We're moving!

You may have noticed the launch of our new site a few months back. It's built on the Wordpress platform, and, for simplicity, we've built our blog into the framework of the site. So we've been running two blogs simultaneously since September. But the time has come to send all of you over to the other blog page. So please come join us, as I'll only be posting there in the future.

Thanks and see you there.

Peter

Design an LA Marathon T-shirt

Have you ever been to a local running race or marathon and thought, "I can design a better shirt than this!" Here's your chance. Enter our first-ever LA Marathon t-shirt design competition at 99designs.com for the chance to have your shirt printed and sold at the event. In addition, we're offering $295 cash to the winner of the contest. The competition is open now and we'll accept designs until January 31st. At that point we'll narrow the field to the best six designs and put it out to an online vote to determine the winner.

Here's the contest.

Get to work and give us your best shot!

Peter

Make the LA Marathon course your own

After Stacy, Ginger and Theresa's holiday run of the LA Marathon course, along with Jimmy Dean's 5,000 calorie course expedition, I've come to expect that our runners will start to take ownership of the route. So it comes as no surprise that two of my favorite bloggers and Twitterati, @chicrunner and @LARunr, have started running parts of the course while writing and tweeting about it. In my opinion, a measure of a brand's success is the extent to which customers co-opt and personalize that brand. I'm thrilled to see that starting to happen with the Marathon. Go forth and create your own LA Marathon, folks. I'm here to tell you that I will happily support, and promote, your endeavors. And if you should find yourself on Twitter, be sure and give a shout out to our two friends. Here's LARunner's blog post about the jaunt.

Peter

Coordinators kickoff meeting

With just over two months to go until the 25th Anniversary Los Angeles Marathon, we're now officially on Defcon 4 alert. Things are starting to happen very quickly, and deadlines are coming at us like bullets: Medals, participant shirts, ads, signs, citywide police & fire meetings, etc. A lot is going on, and much of that is captained by Race Director Nick Curl (resplendent in Hawaiian shirt above) and Director of Operations Stacy Embretson. Along with our Volunteer Coordinator Manon Levenberg, they organized today's coordinator kickoff meeting. We gathered in Westwood all of the coordinators who will be manning aid stations, organizing the start and finish areas, running the shuttle bus system and other important jobs. It was a gathering of many familiar faces--some of these folks have been with the LA Marathon since its inception--and a few new ones as well. The event does not happen without the hard work of these individuals.

We also had representatives from the City of Beverly Hills as well as the Veterans Administration, and I was able to catch up with them on things we're doing in each place. Nick took everyone through the many new developments in this year's event: the course, the 5K, the Expo...well, let's face it, everything is new! In any case, it was a productive afternoon, and we're now in the red zone approaching the race.

Peter

New Year's Resolution

LA Marathon HQ is up and running after the holiday break, and it's busier than ever as we get ready for the 2010 event. The race is only 75 days away and approaching like a freight train. Our New Year's resolution is to put on the best LA Marathon ever. What's yours? Are you going to run a PR this year? Get off the couch and run your first marathon? Use running as a way to affect positive change in your life and those around you? Think about it. However, if your plans include this year's LA Marathon, don't wait too long. The registrations are coming in at a record pace, and we're capping the field at 25,000. We hope the Marathon and running are both part of your New Year's resolution, and we look forward to seeing you all on the starting line on March 21st.

Peter

SRLA at the Rose Parade

The three-masted schooner making its way up Orange Grove Avenue

American Honda's Erik Wedin along with SRLA leader Milton Hom

On New Year's Day I took my family out to the Rose Parade and saw, for the first time in my life, what an amazing event that is. It's been a New Year tradition since 1890, and this year, for the first time, Students Run LA was featured in the parade. The three-masted Honda "Ship of Dreams" float highlighted SRLA as one of seven philanthropic partners that improves the lives of children. Milton Hom, an SRLA leader from LeConte Middle School, and student runner Hemashary Juarez were both on the float doing their best parade waves. What a great way to ring in the new year!

Peter

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.