Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Santa Monica--here we come!


Last night the Santa Monica City Council voted unanimously to allow the Los Angeles Marathon to run through their city on March 21st, while instructing city staff to work on the details with us. This is a huge and important moment for our Marathon, and we have our passionate supporters to thank for it. A route starting at Dodger Stadium, traveling through Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica can truly lay claim to highlighting the icons of LA. And all of you who signed petitions, made phone calls and spoke on our behalf can take pride of ownership in what will be one of the world's great marathons.

Last night in the meeting there was a virtual parade of marathon friends and family there to speak on our behalf--SRLA runners, Charities, Legacy Runners, residents, local track coaches, and the list goes on. It was a very inspiring evening. As a result of doing the community outreach to get the Stadium to Sea course done, we now feel more deeply connected to the Los Angeles community than ever before. It's exciting to know how many people in the region are already excited about the 2010 LA Marathon.

Now we face the task of actually planning and executing the event. As Frank McCourt said last night, "The devil is in the details." That job starts now, and we know we have to put on a race that lives up to this great course. Thank you all again for your support, and stay tuned for details about participating in the 25th Anniversary of the Los Angeles Marathon.

Peter

Friday, July 24, 2009

Santa Monica needs to hear you!


We’re almost exactly where we want to be with this great (and soon to be greater!) race. The Los Angeles Marathon will take place on Sunday, March 21st, 2010 on a Stadium-to-Sea course. This route will highlight the icons of Los Angeles, and we'd like to include Santa Monica on that list. This Tuesday, July 28th the Santa Monica City Council will vote on whether to allow the Los Angeles Marathon to run through Santa Monica. Would you please sign this petition urging the Santa Monica City Council to give their thumbs up to that concept? Santa Monica will be an important and great part of the new LA Marathon, and you can help us get there!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

It's Official! The LA Marathon is back to a Sunday in March.

The vote is in and the date change has been approved. We are excited to announce the the LA Marathon will next be run on Sunday, March 21, 2010. We had an amazing show of support by past participants, Legacy Runners, Students Run LA, charities, community members and clergy at today's LA City Council meeting. Thanks to all of you who have worked so hard to make this happen.

We look forward to seeing you all in March!

Stacy



LA Marathon President, Russ Pillar at the LA City Council Meeting

LA Marathon in the news

We are getting some great coverage in the press today. Check out the supportive editorial in today's LA Times as well as an article by Students Run LA's, Michelle Fleenor in the LA Daily News. Keep those positive thoughts coming!

Stacy

Today's the Big Day! LA City Council to vote on LA Marathon date change today

It's an exciting day here in the LA Marathon office. The LA City Council will be voting on moving the marathon back to a Sunday in March. Many of you are probably heading down to City Hall right now to show your support of the date change. For those of you who cannot get downtown today, you can watch the City Council meeting online HERE. We are thankful to all of you runners, charities, volunteers, students, and many more who are out there supporting us. Keep your fingers crossed and we hope to have good news for you soon!

Stacy

Monday, July 20, 2009

2010 Los Angeles Marathon - LA City Council to vote on date change

As many of you may have heard a motion to move the date of the LA Marathon from 2010 and beyond back to a Sunday in March will be voted on by the Los Angeles City Council this Tuesday, July 21, 2009 at 10:00am. This is the day we've been waiting for, the culmination of months of hard work by a variety of constituencies-runners, non-profits, volunteers, students, select clergy, and race management, among many others.
There's nothing that will make our case more strongly than the presence of as many of you as possible, with those of you who are so inclined speaking in favor of the motion. If there's any way you can join us, please do, and come dressed in your medals, your Marathon hats, and Marathon t-shirts-anything that identifies you as someone who supports our cause.
Again, it's this Tuesday, July 21st at Los Angeles City Hall:

Los Angeles City Hall
John Ferraro Council Chamber, Room 340
200 North Spring Street
Los Angeles CA 90012
Map/Driving Directions

Thank you for your support. See you Tuesday and on the road!
Russ Pillar, President
The Los Angeles Marathon

Friday, July 17, 2009

2009 LA Marathon Finishers' Certificates Now Available

Congratulations runners and thank you for a successful 2009 Los Angeles Marathon! For the first time ever, runners will be able to download their finishers' certificates. Suitable for framing, this certificate commemorates the runner's official results and preserves the data for a lifetime of memories.

Use the link below to view and print your Official LA Marathon Finisher's Certificate.


LA Marathon Finisher Certificate

Monday, July 13, 2009

Track Club LA




I don't know about you, but I find that putting in the long miles on my own can sometimes feel lonely and even boring. So what could be better than a group running workout? You can find me Tuesday evenings at Santa Monica High School for the Track Club LA track sessions. These are fun and social events where you'll push yourself much harder than you would on your own. Any runner, no matter how fast or slow, can benefit from some speed work. Coach Eric Barron handles everything, so you only need show up with your shorts and shoes. He has the workout divided into 3-4 groups in order to suit different paces. I've been doing repeat 400s at a 5K pace. The faster group is doing 800s, 1200s and 1600s, but the workouts change every week. It's a great way to get in better shape and have a good time while you're at it.

Peter

Tri-what?

Blood test results from the last 4 sessions.

This is how Matt breaks down the meals

"Your triglycerides are going up. That's a problem." So said Matt Mahowald, my nutrition guru. The fact is that the numbers don't lie. While working with New Performance Nutrition and training for the Chicago Marathon, I'm doing weekly visits with Matt. We review my nutrition journal, test my blood and measure bodyfat. All of my blood test numbers are going in the right direction except my triglycerides. So what are triglycerides and why do they matter? In fact they are the chemical form in which most fat exists in the body. They are derived from excess carbohydrates that your body can't process. So, if you eat too many carbs, and your system can't handle them, the biproduct is too many triglycerides. That's my problem--too many carbs, particularly late in the day.

One issue is that I've been under the mistaken impression that beans are a protein. While they do contain protein, they're also full of carbs. So some type of veggie-friendly dinner with beans that sounds healthy has way too many carbs to be eaten late in the day. "Stick with a big piece of salmon and some vegetables for dinner, then do a protein smoothie later in the evening if you get hungry" is the advice I get from Matt. So I'm starting to get the system dialed in. The only problem is that my colleague Russ Pillar now calls me the "Bean Hater."

Peter

Thursday, July 2, 2009

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