This weekend, on October 9th 2022 to be exact, I ran the Long Beach Marathon. Here are some thoughts from the experience.
Conclusions (Bottom Line, Up Front)
- I’m faster than I thought I was and have more stamina than I thought I had.
- I need to manage my pre-race hydration strategy.
Background
This was my second marathon. Previously, I had ran the Los Angeles Marathon in 2016. I completed the LA Marathon in 3:23 but the experience was not ideal. Here is what happened in LA:
I’m pretty disciplined about limiting the processed/refined sugars that I consume. Notably, in this case, I never drink sports drinks. But, during the LA Marathon, I downed a ton of the electrolyte drinks that they handed out throughout the course. This didn’t go well.
Additionally, I didn’t get adequate sleep the night before the race. And, I didn’t really take any rest days prior.
At some point during the LA Marathon — somewhere around mile 20 — I had to use a bathroom. And, there, my body seized up pretty severely. Seriously, I was stuck in the porta-john for an unreasonable amount of time. I’m almost totally sure this was due primarily to an adverse reaction to the sugars ingested that my body was unaccustomed and, secondarily, to the lack of rest prior to the event.
From there on, during the remainder of the run, my pace was probably above 9 minutes/mile. The torment didn’t end at the finish line, either. After the race, I was physically sick. I had chills. The medics wrapped me in a foil blanket. I was in really bad shape.
Because of this experience at the LA Marathon in 2016, my goal for the Long Beach Marathon this year wasn’t to set a personal record but to, instead, finish without feeling so dreadful afterwards.
Preparation
I didn’t prepare for the Long Beach Marathon specifically but did have a long daily running streak that was recently broken, but still contains very few missed days. I typically run 12 miles a day. Though I don’t often run farther than that. My last run before Sunday’s marathon was on Wednesday; I ran 12 miles at a decent pace. I lifted weights (upper body) through Friday, including Friday. Saturday, before the race, I rested, stretched, had a massage, and ate carbs.
I used to post my daily runs on Instagram. I still track my runs on my own SITE. If interested, you can review the log of (mostly) daily runs there.
Because of my poor experience at the LA Marathon, I vowed to avoid all of the electrolyte drinks during the Long Beach Marathon. I wouldn’t consume any gels. Just drink water, as needed.
Also, since the LA Marathon, I’ve definitely increased my weekly mileage and have incorporated daily stretching into my routine.
Finally, in 2016 when I ran the LA Marathon, I was a pretty regular user of marijuana. Since then, I have long ago quit using pot. (For awareness, I also don’t drink and haven’t for years.)
Race Experience
By far, the most notable thing to me about my run during the Long Beach Marathon was how badly I had to pee from about mile 15 on.
Prior to the race, I had drank some coffee and coconut water, and ate a bowl of cereal as I do before my daily 12-mile runs. I cleared my bladder prior to the marathon but, by mile 15, my bladder was sufficiently full that it was noticeably affecting my comfort and probably my performance. At mile 18, I used a restroom which added minutes to my cumulative time, but from then on, measurably increased my pace.
Since I hadn’t run this distance in such a long time, I was unaware of how strong of a pace I would be able to maintain so I started out conservatively. My final 8 miles were at a faster pace than the preceding 18, and I was able to sprint competitively with another runner to the finish, so I’m convinced that I can run my next marathon considerably faster. I completed the race feeling totally healthy and am sure that I could have run several more miles beyond 26.2 at under 8 minutes/mile.
The Long Beach Marathon was made less daunting for me because much of the course was the same route that I run most mornings. So, I knew what to expect, including the small incline late in the race while touring the Cal State Long Beach campus.
I really enjoyed the Long Beach Marathon, though my one minor complaint is that the marathon participants joined the half-marathon participants toward the end of the course. It’s total self-gratification/arrogance, but I finished well enough that I had separated myself from the primary marathon pack, and it would have been a satisfying thrill to finish the course like that, instead of grouped with the half-marathon runners. It’s seriously the least significant complaint in the world, but a thought I want to acknowledge.
Credit to the Long Beach Marathon logistics. Parking was a breeze. I drove, followed directions on the street signs in downtown Long Beach to the big, open Long Beach Convention Center lot and parked there with no issue for $15. I didn’t exit the lot until late in the day when it was empty so I had no issue there either. That said, the line at the fitness expo on Saturday to purchase parking passes in advance was at least an hour long (it appeared). I didn’t do that and, ultimately, didn’t need to.
Results
I finished in three hours, 23 minutes, 6 seconds. 19th among males, 35–39 years old. 129th overall.
It’s interesting that my result in Long Beach was similar to my result a few years prior at my previous marathon in Los Angeles. But, this year, I didn’t suffer as terribly physically, if really at all, as I did in Los Angeles. I don’t think this reflects much about the adequacy of my pace during the Long Beach Marathon, but instead tells me that my pace at the LA Marathon was much too aggressive for my fitness level then. Given all the other observations from the more recent experience, I truly believe I could have ran at the pace I had started during the Los Angeles Marathon and been fine this time.
In other words, I feel much more fit and prepared now then I had then.
Next Steps
I intend to definitely run the 2023 LA Marathon. And may run the Sacramento International Marathon in December.
Related to my marathon training but not totally due to it, I want to achieve better cardiovascular fitness. Quick anecdotal story, if you’ll oblige me:
When I was in high school, l played basketball and desperately wanted to be able to dunk. I used to do these intense daily, high intensity workouts with Jumpsoles (what are those? HERE).
As a six-foot tall high school freshman, I could jump from a standstill off two feet and dunk a basketball. 🏀
I’m 38 years old now so high school was a long time ago. But I know the type of workouts that are required to achieve that sort of fitness. I need to challenge my heart and lungs and activate my fast twitch muscles.
I want to get back into my best cardiovascular shape, and that’s going to take more than just long runs. I need to do my plyometrics, dynamically stretch, and really push myself.
My goal now isn’t to dunk a basketball, but to set a blazing personal record during my next marathon.
I started that training with a fartlek (what is that? HERE) this morning.
My result at the Long Beach Marathon was really invigorating. I want to take my running more seriously. Primarily, I need to research how runners more professional than me strategize their pre-race hydration to avoid having to use the restroom during the run. Honestly, it probably comes down to switching my pre-race coffee out with a non-liquid source of caffeine.
Finally, I’m definitely going to run the marathon distance more often in training, so I can experiment with my pace. I’d like to finish the LA Marathon feeling like I had run at 90% of my maximum effort/fastest possible pace throughout most of the course and 100% at the end. In other words, finish with nothing left in the tank. And, hopefully, a personal record achieved!
Shout-Outs
There are a few fitness resources that I sincerely appreciate and want to recognize. I receive nothing from any of these providers for these acknowledgments:
First, my gym, Iconix, in Long Beach. Which, I truly believe, is superb.
Saucony, the makers of my favorite shoes ever: the Endorphin Speed 3’s. I wore the purple/yellow pair during this marathon.
Garmin: I just picked up the Forerunner 955 and it is already one of the most useful pieces of tech I own.
Thank you.
Appreciate everyone who read through all of this, or even parts — and skipped to this! Thank you. Look forward to any advice, especially some that might help me better manage my hydration / “tank management” strategy :)
