Hodson Blog

The race had an early start at 6:30am - the forecast high was 80F, so the earlier the better! As parking was supposed to be a challenge we went on parking recon after the expo. The effort paid off nicely when we pulled into a nice spot on the street at 5am and walked to the start. When the race gun fired, it was a pleasant 48F.

The first two miles of the race were flat and fast, running along PCH in the cool ocean air. We took a quick right turn at Mile 3 and ran smack dab into a large group of high school kids cheering so loud I thought I'd won the marathon! It's funny how crowd support quickens your step a bit and fires you up, even at Mile 3. We took another few right turns and hit the only set of hills in the marathon. Miles 5 - 8 went through Huntington Beach Central Park which was nice and shady (particularly relative to what was coming up). After Mile 8, the course took us back down the hill and onto PCH to start Mile 10.

Running north on PCH, we hit the turnaround about Mile 12.5 and then ran back south to Mile 15.5. This was easily my least favorite part of the race - almost 6 miles on 6 lanes of black top. No shade and the temperature getting increasingly warmer.

We left PCH and ran north along the path at Bolsa Chica State Beach to Mile 20.5, essentially retracing our steps along PCH but this time with a view of the ocean and without the 6 lanes of black top :-). The ocean views were great and the breeze helped to cut the heat a bit. A quick turnaround and then another 5 miles south retracing our steps. 

At Mile 25.5, we exited the beach path and headed south on PCH to the finish line. Conditions at the finish were in the low 80s - February in SoCal.

Post-finish we rushed to pickup our drop-off bags, shower and head the airport for a quick bite. Fortunately we had a live stream of the Superbowl on the plane and caught the 2nd half at home.

Overall, here's how the run rates in my book:

We were staying close to the start of the point-to-point race. It was late November and anything is possible but fortunately it was dry and relatively warm (~40F) with light winds. The race started beside the Arno river promptly at 8am in several waves. Each wave began with a cheer and great crowd support. Before I knew it, we were off ... and promptly split off into groups of 1 or 2 or 3. I wouldn't see some of my fellow travellers until the finish line!

Kilometers 1 - 5 were pretty straightforward - fun neighborhoods, lots to see. We ran past the main train station and into Parco del Cascine around 5.5k. I wasn't sure how this part of the run was going to go as the map looked like we would just doing loops and mentally, that can be tough. Seeing the Kenyans exiting as we were entering the park is normal stuff as they are easily twice as fast as I am. However watching the other runners loop by you over and over can kill your morale. Luckily, this run was well thought out as the park was large enough that you didn't see the other parts of the loop until you were upon them. Five miles here was great - beautiful trees, nice paths and best of all, the first stop in the park had hot tea. Some of the group found this to be a treat and made sure to hit it at every stop they could. I just stuck with the Italian-style gatorade, which was ... fizzy. But it was quite good! 

After exiting the park, we crossed the Arno and after a few miles, crossed under the old city gate and past the walls that used to protect Florentinians from the attacking Siennans hundreds of years ago. We ran through town up towards the Boboli Gardens and the Piatti Palace. We then headed East along the Arno and crossed it again at Kilometer 21 - the halfway point of the marathon!

The next 10k took us through various neighborhoods in Florence, past the Academia and up to the site of the expo at Stadio Comunale. This part of the run was interesting but has lots of turns so you have to pay attention. There was a not-nice surprise waiting at Mile 20 -- a pedestrian bridge over the railway. Steep hill at Mile 20, ugh, who is the sadist that put this on the course?!

The last 7k of the marathon had an amazing number of important sites - the Duomo (and the amazing dome built by Brunelleschi), Campanile, statue of David and crossing Ponte Vecchio just before Kilometer 40.

The last 2k went by in a flash and before I knew it I was across the finish line. Quick trip to pickup our drop-off bags, shower, dinner, pack and then head to airport in the morning. Crazy trip but a great marathon!

Overall, here's how the run rates in my book:

Fast forward six months and it was time to head to LA. We had rented a house near Venice Beach and bit by bit everyone turned up. To orient ourselves to LA (and have some fun before the marathon) we went to Universal Studios on Friday. The weather was warm (a harbinger of what was to come) but pleasant for the time of year. A good time was had by all, however, I would personally recommend that you stay off the Minion rollercoaster -- it made me turn green.

Saturday was the day to keep our feet up, rest and hydrate. First we had to hit the expo to pick up race packets and look for fun race shirts (sponsored by asics, so they had some good ones). We had been receiving email the last few days about the potential for hot weather but the news on Saturday took everything up a few notches. Suddenly we were all being blasted with "Be careful" and "plan ahead" email from the Race director. This freaked everyone out. By the afternoon, the announcement was made that the race would still have the same start time of 7am but they were eliminating the "wave" starts. This meant that we could start earlier (good) but that it would be a complete zoo at the start with a mix of runners and walkers, all moving at different speeds (bad). 

Our Saturday night dinner was quiet instead of the usual rowdy "let's all get pumped up" vibe the group usually has during a pre-race meal. There was quite a bit of discussion about race strategy, should we run/not run and an overall feeling of ... well, impending doom. As the group got ready (you probably know this already, but never wait until the day of to prepare) we took an inventory - we had salt tablets (new for some us and I really don't like to try something new on race day), bandanas that hold ice (great for ultras apparently), plenty of fluids and a solid race plan.

Race day

The race is point to point, so we rose early, left the house at 4:30am and headed to Santa Monica to catch the bus to Dodger Stadium (as a Giants fan, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to make this journey. Somewhere I was sure that I would see Kruk and Kuip there, scowling at us and yelling "We see you!")

The race started right on time at 7am and as advertised, there was only 1 wave -- everyone at once. The temperature was a warm 75F but the sun wasn't up yet. The first few miles of the course had some moderate hills but the main issue was watching your feet. Lots of people, all going at a different pace. At times, the runners in front would suddenly part like the Red Sea and you would have to quickly dodge a walker. A little crazy.

We hit Mile 7 about 8:30 and were very happy to see some of the group cheering us on with signs and words of encouragement. Funny but sometimes that makes all the difference. At this point, we were taking salt tablets once an hour and besides the initial GI feeling of ugh, everyone was feeling strong and on plan.

Miles 10 - 14 were fun - incredible crowd support, plenty of tourist attractions (Gruman's theater, Hollywood, Sunset Strip). All the while we were hitting a series of rollers; the course was never really flat. After Mile 14, we made our way down a series of hills to Beverly Hills. The sun was out in full force by this and the temperature was rising. The crowds were great, cheering everyone on and squirting the runners with water (the Fire Dept even opened some hydrants and had hoses going as well). 

Mile 20 came and I hit the wall hard. The course crossed over the 405 freeway here and there are no trees or shade to speak of -- due to the street configuration, there weren't even crowds or hoses. It got really hot; all the ice in my bandana and the cubes under my hat had melted. Time to bust out some mental toughness! 

We pushed on and ran through Brentwood, starting at Mile 22. The crowds returned, ready to keep the runners wet and cool. There were trees. The course even started to head downhill towards the Pacific Ocean. Life was good :-)

Soon we could see the final left turn onto Ocean Avenue/Highway 1. Santa Monica is such a beautiful sight and that day didn't disappoint. The coast was great, the rides on the pier were packed and the finish line half a mile ahead. At this point, your adrenaline takes over and before I knew it, I was across the finish line, standing in front of some seriously cool machines that quickly reduced my body temperature. Finishing temperature was almost 90F.

The race started at 9:00 am just off the Old Town Square. 9:00 is a late start for me as I usually run early so I tried to sleep a bit later than normal and worked on fueling. The latter turned out well but sleeping in on race morning didn't work -- too much adrenaline! Temps were in the low 40s with high humidity and a forecast intermittent rain. Overall, here's how the run rates in my book:

Organization – Well organized, marked course (was worried I'd get lost and don't speak Czech but had no problems). Grade: A

Course - 26.2 miles of an 11th century city, most of it with a view of the river. Grade: A

Aid-stations - Many aid stations, fully stocked. No Gatorade. Fun volunteers. Grade: B

Swag – Nice medal and dri-fit short sleeve shirt.  Grade: B+

Bonus - Got to run in Prague