Door To The Shore: running across L.A. (a photo retrospective)

photo credit: Susan MacDonald

On April 27, 2013, after running three half-marathon races in six months and countless training runs, before my first full marathon, I ran the run of my heart. The one that had been in my mind's eye for almost a year. The one that I had been working for. 

From my front door to the Pacific Ocean. 

I called it "The Door To The Shore". My sweetheart was endlessly supportive of my vision. It seemed impossible when I first thought of it. Even though at that point the most I had ever run was eight miles (once), I didn't care how long of a run it was, I just wanted to get to the ocean. As it turns out, the route was 18 miles. I ran it solo in three hours. My friend Susan caught some photos of me along the way, and then my sweetheart caught some more. When I got to the pier, I ran the last bit with my boyfriend and his youngest daughter. Together we ran straight down the pier, their flipflops falling off as my running shoes padded along the weathered boardwalk. We ran down the steps (stairs!! after18 miles!!), and onto the hot sand. At the edge of the water were smiling friends holding out their hands to take my fuel belt and shoes as I ran right in, laughing with immense, authentic childlike joy. 

There's a mountain range between the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles proper, and Angelenos always ask my route. It was:

My front door > through NoHo to Universal City > Cahuenga > over the pass into Hollywood > past the Grauman Chinese Theater > Sunset Blvd > Doheny > Carmelita > Santa Monica Blvd > a little zigzag > Idaho > Colorado > right onto the Santa Monica Pier > past Bubba Gump's > down the steps > into the water

Door to the Shore route, from  my front door to the Santa Monica Pier. April 27. 2012

The journey begins with a single step... shut the front door! (photo credit: Darby Orr)

May the Fonz be with you (Studio City, around mile 3-ish)

Coming down the Cahuenga Pass from Studio City into Hollywood

Running past the Hollywood Bowl (Hollywood, around mile 5 or 6)

At Hollywood and Highland (Hollywood - where else?) I got tripped up by Spidey

Sunset Blvd / Doheny (almost at Beverly Hills)

The Witch House on Carmelita Ave (Beverly Hills, around mile 10)

Santa Monica? Century City? photo credit: Susan MacDonald

Running through Century City into Santa Monica, around mile 14 or 15 (photo credit: Darby Orr)

Coming down Colorado Blvd which leads right to the Santa Monica Pier (photo credit: Darby Orr)

A beautiful site! Just a bit further to get to the ocean! (photo credit Darby Orr)

Made it! Running right into the Pacific Ocean. (photo credit: Darby Orr)

Six and a half years living in California and my first time in the Pacific Ocean (photo credit: Darby Orr)

Ridiculously happy! (photo credit: Darby Orr)

Beautiful friends met me at the Pier to celebrate