Rest day before LA

We wrapped up our training for the LA Marathon with a 9-mile run around Hansen Dam Park last Sunday. I should be glad I made it through the end of training but I came home that day with a sore on the bottom of my right foot. The discomfort is similar to plantar fasciitis when you make your first step in the morning. In my case, what hurts is the muscle along the border of my foot. I could only guess what it is but I might have pushed myself a little too hard Friday during my last scheduled speed workout. I'm icing it on and off, so far I'm able to manage it; hopefully, it gets better before Sunday's race.

It's essential to plan ahead if you are driving to the marathon since the point-to-point nature of the course will start and end at two different locations. You can park at the start line, Dodger Stadium, and double back after the race. I will do the opposite and park my car at the finish line in Santa Monica then commute to the start line. It's a bit stretch but I'd rather do this than worry about the commute after the race which by then I'll probably be wasted. I just have to be on the road as early as 4am to do this.

Here's the image of the medal that runners are talking about. After reading the design context on their blog, sorry to dispute the naysayer but I gave this one a thumbs-up:



Many in our running group are aiming to better their personal record (PR) in this race. I wish I could say the same of me but I will settle on a much simpler goal of beating my last year's time of 5:29:22. A sub 4 hour is still a long way for me, someday maybe; we'll see. You can track the live result of the race at http://www.xacte.com/templates/la.html

On a side note, I went to traffic court last week to settle my speeding ticket. The judgment was - not-guilty;) With all the bad news happening around the world I'll take it as a blessing. This one though I will give credit to my baby daughter who tagged along with me because the sitter called in the day before my appearance in court. OK, I won't deny her prescence might have influenced the judge's decision but, hey, that wasn't my intention.

With just a few days left before the race there's nothing to do but rest. For me, that means cleaning the garage, car wash, yard work, laundry, play with kids and, uhm, probably malling with my wife since it's her weekend off. Rest time for distance runners simply means time-off from running - no more, no less. We are not special people. Work, and chores at home are still on schedule, and yes, even at rest day before the LA Marathon, there's no break for me and my stinky feet.