Goal: A Zero In My Time

It was a good day. A very good day. 46 degrees and sunny as 3305 people lined up for the 2nd annual City of Angels 1/2 Marathon. Lots of Road Runners and LA Leggers at the start at the LA Zoo. There were 9 members from our 11 minute pace group keeping warm by huddling around portable heaters. Me, sipping my Sbux as usual, and inhaling 2 rice krispy treats. No one in the group was interested in staying at an 11 minute pace, so we made plans for a 9:30 pace. We all had that little gleam in our eyes.....

The race start was uneventful, lots of winding in and out of people trying to keep up with each other. We ran the first 3 miles and then started taking walk breaks at the water stations. I had my Garmin on intervals, so I can't give a proper break down in a mile by mile fashion.....live and learn.

At the 10K mark our pace was 9:34......could we hold it? At about mile 9 we started to break ranks. My BRF (best running friend) Jodi (an asthmatic) had taken a hit off her inhaler a third time and told me to go on. I ended up running with Joe, a newer member of our pace group, for the next 3 miles. I kept him busy by talking his ear off, we were making good time. Around mile 12 I was still feeling good and kept the pace. Joe was behind me but not far. My mantra for the day was "lean forward and let gravity take me". As I rounded the last corner to an uphill finish I tried to put on some speed, but I really didn't have any more than I was already giving. I put my arms up as I crossed the finish line with a time of........ 2:02!

My first thought over the line is always "I'm done, I can stop now. Woo hoo!" My second thought was "2:02.....really?" "Me?" But yes, official chip time says 2:02:57! THERE WAS A ZERO IN MY TIME!!! That was my goal, to have a zero in my time. Last year's time was 2:12. So I improved my time by 10 minutes! Ten whole minutes! I can't believe it. I am still on cloud nine this morning!

So I was the second of my group of 9 friends in. Grant came in first with a chip time of 1:32. Yes, he should not be running with the 11 minute pace group on Saturdays. But he is loads of fun. I was second with 2:02 and the last of our group came in at 2:14. Even Jodi, who was having a hard day came in with a PR at 2:08. Her time last year was 2:12 like me.

My breakdown was this:
Overall place: 1224 out of 3305
Women's place: 356 out of 1651
F 35-39: 66 out of 282
Finish: 2:02:57
Pace: 9:23

I celebrated by going to Lucille's BBQ. I had a 22 ounce Heffenweizen, biscuits, beef brisket, corn on the cobb, and macaronni and cheese.

All said, what a day!

Run happy :) - LML