Marathon article in the New York Times

I found this article interesting, and somewhat counter-intuitive. Do you have an opinion on this? Are your knees better off from all of your running...or worse?

An article in Skeletal Radiology, a well-respected journal, created something of a sensation in Europe last year. It reported that researchers from Danube Hospital in Austria examined the knees of marathon runners using M.R.I. imaging, before and after the 1997 Vienna marathon. Ten years later, they scanned the same runners’ knees again. The results were striking. “No major new internal damage in the knee joints of marathon runners was found after a 10-year interval,” the researchers reported. Only one of the participants had a knee that was truly a mess, and he’d quit running before the 1997 marathon (but had been included in that study anyway). His 1997 knee M.R.I. revealed cartilage lesions, swelling and other abnormalities. In the years that followed, the knee became worse, showing augmented tissue damage and more serious lesions. His exam prompted the researchers to wonder whether he would have been better off persisting as a runner, because, as they speculate, “continuous exercise is protective, rather than destructive,” to knees. MORE...

Peter

The Dipsea Trail

Thousands of steps to climb, and we've barely started.

Shouldn't every running trail have signage this good?

We didn't see another runner during the entire journey.

Mostly I was hanging on for dear life trying to keep up with Steve.

Note that Steve hasn't even broken a sweat after 1,500 feet of climbing!

Warning: I brake for banana slugs

Descending down to Stinson Beach, just before ducking off the road for one of the secret short cuts, which are entirely legal in the race.

It might look like Runner's High, but actually I'm just thrilled that I get to ride home in the front seat of a car!

While on vacation in Marin County this summer, I had the good fortune to get a guided tour of the Dipsea Trail from my friend Steve Romjue. If you're not familiar with this famous route, it's the home of the Boston Marathon of trail runs, the Dipsea Race. Next year will mark the 100th running of that event, and I can tell you after running the trail, I'm going to do whatever I can to get one of the coveted 1,500 slots in the race.

The trail leaves right from the middle of Mill Valley and travels about 7.5 miles over the shoulder of Mt Tamalpais, ending at Stinson Beach. It features many, many flights of steps, crazy "insider" short cuts, treacherous descents and mind-blowing scenery. I was sweating profusely trying to keep up with my uber-fit friend Steve, but still managed to snap a few photos during our journey. Next time you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, I highly recommend making time for this run.

Peter

Pete Carroll rocking our gear

All of us here at Marathon HQ are huge fans of Pete Carroll and the good work he's doing in LA. So you can imagine how psyched we were to get this photo of Pete during a post-practice meeting the other night.

LA Marathon in the Wall Street Journal

Saw this in today's Wall Street Journal. We're excited that people far and wide are taking notice of our Stadium to Sea route.

Peter

How to make a great smoothie

As I train for the Chicago Marathon, I'm working with nutritionist Matt Mahowald of New Performance Nutrition. Following his program has been enlightening. I'm learning, and losing, a lot. Something like a pound per week. And my runs are that much easier. One of the most useful things Matt has turned me onto is his excellent Whey Protein Powder. Almost daily I'm rocking a low-calorie, high-protein smoothie. It goes like this:

Empty a glass full of ice into the blender

Follow that with two scoops New Performance Nutrition chocolate protein powder

Add a banana, and then a glass of water

Finish with a tablespoon of either almond butter or peanut butter

Blend away

Just the ticket as part of breakfast, a late afternoon snack or even as a late night protein boost.

Try it!

Peter

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

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!