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.

Trails for LA Marathon!

 

One would think that the best way to prepare for a race is to simulate the actual race course. If the race is on city streets that are mostly flat with few hills, then you train on city streets that have more or less the same course description.

Last month, one of the head honcos of our running group, Freddie Perez, showed me the group’s training plan for this year’s LA Marathon. It is a 10-week training program handwritten on a piece of paper that shows the location and distance of our weekend long runs.

What caught my attention were the training locations: Condor Peak, Mysterious Mountains, Chantry Flats and Green Valley. This looks more like a series of weekend outdoor expedition than a marathon-training program for one of the most urban places of the world. Instead of simulating the city streets of Los Angeles, the plan was to hit the backcountry, canyons, fire roads, and go farther up in the mountains. The only allusion to “city” location is the Hollywood Sign at the Griffith Park, which by the way is also located on a steep hill.

Freddie told me that while it is not wrong to simulate the “physical” race course, the key really is to simulate the marathon distance and marathon pace. The same with any other training program, we slowly increase our mileage and taper as the race near. Long runs on ¼ reserve effort; and speed work on weekdays. The location is the only difference – trails. In fact, done correctly, this provide significant advantage in road racing because your stride becomes more efficient as your body is forced to adjust to the constantly changing course of the trail. Come marathon day, paved road will not be as difficult anymore. Amen!

A recent convert to trail running, I am willing to give it a try. I’ve come to appreciate trail running for the simple joy of being outdoors, and I credit it for PR's I did in recent races ;) On a personal level, I have a score to settle - my last year's 2010 LA Marathon was one of my worst marathon time, it wouldn't hurt if this training plan would help me even the score. I took the paper from Freddie and told him, "I'll type it and distribute it to the group." Bring it on, Gatos!