We left off at the Santa Monica Classic, where I ran a tentative, and very slow, 27 minute long 5k, which demonstrated to me that I was ready to continue training for the November 2021 running of the Los Angeles marathon, correct? And you’ve heard nothing from me since?

That is on me, sorry about that.
I will endeavor to provide more details, weekly at least, on my training from here on out.
You’ve read this before? Well, you’re reading this for free, so there you go. Appreciate what you have. But I will do better, because now I have reason to do so.

Without going into a long “catch up” style entry where I attempt to jam pack a single blog post full of all the detail I can possibly imagine, I will instead bullet-point out the accomplishments and leave to everyone’s fertile imagination the details that got me to each paragraph below.

Let’s begin, starting with a quick recap of the Santa Monica 5k:

“Your job today is to complete this 5k standing up and uninjured. Collect your finishers medal, grab water, enjoy the pancake breakfast on the Santa Monica pier, visit with friends, go home, relax.” — LA Road Runners coach David Levine. RESULT: Done, but there were no pancakes. Profoundly disappointed. I would have been happier if I had re-injured my Achilles tendon but still had a pancake or two. Just kidding. (Or am I?)

Finished up rehab of said Achilles tendon injury. Picked up some exercises that I began to work into my normal flexibility routine. RESULT: Happy. The future’s dawn rose above the horizon of despair for the first time in months.

Ran a ten mile easy trail run at Point Mugu State Park to the Danielson Ranch and back as a fitness test. No issues. Beyond happy.

Paced the Pasadena Half Marathon in October at 2:10 with two fellow pace leaders: Russ and Julie (left and right in the photo above. A fourth pacer is visible about ten meters behind). This is a pace I should have been able to run in my sleep, but injuries, time off, etc. Just glad to be out there. — RESULT: Finished with both Russ and Julie. Julie, in particular, whipped us along when I began to flag out. Yay, felt great, but the LA Marathon looms a few weeks ahead. Joy turns to trepidation. (NOTE: All 2021 events were postponed to the fall of that year due to Covid. This meant that LA Road Runners 2022 training schedules overlapped for the 2022 events. The 2022 Pasadena Half and LA Marathon were scheduled just a few months after the 2021 events.)

Completed the four final build weeks with my LA Run 6 group. Hit 40 miles for the last build week, which combined with 35 and 38 for the previous two gave me a smidge of hope that I would be able to pace at least the majority of the marathon for a 4:20 finish. Coach David Levine asked that I at least get the group to mile 18 before falling back. RESULT — Felt bad that my fellow pacer Russ would likely be the only one to lead the group the last 8-10 miles. But he is a strong runner, so I committed myself to doing the best that I could.

Paced the 2021 LA Marathon on November 7 (normally scheduled for mid March, but see Covid note above). Despite trepidation, I was able to lead the team to Mile 21 before falling back. Fellow pacer Russ finished at 4:20 on the dot while I staggered in at around 4:35. It was the absolute best that I could have done, given the circumstances. Injuries are injuries.

After the usual recovery, we jumped back into training for the 2022 LA Marathon, just three months away. I told those in my group who ran the marathon that they were already in prime shape to “kill it” in three months. RESULT — It was the first marathon for several members of my team, and they all felt a great deal of pride and confidence that 2022 would be an even greater experience for them.

Paced 2:10 at the 2022 Pasadena Half Marathon in January 2022. The run was a breeze, and we hit the 2:10 finish right on the dot. Even the finish line announcer gave us kudos. — RESULT: We actually finished around 2:08, but since it took us a few minutes to get to the start line once the race started, well, it was a happy coincidence. Absolutely zero problems with any part of my body that could feel pain.

Completed the additional two training blocks for the 2022 LA Marathon with a few minor niggles, mostly due to my increasing mileage. I made a game of “What is the stupidest reason for running someplace?” as a way to motivate myself to get the miles in: Was picking up a menu in a Santa Monica restaurant a logical reason for running there? Well, eight miles of running looked damn good on Strava. Also, hunting for any working public phone booths, a survey of open bathrooms in Ocean Park, were there any howling coyotes at Will Rogers State Park, and was I really scared of them? (Yes to both). Hit 40, 42 and 46 miles in the final three weeks, the highest mileage I’ve ever run that many weeks in a row. Finished off the final training block before the taper with a ten mile tempo run at 8:00 per mile (honestly, 10:00 per mile for the first and last two miles as a warmup/cool down, but you know what I’m talking about). RESULT — Still a bit “trepedatious” but busting with confidence.

Gonna nail the 2022 LA Marathon. You betch’er ass. (Oh, wait. There’s a Part 2)