July 4th plans?

All of us here at Marathon HQ extend our best wishes for your Independence Day celebrations, wherever they may take place.  I'll be running the Will Rogers 10K in Pacific Palisades tomorrow, before heading out for an afternoon of barbecuing and fireworks.  This event has always been one of my favorite local runs, and one of the most difficult.  But you'd be hard pressed to find a run that is more a part of its community than this one is.  I hope to see some of you out there on the course.  Happy 4th of July!

Peter

New Performance Nutrition visit #1

I had visited Matt Mahowald of New Performance Nutrition several times before, but never as a client.  Getting to see him in action gave me a whole new appreciation for what he does.  On the first visit, he starts by taking a bunch of measurements--weight, body fat and of course a blood test.  He quickly develops a baseline so we have a starting point for the program.  My cholesterol looks a little high and my weight...well, don't ask.  But I have 3 months to whip myself into shape.  A key part of Matt's program is the nutrition journal, where I'll be writing down every single thing that I eat.  Matt gives me some rough guidelines to follow, and then he'll get into the specifics of my program as we move forward.  

There's a lot to learn, but a key point is to keep one's blood sugar consistent throughout the day.  When I ask what the ideal late-morning snack is, he replies, "12 almonds and a piece of fruit."  OK, I'm learning things already.  Sounds easy enough.  The journaling process is interesting, because it forces you to consider everything you eat.  Everything.  If you have to write down something like "plate of fries" you feel like a complete chump.  "Burger and a beer"...ouch.  It's like a daily affirmation.  So I'm now thinking more before ordering, and trying to keep the almonds and fruit nearby at all times.  More learnings in the weeks and months ahead.

Peter

Chicago bound

I'm now registered for the Chicago Marathon in October.  Not having run a marathon since the '90s, I felt it was time to make running part of my job description.  Although I'm in terrible running shape, I have the advice of friends and experts here at Marathon HQ to get me through the training process.  To start with, I decided to get my nutritional house in order by consulting with Matt Mahowald at New Performance Nutrition.  He designs custom nutrition plans and also has a line of pharmaceutical-grade supplements.  I've recently started a comprehensive program with Matt, and I'll give you updates throughout my training, and I look forward to sharing some of Matt's expertise with you.

Peter

Onwards

You may be wondering what happened to the folks who were posting 5 days per week until a month ago.  Although it may appear that we've gone underground, nothing could be further from the truth.  In fact, we've been working as hard as ever laying the groundwork for next year's Los Angeles Marathon.  As many of you know, we are focused on creating the best LA Marathon ever, and that means moving the date to a Sunday in March.  Add to that our desire to design a course that highlights the best of our city, and you have the makings of a very busy June.  This process has taken us all over Los Angeles to engage with the community in very constructive ways.  Stay tuned for all of the details about next year's event as soon as we have them.

In addition, I'm signed up for the Chicago Marathon in October, and I'll be blogging regularly about my training process.  I'm working with Matt Mahowald of New Performance Nutrition on a comprehensive plan, which is both interesting and fun.  I look forward to sharing the process with you.

Peter

Yes, We're Proud of This

If you recall, we set out early on in the process to create a more sustainable LA Marathon.  Aside from all of the obvious reasons to do this, one of our goals was to attain certification from the Council for Responsible Sport.  We're happy to report that we've now officially made the grade.  The certification works like the LEED system for buildings, and we were rated in 6 major categories:  waste, climate, equipment & materials, community & outreach, health promotion and innovation.  With great input from advisor Bruce Rayner, as well as a lot of work from our staff, we earned a total of 26 points on the checklist.  We got credit for things like getting rid of 50,000 plastic goody bags (innovation), our extensive work with local non-profit charities (community & outreach) and creating less than 2 pounds of landfill waste per participant (waste).  We are, in fact, the first major-city marathon to achieve ReSport certification.  All running events should think seriously about undertaking this process.  While we significantly decreased the impact of the LA Marathon, the experience encouraged us to build a stronger relationship with our community based on a shared belief system of doing well by doing good.  And isn't that what it's all about?

Peter

2009 LA Marathon Video

If you've been following our Youtube channel over the last 6 months, then you've seen many of Chad Mann's great video segments.  We turned Chad loose on race day with his camera, and he came back with this piece documenting life along the route.  I was landlocked in the start/finish area all day, and I wasn't able to catch these great marathon moments.  Thanks to Chad, you can now relive May 25, 2009.

Peter

2010 Los Angeles Marathon Date Change—Immediate Action Needed!

Whether you ran it, walked it, volunteered for it, sponsored it, or cheered for it, I’d like to thank everyone who took part in last week’s 2009 Los Angeles Marathon.  Though we faced a host of challenges – not the least of which was the Memorial Day date – we did it, together!  

As we plan for next year’s Marathon, many of you have reached out to voice your support for moving the race back to a Sunday in March.  We’ve heard you and we agree.  Now, the Los Angeles City Council needs to hear from you.

The Council is set to vote on a proposal to return the marathon to its traditional March date; in fact, one of the Council’s committees already has endorsed the change.  But we need your help to ensure that the full Council votes to adopt the measure.  Please click on the link here to sign our petition telling our elected officials that the race date matters and that you want to see the Los Angeles Marathon held on a Sunday in March.  Then forward this note to friends, family members, and anyone else you can think of who may wish to join our effort.  

As always, we appreciate your support and thank you for your assistance.  Working together, we’re confident in our ability to continue to build a world-class event that, true to our mission, inspires athletes and connects communities.  

See you on the road!

Russ Pillar, President
The Los Angeles Marathon