New Pavement for Sunset Strip Portion of Route

This must be some kind of sign. And yet another reason for 2010 LA Marathon participants to get excited. For the first time in 75 years, the Sunset Strip will be repaved. As we can attest, having run that stretch a couple times ourselves, the pavement is in sorry shape. How sweet will it be to run that section--Miles 12-14--on nice new asphalt? Read all about it here.

Peter

How to survive the holidays, revisited

We posted this before Thanksgiving. But it's such good advice that it bears posting, and reading, one more time. This time of year can be something of a nutritional minefield, so consider the following pointers from our team. Rod Dixon, LA Marathon Director of Training, and Matt Mahowald, LA Marathon Nutrition and Supplement Consultant, offer their tips for enjoying the holidays – and holiday menus – without sabotaging your diet, exercise or training routine.

1. Never show up hungry to a holiday party or meal. Make sure you have a big breakfast and enjoy at least two good meals or snacks before the feast. This will minimize the amount of overeating. For instance, 12 almonds and an apple will help to quell your appetite so that when you get to that meal you don’t overeat.
2. The most important item during the holiday season is water. Water helps your body synthesize carbs. It helps with the high and lows of blood sugar that come with desserts and sweets that we don’t normally have in our diet.
3. If you are going to attend a holiday party and plan on drinking alcohol, consume a full eight to 10 ounces of water in addition to a beverage of your choice. This will minimize the amount of alcohol you drink.
4. When eating appetizers or pot luck style, the best choices are vegetables, lean proteins and fruits. If you’re designated to bring a dish to a gathering, bring something that’s a healthy choice for yourself. You never know what’s going to be presented in front of you and you always want to have good options.
5. Fill your plate modestly, and wait 30 minutes after you finish before going back for seconds. This will allow your blood sugar and insulin levels to adjust. You may find that you won’t really be hungry for that second plate.
6. Treat dessert as a treat. Serve yourself a small portion, and stop there.
7. A good cardiovascular workout for 2-3 days after your holiday will help deplete excess storage of carbs and fat that you picked up during the holiday.
8. If it’s possible, throw in an extra two days of 30 minute cardiovascular activity. Remember that walking is just as good as a slow jog and easier on your body.
9. Consistency is key to your exercise program. Don’t let the holidays derail you by missing too many days in a row of your routine. Don’t try to make up what you’ve missed by overtraining – just get back on your plan.
10. Remember that it is a holiday, so do let yourself enjoy. The following day wake up and get right back on your food plan and exercise.

Holiday Cheer, from Stadium to Sea

7:30 am: "Brrrr. It's cold out here!"

Mile 4 in the downtown section of the course

Back on Sunset in Echo Park after a challenging first 8 miles

Doing a TV interview with Fox on Hollywood Blvd.

Mile 15 in front of the legendary Dan Tana's in West Hollywood

Now joined by Theresa, on the run down Rodeo Drive at Mile 17

Mile 18 at the Century City Mall. Is there a bigger Christmas tree in LA?

Mile 22: The girls find time to pose with Jimmy Dean Freeman at Peet's on San Vicente

Almost there! Mile 24 on the downhill finishing stretch

Bring it home girls! They cross the finish line at Santa Monica and Ocean Avenue

Today I had the pleasure of following along vicariously as the LA Marathon's Ginger Williams and Stacy Embretson ran the entire Stadium to Sea route in full costume. Assisted by our volunteer coordinator Manon Levenberg and joined by Theresa Brennan for the second half, they said "Happy Holidays" to about a thousand people on the route. Fox 11 stopped by at a couple locations to get interviews with them, and as if that wasn't enough of an expedition on this cool and windy day, they stopped at least every mile to shoot photos and document the experience. A huge and creative effort in the name of holiday spirit! I'll just call them our guerilla goodwill team. Hopefully, you were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of them on the street today. If not, you can see the photographic evidence on our Flickr page.

After the finish, all they could talk about was how amazing this route is. We knew that, of course, but you can't replace the experience of actually running Stadium to Sea (in a costume!).

Well done, Stacy, Theresa, Ginger and Manon!

Peter

Carpool to LA Marathon events with PickupPal

The LA Marathon PickupPal site is up and ready to go! PickupPal is an online carpooling network that connects you with other LA Marathon participants from all over the greater Los Angeles area. With Pickup Pal you can meet runners in your neighborhood that have the same great plans for the 2010 LA Marathon weekend. Find carpooling matches on PickupPal for the two- day Expo at Dodger’s Stadium, the NPN LA Marathon 5k run and the LA Marathon. Carpooling will also be available in the future for the Win Forever Dinner.

Click here to sign up!

Jimmy Dean's 5,000 calorie run: Here's the Video

You saw my post a couple week's ago on Jimmy Dean Freeman's heroic run of the LA Marathon course while stopping for food at high-calorie establishments all along the route. It was a legendary effort that has turned Jimmy Dean into a viral video star. Here's the grease-stained footage.

Peter

New Performance Nutrition Tip of the Week: Snacking

What is the perfect snack?

Snacks should consist of a carbohydrate and fat! A good guideline is 15-20 grams of carbohydrate accompanied by a serving of fat (9-10 grams) i.e. 12 almonds and an apple would be an example. Organic, all-natural energy bars work well also, in a pinch when you may have not thought ahead. NPN energy bars are perfect!

It's Never Too Early to Start Carbo Loading

Here's Russ Pillar, our President, in Boise, Idaho about to have lunch today. We're glad to see that he's already loading up for next year's New York Marathon.

Peter

Congratulations Are in Order

For our own Theresa Brennan, who just completed the Santa Barbara Marathon on Sunday in 4:33:21. All of her hard work in the office has been complemented by the roadwork necessary to train for a marathon. She joins a growing list of marathoners in our office, and we couldn't be more excited for her. Bravo Theresa!

Back to Basics

I've been thinking lately about the return of simplicity. This is a trend that I'm seeing across many areas of our culture. In response to our all-digital, made-in-China, mass-produced world, people are taking a left turn and opting for the old-school approach. Witness the whole DIY/handmade craft movement on display at Etsy.com. Or the massive popularity of fixed gear bicycles. Even a sport as simple as surfing now has the Alaia board phenomemon, and, surprisingly, vinyl albums are actually gaining in popularity.

So how do we, as runners, as marathoners, fit into this movement? Of course, there is the growing popularity of barefoot running. But in the bigger landscape of sports, does the broad-based growth of running represent a back to basics approach to recreation? Running is, after all, the original sport and the oldest fitness activity. I'd like to think that people all over the world are discovering the simple pleasure of going out for a run. Would you agree? I'd like to hear from you if you have an opinion.

Peter

Give the Gift of Endorphin

OK, we all know someone planning to run the LA Marathon, right? But that person may or may not have already registered. So what about purchasing them a gift certificate good for one entry into the 25th Anniversary event? You can actually do that, starting this weekend. We'll have plenty of certificates for sale at both the Santa Barbara (Saturday) and Las Vegas (Friday and Saturday) Marathon Expos. We can take credit cards or cash, and we've got everything pre-packaged in LA Marathon envelopes. If you're not in either of those places, then by all means stop by the new K-Swiss store at 2427 Main St. in Santa Monica. They'll have a stack on hand as well. We'll also have an online purchasing option starting next week.

We've got your Marathoner's gift covered for the holidays.

Peter

K-Swiss shop open for business

Mark Sheehan from K-Swiss, along with Rod Dixon

Runners on the Westside have a new place to hang out--the new K-Swiss Performance Running shop at 2427 Main Street in Santa Monica. This great new space will serve as something of an LA Marathon clubhouse, and you can look forward to training runs, social events and discount days. In the meanwhile, stop by and say hi to Mark and Joe. Tell them the LA Marathon sent you.

Peter

LA Marathon on 5,000 calories

Jimmy Dean staving off a bonk with a Carney's Chili Dog at Mile 15

We've been waiting for someone to just get out and run the new Stadium to Sea route, and now it's happened. Our good friend Jimmy Dean Freeman chose Black Friday as the day to test run the new LA Marathon course. JD is a local coach, ultramarathoner and stand-up comedian. Not only did he run our new route, however, but he also sampled some of the great food along the way. What a concept--fueling a marathon with street food the whole way. The culinary highlights included Burrito King, In n Out Burger, Carney's and Sprinkles Cup Cakes. While burning 3,600 calories, he consumed over 4,800 calories and actually gained half a pound on the day. That could be a new record for marathon energy replacement. Including all of his stops for food, his time was 5:21. Jimmy Dean brings new meaning to the term Fast Food.

Jimmy Dean finished the event with a swim in the Pacific Ocean, which I believe will become an LA Marathon ritual for thousands of runners. But we'll always credit him for doing it first. Congratulations Jimmy Dean!

Photo album of the day is here.

Peter

Who is Louis Zamperini?

Rod Dixon knew all about Louis, because Louis had run against New Zealand legend Jack Lovelock

Pete finds Louis to be an inspiration

On the day that our Roadrunners and SRLA pace leaders spent time with Coach Pete Carroll at USC, we got a special visit from none other than Louis Zamperini. You may not have heard of this legend, but he has an amazing story and shared a few of his experiences with us.

Louis was born in New York City to Italian immigrants, but moved to Torrance as a child. He became a track star in high school and attended USC on a scholarship. After qualifying for the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and finishing 8th in the 5000 meters, Adolf Hitler requested a meeting with the "guy with the fast finish." Once back home, Louis enlisted in the Navy, but his B-24 went down due to mechanical difficulties and he spent 47 days in a lifeboat before being rescued by the Japanese. He was held in a Japanese camp until the end of the war.

His inspiring story only gets better, and you can read more about Louis Zamperini here. None of us will forget spending time with him at USC that day.

Peter

How to survive the holidays

Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or an everyday Joe, the season from Thanksgiving through New Year’s can wreak havoc on the waistline – and more. Rod Dixon, LA Marathon Director of Training, and Matt Mahowald, LA Marathon Nutrition and Supplement Consultant, offer their tips for enjoying the holidays – and holiday menus – without sabotaging your diet, exercise or training routine.

1. Never show up hungry to a holiday party or meal. Make sure you have a big breakfast and enjoy at least two good meals or snacks before the feast. This will minimize the amount of overeating. For instance, 12 almonds and an apple will help to quell your appetite so that when you get to that meal you don’t overeat.
2. The most important item during the holiday season is water. Water helps your body synthesize carbs. It helps with the high and lows of blood sugar that come with desserts and sweets that we don’t normally have in our diet.
3. If you are going to attend a holiday party and plan on drinking alcohol, consume a full eight to 10 ounces of water in addition to a beverage of your choice. This will minimize the amount of alcohol you drink.
4. When eating appetizers or pot luck style, the best choices are vegetables, lean proteins and fruits. If you’re designated to bring a dish to a gathering, bring something that’s a healthy choice for yourself. You never know what’s going to be presented in front of you and you always want to have good options.
5. Fill your plate modestly, and wait 30 minutes after you finish before going back for seconds. This will allow your blood sugar and insulin levels to adjust. You may find that you won’t really be hungry for that second plate.
6. Treat dessert as a treat. Serve yourself a small portion, and stop there.
7. A good cardiovascular workout for 2-3 days after your holiday will help deplete excess storage of carbs and fat that you picked up during the holiday.
8. If it’s possible, throw in an extra two days of 30 minute cardiovascular activity. Remember that walking is just as good as a slow jog and easier on your body.
9. Consistency is key to your exercise program. Don’t let the holidays derail you by missing too many days in a row of your routine. Don’t try to make up what you’ve missed by overtraining – just get back on your plan.
10. Remember that it is a holiday, so do let yourself enjoy. The following day wake up and get right back on your food plan and exercise.

Meb's backstory

Russ sent me this post today from Meb Keflizighi's brother Hawi. He passionately lays out how much preparation and focus went into Meb's New York Marathon victory. This is a great piece of inspiration.

From Merhawi Keflezighi:

Meb has done his job and accomplished a lifelong personal and generational industry-wide dream. Now it is up to the rest of us to put this achievement in its proper context.

Meb's victory in the 2009 ING New York City Marathon is obviously very significant, newsworthy and historical, but it also has a personal element to every individual, organization and other entities involved with Meb (Meb the individual, family, San Diego community, Mammoth, UCLA, Eritreans, Italians, Nike, PowerBar, NYRR, New York City, the Marathon, the running industry, sports media, the running media which has followed Meb for a long time, long time fans, new fans, etc.). With so many affected entities, I don't expect Meb's victory to mean the same thing to everyone.

Continues...

2010 LA Marathon route: Elevation Profile

Here's the mile-by-mile elevation profile. How fast is this finish? Plus, it will get cooler as we head west towards the beach. If I wasn't working on the event that day, I'd be out there, too!

More route details on our course map page.

Peter

Here's the 2010 LA Marathon Route

You've seen a video with some of the highlights of our Stadium to Sea route, but now we've got the actual turn-by-turn course finished. Here's a video we put together to show you the way. In addition, we've got a detailed Google map on the site, complete with icons along the course. We couldn't be more excited for all of the runners in this year's race.

Peter

Rod Dixon 1983 New York victory

While watching Meb Keflezighi's inspiring victory last weekend at the New York Marathon, I was reminded of this segment we shot with Rod Dixon earlier this year. In it, he recounts his own thrilling New York victory in 1983. Rod came from behind in the last quarter mile to win the closest race in New York history. I've watched this clip many times, and it never gets old. Try watching this and not getting inspired. I dare you!

Peter

Chris McDougall in the house

You may have seen my mini-review a couple weeks back of Chris McDougall's terrific book Born to Run. He was recently in Los Angeles and stopped by LA Marathon HQ to say hi. We talked Chris into sitting down for a quick interview. Here's what he had to say.

Qualifying for Boston...In a Dorothy costume

Not only did our Director of Operations Stacy Embretson run New York this weekend, but she set a PR of 3:38:44 and qualified for Boston. And she did it all while running as Dorothy. How much fun is that? Here's what Stacy had to say: "The costume was really the best decision ever as I had people cheering for 'Dorothy' the entire race. Such a fun experience!!"

Let's not forget that our President Russ Pillar also ran New York, just 3 weeks after finishing Chicago. Russ also PR'd with a 4:41:49.

Congratulations to both of them!

Peter

Legacy runners gearing up

Once again the LA Marathon will host a sizable contingent of Legacy Runners. This amazing group--about 240 strong--has run every single LA Marathon. 24 straight. And 2010 will mark a quarter century of not missing a single edition of the race. Unbelievable. They've kicked off their training, and "Legacy" Lou Briones recently sent me this photo of a group of them about to head out for a run at the Rose Bowl. Bravo!

Peter

An American Champion in New York

How could you not be moved by this morning's incredible New York Marathon? Both the men's and women's races came down to the last two miles, and Meb Keflizighi's win makes him the first American to win the race since Alberto Salazar in 1982. Furthermore, there were 6 Americans in the top 10, which bodes well for the future of running in this country. Congratulations to Meb and all the finishers in the New York Marathon, including our own Russ Pillar and Stacy Embretson.

Watch the highlights on Universal Sports.

Peter

Happy Halloween from Marathon HQ

Here's hoping you have a spooky night and eat too much candy. See you on the road!

Peter

LA Marathon: Behind the Music

When I needed to quickly record a version of the song California Sun for the course video, I turned to my friend Sam Jones. He's a talented photographer, film director and musician. Sam and I had made the Wilco film I am Trying to Break Your Heart together, and he's more into music than anyone I know. The kind of guy who's got a deep vinyl collection, a bunch of vintage guitars, a band. I just knew he was the guy to help me get this done quickly. Sam pulled together an all-star session crew in about 5 minutes, including Pete Thomas (of The Attractions) on drums and Dan Lavery (of The Fray and Tonic) on bass. Sam handled guitar and vocals. We were graciously hosted by Kevin Augunas at Fairfax Recordings, which is an absolutely spectacular facility. Check out these shots from the session, as well as a short video clip of the band in action.

Sam, Dan and Kevin. The mixing board on the left is from Abbey Road Studios in London, circa 1971.

In case you forgot your drum kit, they've got plenty to choose from.

We recorded onto 2" tape. Vintage!

I'll go with the maple glow Gibson ES 335...

The tube amp collection.

Kevin on the dials.

Born to Run. Unplugged.

You are almost certainly familiar with the Bruce Springsteen hit, "Born to Run." It's also the title of the most entertaining book I've read all year. Ostensibly, this is Christopher McDougall's tale of the Tarahumara runners from Mexico. But the story digresses into essays on running biomechanics, running shoe history and the climactic account of an ultramarathon race in which Christopher is one of the competitors. He tells the story with the help of a nutty cast of memorable characters who are so original that I found myself Googling them to make sure they actually exist (they do). It sounds all over the place, and it is, but the narrative is beautifully woven together into a page turning gem. Anyone who has ever laced up a pair of running shoes should consider this a must-read.

Which brings me to the point: Christopher McDougall himself is speaking here in LA on Wednesday night. Take this opportunity to hear a passage read by the author. And pick up a signed copy while you're at it.

WHAT: Author reading & signing
Refreshments provided.

WHEN: Wednesday, October 14th at 7pm

WHERE: Traveler's Bookcase
8375 West Third Street
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(limited parking in back)

info@travelbooks.com

Peter

Chicago wrap-up

Finally back home after a spectacular trip to Chicago. Russ and I went together, worked the Expo booth and then ran today. We woke up to 30 degree temperatures, and there must have been 500 runners huddled in the Hilton lobby waiting until the last moment to make the freezing dash out to the starting line. I was in the D corral, which allowed me to get right up to speed in the first mile. You have to see what 40,000 runners looks like to believe it. An absolutely giant group, with logistics to match. I thought the management team did a good job with the start/finish area, water stations and post race food, given the size of the field. The course covers 29 neighborhoods throughout the city and never once goes higher than 24 feet above sea level. Talk about a place to run your PR.

Russ, not having run a marathon in 25 years, ran a very solid 4:57. His day included bolting from the 5 hour pace group and passing 1,000 runners in the last 2 miles. Way to finish strong! I ran a steady 3:51:09, helped along by the 3:50 pace group. My goal was to run consistent 8:45-8:50 miles, and I was able to do that. The first 13 miles were no problem, then the running becomes more labor intensive up to 20 miles. The last 6 miles took a lot of effort. If I didn't have the pace group to follow I surely would have lost at least 5 minutes in the last section of the race. The group was like a carrot dangling out there urging me to keep up. At 24 miles the course finally widens out, and Dean Karnazes passed me on the left. So I had a quick chat with him, then let him go. He was running the first of 2 loops of the course for 52 miles total on the day. What a guy. By the time I finished I was completely spent, and I was happy to know that I'd "left it all on the course." It was still in the low 40s, so the mylar heat sheet was welcome protection from the elements.

There are an incredible number of spectators on the route, holding all manner of signs out and screaming encouragement at the runners. Amazing fan support. My favorite sign read, "Trample the wounded. Hurdle the dead." Fortunately, I didn't have to do either!

Tomorrow morning at the office we'll have a debrief session and discuss our learnings with the staff. Stacy ran the Long Beach Marathon today, and she'll give us her report as well. All in all, a great weekend, and it's good to know that training actually works.

Peter

Game time

Four months of training, and now it's time for the rubber to hit the road. As you can see, I have everything laid out for the early morning wake up call. The reason my numbers aren't pinned on my shirt is because I'm still waffling on my choice of layers. The forecast is calling for 33 degrees and clear at start time, with temps rising to about 40 at noon. Chilly! Do I go with a ski hat or a baseball hat? Wear the old sweatshirt I brought and discard it at mile 2? How strong will the wind be? Do I throw a garbage bag on? This will all come down to a game-time decision.

I've signed up for the 3:55 pace group to ensure that I don't go out too fast, which I've been guilty of in the past. Besides, if I'm not constantly checking my watch, I can enjoy the scenery and the experience.

If any of you are running the Long Beach Marathon tomorrow, look for our own Stacy Embretson. She was in the Expo at the LA Marathon booth and will be running the event as well.

Russ and I had another enjoyable day in the Chicago Expo meeting participants from all over the world, but it was exhausting. So I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep.

I'll report back after the race.

Peter

Faces of Chicago

I spent the entire day in our booth at the Chicago Expo meeting marathoners from all over the world. It was so interesting that I felt compelled to shoot photos of some of the runners I met. It was a virtual UN of running, with so many countries represented. This is but a small sampling of my new international friends.

Peter

Lisa Hernandez

San Antonio, TX

Lisa used to live in LA, and she's running to raise money for Livestrong.

Kionari Yoshida

Yokohama, Japan

Ken is studying to be a teacher and ran LA 4 years ago.

Glenda Anderson

Luke Marshall

Milton Keynes, United Kingdom

They both work in the finance industry and run together.

Booth 689!

Colin & Kristin Cooley

Hermosa Beach, CA

Both aiming to run sub-3:20 in Chicago.

Bakhtar Lahcen, 42

Chahid Basidi, 63

From Morocco

Bakhtar has run the legendary Marathon des Sables, and they travel the world running marathons.

Benedicte Toto, 29

Cecile Canuel, 35

Paris, France

They are next door to us in the Expo working at the Paris Marathon booth.

Jay Madhure, 61

Northridge, CA

He's run 20 consecutive LA Marathons.

Athit Thongphithak, 52

Prayut Thongphithak, 48

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Running Chicago for the first time.

Neal Glynn, 75

Chicago, IL

About to run his 37th marathon.

Jesus Nieto

Pablo Ceron

Mexico City, Mexico

Pablo is a former elite runner with PRs of 28:20 in the 10K and 13:44 in the 5K.

Rohit Vasa, 62

Chicago, IL

This will be his 55th marathon.

Charles Sayles, 72

Glendale, CA

After Sunday's race, Charles will have run at least 2 marathons in each of 50 states.

Bill Orr

Bartow, FL

Bill is the elite coordinator for the LA Marathon, among other events.

Melissa Kaul

Anmaree Rodibaugh

Chicago, IL

They both want to move to LA!