territory.
Just as we
were heading to the finish line, it started raining down on us. It’s a good
thing it wasn’t pouring down like it would end up doing later on that day.
Those of us who survived the monsoon that was the 2011 Los Angeles Marathon can
attest to how brutal the rain and the side winds were on us, and hypothermia is
something I’m not eager to experience again in this lifetime.
The snacks
and treats that were left for us were chocolate milk, chocolate soymilk, peanut
butter and jelly sandwiches, Chips Ahoy chewy chocolate chip cookies, oranges
and bananas. For some reason no one is ever quick to go after the fruit as
everyone is far more interested in snagging the runner’s favorite hangover
cure: chocolate milk. Then again I should talk because I never have any of the
fruit either. That’s right, shame on me!
As I got
into my car to drive home, the CD I was listening to, a mixtape if you will
that I created of songs featured on Homicide:
Life on the Street started
playing Garbage’s “I’m Only Happy When It Rains.” Oh the irony! Hearing Shirley
Manson sing of how she’s in love with her deep depression and asking us to pour
our misery down on her reminds of the crazy state of mind I’m in a lot of the
time. While I’m running, I get lost in my own thoughts and they are not always pleasant
ones. I always seem to be looking for ways to infuriate myself for no good
reason. I guess that’s why I keep running; to get rid of the bad and negative
vibes that keep messing with my psyche.
Oh, I also
learned where the Bolivers got the idea for serving us peanut butter and pickle
covered Ritz crackers. It turns out that when their children were young, they
kept making them peanut butter and pickle sandwiches at lunchtime. How’s that
for inspiration?
FUNDRAISING UPDATE: As you all know I
have reached my fundraising goal for AIDS Project Los Angeles, the non-profit
group I am running the LA Marathon in support of. However, I would still like
to encourage you to make a tax deductible donation as it’s the start of a new
year and we need to make it a great one for the recipients of their work and
care. Just click on the link below to learn more.
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