I’m gearing up for the New York Marathon at the beginning of November (yes – I have a number – thanks Jack). I’m running it with Matt Blumberg (unless he decides to run for time and try to break four hours – then he’s on his own) so I’ve been logging some serious miles.
This was my first week on the road since I got back from Alaska. My travel rhythm is completely bunged up and - as a result, I’ve been unable to get out of bed early enough the last two days to get my runs in before the day starts (yes – it’s dark at 5am in Atherton these days). I ended up in LA this afternoon at the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference and - after sitting through the one session I was really interested in (Windows Vista: Building RSS Enabled Applications) decided to squeeze in a run before dinner.
The hotel I’m at has a nice little laminated card with a “Runner’s World Magazine Recommended” 6 mile run – so I hit the road and did that. The first mile on Figueroa Street was nice enough, but then I turned left on Sunset to head up to Elysian Park. Suddenly, I went from a nice downtown to lower pitsville – trash everywhere, broken down buildings, graffiti, tar scars all over the sidewalk, and the smell of yuckola everywhere. Eventually I got to Douglas and did a sharp uphill to Elysian Park where I went from pitsville to a scene from 24 Season One. I’m Kim, on a dusty, isolated fire road, up above the street by a half a mile, tromping along looking for some sign of a normal human being. I kept waiting for one of Marwan’s honchos to step out from the trees at the side of the path (yes – I know I’m mixing up seasons). Eventually I got to Stadium Way (where it turned pretty again) – at which point I turned around and retraced my steps. This time I had the extra bonus of rush hour traffic and – as I noticed that virtually every car only had one person in it – I soldiered on back to the hotel.
My standard line for Alaska is that the place needs a paint job and a vacuuming. This place needed a power wash. At one point, the unambiguous smell of shit overwhelmed me. I wrote it off initially (every runner I know farts with enthusiasm) but then realized that it both wasn’t my brand and was just lasting too long. Somewhere on Sunset between Figueroa and Douglas is a shit-smell factory that must operate 24 hours a day to generate the haze that lingered.
My eyes are still burning, I’m coughing a little, and I’m ready for a nice dinner at The Palm with a bunch of Microsoft folks. At least I got my six miles in.
Posted in: MarathonsCOMMENTS (8)
Pretty funny (although sad that it's true). How'd you get your number for NYC? I tried but didn't win the lottery this year - doing Cape Cod (Oct 30) instead.
I'm still laughing at the shit-small factory comment.
Brad - do you know the Death Cab for Cutie song "Why You'd Want to Live Here?"
"I'm in los angeles today: it smells like an airport runway. jet fuel stench's
in the cabin and lights flickering at random.
I'm in los angeles today: garbage cans comprise the medians of freeways always
creaping even when the population's sleeping.
and I can't see why you'd want to live here.
I'm in los angeles today: asked a gas station employee if he ever had trouble
breathing and he said "it varies from season to season, kid."
Etc.... I guess they missed the shit factory! :-)
Yes, that's what it is all about...getting the miles in. Recently, while staying in San Mateo on a fundraising trip, the CEO of our company and I went for an easy five miler. He ended up crawling through an aquaduct, hopping the railroad tracks, and scaling a fence only to come back to the hotel a bloodied mess. But, he got his run in.
Matt
If you have the chance next time, go just a few miles outside the city into the mountains, you'll be amazed.
If you still don't believe me, here's a photo of mine taken just outside Glendale.
Not quite Alaska, but it's the reason I'm still here!
Pete
were you wearing your 24 hat?
Next time, call me before you come in. I'll get you into a hotel in a decent neighborhood. ;-) We could also just do Benny's Lair again.
I laughed out loud when reading your post. I am a resident of Los Angeles and everyday I ask myself why sooooo many people live here.
Just FYI, I wouldn't send my worst enemy to run where you ran that day. Scary. Hopefully, during your stay in LA you made it to some more appealing areas.
Run On!
-Kelsie
justbreathe.com
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