LA Marathon 2003

Dear John, Thanks for the email. I crossed the finish line at 5:03. John A. said he ran it in 5:03, unfortunately I didn't see him the whole way. Raquel and I stayed together until mile 8. Raquel says she thinks she ran in at 5:15. Patty stayed with her pace group the whole way and finished at 5:30. I saw Rosemary at the finish and she ran in right behind me, but I didn't see her the whole 26 miles. I'm so happy for all of us. It will be fun to get together, run and share stories. The race was hotter than we anticipated. Injury report: My one foot is pretty beat up. I have a blister on my little toe, it is the size of my little toe. I have a blister UNDER my second toenail, just like the last marathon. That toenail is causing me the most pain right now. Ouch! I saw Delores in the crowd and I can't tell you how good that made me feel to hear "Go Fran" at mile 26! If my toe is better I'll run on Thurs. otherwise I'll see you on Saturday at 7:15. Dr. Ray is awesome! I understand Napa is a very hilly course. Have a great week. Sincerely, Fran

LA Marathon 2003

Hi John, I went out with the 4:30 pace group but had to slow down after 12 miles. I finished with a 5:02 time. I think I'll have to drop a few pounds to improve my time. My son and daughter are training for the Rock n Roll in June. I'll bring them to Heritage Park for some of their training runs. John Angel

LA Marathon 2003

John,

I finished 5:17. I was running with the 4:45 pace group but could only keep up for the first 9 miles. Three weeks ago we did a 20 mile run and suddenly I got severe pains in my left knee and left arch. I went to the doctor etc. The pain unfortunately flared up at mile 11 and was tough to deal with but I made it through but disappointed with my time. I learned that I while I really worked hard and did all or at least 98% of the runs on the schedule that I need to do speed work and more intense runs at faster paces because maintaining a 4:45 pace for me with or without the pain was going to be tough. Yes I know you told me I will never be a great runner but I was hoping to be at least mediocre!

I am not sure about Rock n' Roll. Part of me would like to do another but not sure yet.

Good luck with your next group.

Raquel Edwards

Hi John: This is Patty Orman, remember me and Irene(the slowest ones in the Long Beach group) well, I did signed up with a pace group(5:30) and I actually finished at 5:28, I felt pretty good up until mile 20, then I was really tired and tried to keep up with my group, but I did it and I just feel kind of stiff, but I'm not really hurting. I won't be able to be there on Thursday(I have a dentist's appmt.) I think I'll like to the Rock n' roll one too, the only thing that worries me is the heat, how warm is it around the time. Sunday was warm, where you there? Irene wants to do that one too, we'll see. Patty Orman

Thank you John, for taking me through my first marathon. It has been a pleasure and I look forward to many more. You are always so good with the insight and feedback you provide. See you Saturday then...Have a good week,

Fondly, Gloria

Hello John -

I was in your class training for the LBICM. I had a great time and cannot believe that I made it (5:27) and that I felt so good at the end and never hit the wall or anything. Just wanted to thank you for offering the class and for your great training program that can turn someone who can only run for 2 minutes into a marathoner!

Thank you also for cheering us on at the marathon - it was nice to see a familiar face at that point in the race. Me and my 2 running buddies are going to keep running - so hopefully we will see you one of these Saturday mornings!

Thanks again - Carrie Frisby

Hi John,

I just wanted to write to thank you for your coaching help to prepare for the Long Beach Marathon yesterday. I finished slightly ahead of my projected time. I feel fine today, except for some muscle soreness, which is expected. It was an experience that I will never forget.

I plan to continue running at heritage park on Sat mornings, so I'm sure that I will see you around. My running plan for now will be to run 3-5 miles 3 or 4 days/week, and 8-10 miles on sat mornings. I think this will give me a nice running base to keep me healthy, and run the occasional 5-10k. Depending on my schedule, I would like to run another marathon, but it will be a while. I figure this base will keep me going until I'm ready to begin training for another marathon.

Thanks again for your help. Dom

JOHN!!!

THANK YOU for all your help, I could never have done this without you. I will admit, I started crying the last mile when I realized I was going to reach my goal (subtly I am sure). I was really happy!

See You Next Saturday!

CLAUDINE F.

Hey Coach!!

I am still buzzing with excitement! Today was the Spirit Run 10K. Lori (a/k/a "Pacer), Melissa (a/k/a "BD or Barn Door"), Sandra (a/k/a "Pickles"), Alyce (our true inspiration!!), and myself ("salty") ran the 10 K this morning!

This was my first race - and it was sooooo much fun. We started about 100 yards back from the starting line - well beyond the 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 minute milers!! Lori helped us start and keep our normal 3-rocks pace for the first 5 miles. There was a couple challenging hills, but they didn't hurt as much as train mountain!! Around mile 5, Melissa started her barn door sprint. It was amazing - you would have been proud!! She did very well. She slowly, but surely, increased one stride at a time. She even passed Elvis!! She finished approximately 1 minute before us - she was aiming for even 10 minute miles - which she did.

Pickles, Pacer, and myself came in at a high 1:01. To our disappointment, we waited for Alyce beyond the 5K finishers, but did not see her finish. She was at the race with family members (both running and observing), so she may have bolted out before she made it back as far as us.

It was fun. I was nervous the first three miles - but then - it was a lot of fun. We talked and joked most of the run. I think that made it even easier than the three-rocks route!

Thank you for offering me the opportunity to connect with so many incredible people!! What a high!!!

See you Monday!

Ohhhhh John,

Your e-mails are both priceless and hilarious!

Yes, it's true...I have certainly been known to bite off more than I can chew. I have also been known to get a bit over zealous at times. I know...surprise, surprise! However, wouldn't you rather deal with someone that you need to "reign in" rather than someone who needs a constant kick in the butt because they lack passion, motivation, enthusiasm and heart?!

Regarding focus and goals...I don't have an exact, calculated plan at this very moment. Everything in my life cannot always be mapped out 100% of the time, but goals always keep me motivated...even though they may change and evolve along the way.

My goal when I joined TNT (aside from supporting the cause itself which was a top priority!) was to build a running/fitness/mileage base again from scratch, get back to the pace I was running years ago when I already had a strong base, did speed/track work, and cross-trained with swimming and biking...and use all of that to run a fast marathon while having fun at the same time!

WAY too much too soon. So...I took your advice about starting slowly, building the mileage and fitness base over months, having fun with it and improving step by step through the natural process. I followed the schedule, put in the mileage, built the base and made some great running friends along the way. I didn't do any speed/track work at all and I didn't cross train...but I didn't get sick or injured (a first for me!), and I sure did feel strong and full of energy the entire 26.2 miles.

SEE...I DO FOLLOW YOUR ADVICE!!

Thanks!
Sandy

My marathon experience...

First off, guess who didn't sleep the night before? I tossed and turned all night long in anticipation of the big day.

I still couldn't believe that just 4 months ago I was worried about our first 6 mile Saturday run. I hadn't exercised consistently in 2 years and I was worried that I would fall apart after 2 miles. I tried to count pints of Ben & Jerry's, but that didn't seem to do the trick...it just made me hungry. I couldn't sing songs from "Grease" or tell stories (which is something I enjoy doing the night before a big event) because my roomates/running pals (husband & wife) conked out before 10:00 p.m.

I did however think of my best friend that I lost to AML. She will always be a huge inspiration in my life. I was running this marathon for her, and thinking of the advice she would have given me..."don't forget to enjoy the experience!"

Getting up at 4:15 a.m. in order to get ready, choke down our oatmeal (UGH!) and jump on the TNT shuttle at 5:00 a.m while it was still dark was not pretty. We sat in the very back of the bus, and I started feeling "car sick" on the way! We arrived at the start area at 5:20 a.m. for the 6:45 a.m. start. Loads of time to get more butterflies, gulp down liters of water, pig out on bananas and bagels (for the tenth time in 24 hours), FREAK OUT and stand in line for the port-o-potties...again and again!!

Perfect weather for running...overcast and misty. My prayers were answered! Yours truly was actually on the port-o-potty when the gun went off...do you believe that?! I ran out in a frenzy to meet my running pals and they just looked at me, shook their heads and laughed. They are so patient with me! Anyway, we got stuck jumping in at the back of the pack behind large groups of runners and walkers that we could not "dodge" around for fear of causing accidents...so for the first 5 or 6 miles, our pace was around 10:30 rather than our usual "long run" training pace of 9:00 per mile.

However, this may have been a good thing in the long run (so to speak). However, I am proud to say that despite this minor setback, I ran the second half of the marathon faster than the first half...that's right, a negative split...boy do I feel like a tough gal! We were able to make up quite a bit of time all things considered...which is certainly not easy to do in a foot race! From mile 20 to mile 26.2 I was actually singing and "high-fiving" the fans as I ran the last 10K feeling strong and exhilarated. Once I crossed the finish line and stopped running for the first time in exactly 4 hours and 7 minutes...the pain in my legs started to set in QUICKLY!! OUCH!!

The course was really nice, the support stations and race volunteers were great, the fans were wonderful (especially all of the TNT fans!) and the bands playing music along the course were a great distraction. The TNT staff, honored patients, volunteers and fans were incredible...and so were the events.

What a great program! Your training schedule and sound advice prevented me from repeating old tricks like getting injured and/or getting sick with mono before the big event. For that, I am eternally grateful! Next time I plan on breaking 4 hours for sure.

Thanks again for everything!!

Sandy

I just wanted to let you know what an excellent experience the marathon was for me. I had a great time, and I felt really good running. The last 5 miles were hard, but not painful.

I don't think I could have been any better prepared for it--thank you for training me so well! And it was really cool seeing you along the race route! Looking forward to seeing you soon,

Melissa M. (BD)

I am still stunned! In reasonably good shape too! I am only sore in one spot - my knee. I tripped over one of those reflector things before I even crossed the start line and fell down! What a klutz!!!

I also noticed I have no time for the marathon. I think I may have broke my chip when I fell?

I cried for about an hour when I went to the results site and saw nothing - but I know my gun time and I know I crossed the finish at 5 hrs and 20 minutes. That's the important part to me.

I think the salt really helped. I stayed with Sandra and Lori until mile 17. THen I walked a bit here and there - and then from Mile 19 - 25 - wow!!! I walked the entire mile 24 to 25.

I'm not sure if it was the salt or the adrenaline - but I ran strong that last mile and even sprinted a bit when I could see the finish. What a feeling. I just cannot even find words. Well - yes I can. The next one will be easier!!

Thank you so much John. You are an incredible coach. A true angel in my life. I'll see you Saturday morning!!

Me "ll" issa

Copyright © 2003 by John Loeschhorn - Mail to:mtnrnr@pacbell.net
April 6, 2003