LA Marathon

A lot of things are running through my mind but I want to take this blog one blog at a time.

This blog will be for reflecting on March 2, 2008 and the events leading up to the day.

So, in the beginning of the school year I decided to run the LA marathon. Why? At first, I just wanted to add an accomplishment to my life (I know, very vain of me). I continued to run my daily routine of 3 miles, 3-5 times a week thinking I could run a marathon easily. I soon learned that my friend Peter had run marathons before so I asked if he would like to run the LA marathon with me. We agreed to run together, and even Jon Kang confirmed to me that he would like to run it with us as well. So months passed by, with little to no serious training on my part.
A month before the actual marathon, Jon and I decided to do a test run of about 14 miles to Santa Monica Pier (by way of Sunset Blvd.). I immediately agreed and easily ignored the surprise many people had about our test run. So, we geared up one Friday afternoon with waterbottles (2 for JK, 1 for me), and went on our way. Keep in mind this was during the winter so the sun went down at around 5pm. So, we ended up running in the dark after 4 miles in, and my body was feeling good. At around 5 miles in, I began to feel a rash forming where my thighs brush past (I don't want to get into any details). Basically, I realized that I would never wear boxers, only briefs, on long distance runs. We stopped by Ralphs for a bathroom break, and continued up Sunset Blvd (basically it was uphill the whole way). Reaching the beach after 2 hours, I was exhausted. This was the furthest I have ever run in my life, and my legs were giving out. A lot of people say they are scared when they can't move their the bodies properly while running away in dreams; this was exactly how I felt upon arriving at the beach. I began to realize that a marathon was truly going to be a mentally and physically draining test. As we jogged along the beach, I told Jon that this trial run made me respect the marathon, and conquering anything requires respect. After arriving at the pier, we decided to take the metro back to UCLA (everything is a little fuzzy after that except I remember ordering pizza and watching Shawshank Redemption with my roommate, Rohit).
After experiencing probably the most depressing and debilitating run in my life, I reacted with a vengeance. Every day for the next 2 weeks I restricted myself to a diet of yogurt, cottage cheese, oatmeal, milk, orange juice, chicken breast, pasta, salad with a wide variety of veggies, and few if any sweets. Along with this diet, I also committed myself to run 25 miles a week (restricting the last week to 14 miles). A few days before the marathon, Jon, John Jung, and I went to watch the Marathon Movie at the Culver City AMC. This movie was a one-time showing specifically geared for those running 26.2 miles in a couple days. Rallying around the grandfather in the movie and Daniel Jenga (a guy from Kenya), we were ready for the marathon.

One day before:
We headed over to the Convention Center to pick up our bibs and get a t-shirt and a bag of goodies from the LA Marathon Committee. We also purchased uniforms for the marathon (basically, neon colored outfits that would help us stick out).
Later that day, Peaches, John Jung, JK, and I feasted on bowl upon bowl of pasta from Covel Dining Hall. After our amazing meal, we packed peanut butter sandwiches and prepared for the next day by playing Super Smash (I actually watched Survivor Micronesia episode 3).

Marathon Day:
I woke up ready to run. At 5AM I took my morning dump, and ate a breakfast of a peanut butter sandwich, banana, and protein bar. At 6AM JK picked me up and waiting for a sleepy John Jung to come out. When he finally came, we headed to Peter's house and carpooled with his Mom, his brother, and his brother's friend. By the time we approached the start, it was almost 7:30AM and there was major traffic on the freeway. We actually got out of the car(on the freeway) and....I have a crazy story, so just ask me and I'll tell you. So, we as we walked to the start, we smothered ourselves with vaseline and stretched out our muscles. After starting the marathon, I could not help but be amazed at the number of people in the crowd and other participants. It seemed like hundreds of thousands of people were partaking in this: including groups of Korean adults, business executives, advertising people, college students, runners, and an army of SRLA students. In the beginning, we joked with each other, throwing ice and water at each other while running. After a couple of miles you could easily notice that we were getting a little tired because the conversation and horse-play had ceased. Passing by the Hollywood Bowl, Kodak theatre, Rosa Parks Bridge, Hancock Park, East L.A., Koreatown, (just imagine running past Han Nam Chain in the middle of the street!) Coliseum, a bridge that I never knew existed (this bridge was like a mile long and had an amazing view of all of LA). At mile 16, I began to become fatigued and bored. But a supported began playing a song which had some lyrics that I distinctly remember, "Go get it." I realized that nobody was going to give me anything (other than the amazing supporters who supplied gatorade, bananas, oranges, and water...but that's not the type of giving I'm talking about). If I wanted something, I need to go get it...there is no such thing as entitlement. With that in mind, I persevered onward with a renewed spirit. Reaching mile 20 was a blessing and a struggle, and the next 5 miles were extremely tiring. For the last mile, John Jung and I sprinted and probably ran it in 6-7 minutes. Out of energy and waiting for JK and Peaches, I could not believe I was .2 miles away from finishing (the last .2 is after a corner you turn). When JK and Peaches met up with us, Peaches was limping because of a Charlie Horse in his leg. I began to laugh because he had made it so far, but at the end he couldn't run. Suddenly, my leg began to harden and my smile transformed into a grimace of pain. I was now suffering from a charlie horse as well! What goes around, comes around eh? So hand in hand, the 4 of us walked towards the finish. Out of nowhere, my UCLA workshop partner and awesome friend Bernie shouted out my name from the crowd. Surprised and ecstatic, I ran to him and saw that he had also come with 2 of my students in a discussion section that Bernie and I had led. He told me that he had been waiting for hours and was following me throughout the race. Encouraged and blessed, I continued to finish the race and everything from that point on was full of euphoria. After having the medal put around my neck and taking a multitude of model shots with my buddies, we walked to Peter's car and went to Family House to eat dduk bo sam.
So what do I remember from the marathon other than being able to litter anywhere for the first time in my life, being sore for the next week, running with thousands of people, and thousands of people cheering for you on the sides?
I remember the smiles, the inner struggle, and the team work it took to finish. It would not be right for me to say that I finished the marathon; it would be more correct to say WE conquered it.
Praise God for giving me friends, a healthy body, and great support in order to be part of the LA Marathon.