They Do Run Run Run, They Do Run Run

I woke up this morning to the sound of helicopters... which is not totally unheard of in my neighborhood.   Usually the thudding chopchopchop is accompanied by sirens and deep voices booming through megaphones.

This morning, however, the helicopters were up there for an entirely different reason: the L.A. Marathon started in my neighborhood!  

Then it wove through Downtown, and back up through my neighborhood again, before heading all the way west to Santa Monica.  Just before the start of the race, I headed down to Sunset to cheer on the runners.  

You can (barely) see a helicopter between the trees on the left, hovering right over Dodger Stadium. 

Before I even got to Sunset, the roads were blocked off.    (Quick aside:  I'm so used to seeing abandoned grocery carts, I DIDN"T EVEN SEE THIS ONE when I took the picture. Seriously.  Didn't notice it until I got home and downloaded my pictures.  Hello, observant.)

   

Before the race even started, people were lining up along the route.  How often do you get up early and go stand on the street to cheer for people you don't even know?  Pretty darn cool.

And before I knew it, the first wheelchair racer came flying down Glendale...

That guy was MOVING...

And the front pack of women runners wasn't far behind...

 Some of the most elite runners in the world, right in front of me!

 For just a moment...

 And then they were gone...

Soon to be followed by the men...

LOOK AT THEIR LEGS.  All lean muscle mass.  I had some of that once.  

And there they go...

Did I mention the circus at Mile 6?  

Spending a morning on stilts seems almost as hard to me as running a marathon...

After the lead packs, only a slow trickle of runners came by for awhile...

The trickle slowly picked up...

... and eventually turned into a stream...

And I just have to throw in this picture.  The woman on the right looks Photoshopped, doesn't she?

... and then a river...

... a river with a weird, red-caped guy.  Which is right about when I decided to casually stroll down to my favorite neighborhood joint for a yummy breakfast.

Yeah.

I will never run a marathon.  But I will happily watch and cheer every chance I get.

Comments

[Chris]

Um yeah. People DIE after marathons.

I did have aspirations once to do half-marathons. Seems decades ago though.

[Elizabeth Harper]

I ran my first and what I always thought would be my last marathon at 20 when I was in the Army while stationed in Germany. Later I ran more races, but never any longer than a half marathon and felt contented with that until years later when I decided to do the DC marathon just after my 47 birthday. Lately, I have had the odd thought that maybe I should do one more.

I will be doing the 105 mile Tour of Mont Blanc (TMB ) through the French, Swiss and Italian Alps this fall to celebrate turning 50 which will happen while I'm there so that will have to be enough for now. Oh, and I WILL be walking, not running the 105 miles.

I've never watched a marathon, but I'll be in London next month watching as my husband's daughter runs her first one in honor of turning 40 this year.

I loved the shopping cart picture!

[Chris]

Elizabeth the TMB sounds really cool. 105 miles through the Alps will be an awesome experience I bet. I love it that you, and your husband's daughter are doing these in honor of turning 40/50. I didn't start running until almost 3 years ago when I was 43. Had never EVER been a runner but it sure was wonderful.
I've been sidelined now with weight gain, knee surgery and poor attitude but hopefully I can run again.

Good luck to you!!

Sarah, how about a half-marathon or even just a 5k? Finishing a 5K gave me a huge feeling of accomplishment. Never in my wildest dreams had I ever thought I could run (non-stop and no walking) for 3.1 miles.

[Honeybee Happy]

Nice post, Sarah! I was a member of "the river" yesterday. It was the first time I had run LA, and it was so amazing (the sights, the crowds, the finish!). Around Mile 12 or 13 we were in West Hollywood, and there were nearly naked men dancing on tables. Ooh lahlah! (although, with it being West Hollywood, I don't think they were batting for my team). Thank you so much for coming out to cheer. There were so many times during the race that I thought I couldn't finish, and the crowds yelling out my bib name, giving me encouraging words seriously helped me push through.

[Laura]

I counted myself amongst the "I will *never* run a marathon" crowd....

... and then I became one of the "I will NEVER RUN ANOTHER marathon" crowd ....

... and now? Let's just say that while I prefer jockstrapping (jockstrapping = athletic supporter = spectating) to actually running the damn race, there's something crazy that kind of pulls you in (and brainwashes you of how damn much it hurts!) once you've that first one and keeps you coming back for more.

And so my advice? Don't be like me: REALLY never run a marathon...!

[Christi]

I only run if being chased. And there are parameters within that... (must have rabies, teeth sharper than mine, etc.)