"OHMYGODIMRUNNINGAMARATHON!"
But it was emotional in the sense that I ran through four-plus years of memories from a really awesome time in my life. Every block was a sight, and every mile there was at least a street, store, sign, bar, restaurant, song, or something that reminded me of someone, somewhere, long ago. Most of the time it just reminded me of my former self. It was a point-by-point run literally down memory lane and across Los Angeles. Ah, how far we've come.
And so, here's what I remember thinking as I passed mile markers and memories.
Mile 1. Dodger Stadium. Dodgers v. Giants. Dave Matthews concert. Driving up the 110, past the exit, through the tunnel, onto the 5.
Mile 3. Sketchy area north of downtown I'd get lost in coming home from riding in Los Feliz. Led through Chinatown and, if you kept going, into the design and jewelry districts. I think. Among other things like gang territory, rape allyways, and overpriced apartments for USC kids.
Mile 5 - 7. Echo Park and Silver Lake. Freshman year art class. I was in a group for a project with my new-found friend Heather who drove a green bug with the license plate 'Pickle' (her last name was Claussen) and a very hot, very sadly not straight man named Josh (ahh, Josh Green, mmm how Heather and I used to drool over him). Josh, being a senior and aware of places like Silver Lake before they were hipster hangouts (this was 1999!) suggested we do our neighborhood observation project on Silver Lake. Thank you, Josh Green.
Mile 9 - 11. Hollywood Blvd. Costume shops. Famous landmarks I never actually went to. Running over "the" 101. Capital Records building up close.
Mile 12. Sunset. Oh, Saddle Ranch. How I never, ever, ever thought, while drunk on bright blue Adios Motherfuckers in your dark crowded inside, that I'd be passing by you on the street running a marathon. I have walked many a mile on that street, mainly in heels, definitely intoxicated, and most likely in the dark. This day was different. Sunny, sober, and in running shoes.
Mile 13. People passing out fruit. Oranges. You wonder the cleanliness of home-cut oranges from random strangers. Then you realize that anyone who is nice enough and smart enough to bring oranges for other strangers is probably ok and you have bigger problems to worry about than germs, mainly not dying. Try to grab an orange from a bowl. Too slippery. So the oranges in the bowl get my sweat on them and that's it. Oops.
Mile 15 - 17. Beverly Hills. Ran down Rodeo. Onto Wilshire. Passed Charleville, the street my very first ad internship was near.
Mile 17.5 Really thinking how it'd be nice to have company as this is starting to suck.
Mile 17.75 This marathon running was a bad idea. Why did I want to do this? Never again.
Mile 18. Florence comes on. The dog days are over. The horses are coming. I can see fog far off on the horizon. The ocean is coming.
Mile 19 - 20. Century City. All the way down Santa Monica Blvd. Long street.Internships, malls, lunch breaks shopping at Century City, the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Passed Overland, thought of Paige's old apartment. Passed Bentley, thought of Paige. Used a porta-potty. Not as bad as I had imagined. Crossed over Westwood, so I knew we wouldn't be running up the horrible Westwood hill per se, but then we went up Sepulveda. Damn. Forgot about this street. We were only on it less than a mile but I didn't like it. I guess it reminds me of traffic jams. Under the 405 right before mile 20. Pain. Lots of pain at this point but we were entering the 20's. Remember going under the freeway and people's shouts echoing in the darkness. Gave the 20-mile marker a good hard stare. 20. 20 miles. Apparently the next six will be the hardest?
Mile 20.5 Veterans Affairs Park. i.e. Hell, if Hell has green grass, and a consistent incline that seems to go on forever. The real walking started here. I never want to see this place again.
Mile 21. Five miles to go! That's just the morning La Mad route! We can do this! San Vicente. Skirting Westwood, and the memories of driving San Vicente with my college boyfriend to get tacos at this little place in North Santa Monica. I would have really enjoyed that black Bronco right about then as my legs were burning. But the ocean air hit and the temperature dropped and someone gave out ice cubes, which I held against my thighs and hips. Then I put one in my mouth and considered the fact that I might choke on it, so I spit it out.
Mile 22. Four more miles! That's nothing! That's from my house to the Katy trail and back. I do that all the time.
Mile 22.5 B-A-N-A-N-A-S. This shit is bananas, and I ate a piece of one, finally getting my hands around the slimy fruit.
Mile 23. Three miles! Just look at the ground and keep going. The man next to you is grunt-shouting. Saw the sign, "Don't think. Just run." Good advice.
Mile 24. It's not an illusion. That's my name being called, and that's my sister in running shorts. I cannot tell you the sheer joy of seeing her there ready to run the last two miles with me. I picked up my pace immediately. I was suddenly chatty - well, until I couldn't breath anymore and told her to just tell me a story while I ran. She chose to tell me how she met a copywriter named Jake who worked at the coolest place in LA the night before. Sigh. What's a little more pain.
Mile 24.5 Sweet Disposition comes on the shuffle. Crank this shit. I think of Steve (shout out to Steve for still reading this). I hear the lyrics "Wont stop til it's over" and get emotional. My sister is talking. I can't hear her because I've turned this song up. I replay the song two more times.
Mile 25. Turning the corner. Hitting Ocean Ave. The home-mother-freakin-stretch. A song from Where the Wild Things Are comes on. Win. This is the song I needed.
Mile 25.5 I take a few walking strides. Kate has left me alone to finish. That 26 banner is far, far down Ocean Ave. I can't walk the homestretch. I start running. Hot Chip is playing. I focus on just the beat. This is the point where I started repeating the same phrase over and over to just get through it. I believe it was, "This is the wall you have to push through." It went something like this:
This is the wall you have to push through. This is the wall you have to push through.This is the wall you have to push through.This is the wall you have to push through.This is the wall you have to push through.UNZ-UNZ-UNZ-UNZ This is the wall you have to push through.This is the wall you have to push through.This is the wall you have to push through.This is the wall you have to push through.This is the wall you have to push through. JUST KEEP RUNNING! This is the wall you have to push through.This is the wall you have to push through.This is the wall you have to push through.This is the wall you have to push through.This is the wall you have to push through. This is the wall you have to push through.
There was a wall of people twenty feet thick on either side of the road, cheering us on. I knew that the 26 mile marker was just that, and that there was .2 to go, but I really really wanted that marker to be the finish. It wasn't.
Mile 26. Just two-tenths of a mile to go. I could see the electronic boards to cross over ahead. My heart felt like it actually may explode since I had been running faster with my sister. I actually may die doing this. This was the only time I thought that during the entire race. Between other people's bodies and legs, I could see where people were going from running to walking. That meant they were done. Done. DONE. I just had to get to those walking legs without passing out. That is literally the last thought I remember.
Well, I didn't pass out.
And then? Then there were prizes. Glorious prizes enjoyed in fluffy white beds at The Huntley hotel. Heavenly.
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