Today’s soggy weather showed us what we’re made of, and it was all good! Here are six reasons I am proud of everyone who showed up and grateful to be part of this community:

1. Our loyal and consistent group of volunteers, along with Robin and Nicole, cheerfully stood out there in the rain making sure we were well hydrated on the inside too.
2. Our group of volunteers included injured and sick runners who chose to come out in the rain even though they couldn’t run.
3. Despite 2 recent hospitalizations that took away much of his strength, Jeremy pushed himself through all 12 miles.
4. We had a first time walker out there who wasn’t deterred by the less than ideal conditions
5. Ze’ev and Joey braved the rain to offer us shelter and free recovery drinks
6. Every runner and walker I passed had a great attitude, and everyone I saw finish was still smiling!

Thanks to everyone for making this such a positive experience!

GO TEAM!!!

I was so happy to hear several of you comment on how good it felt to think that Sunday’s run was “ONLY” 14 miles for the full marathoners and 6 ½ for the half marathoners.  Would you have ever used that word before those distances back in September?!

Look how far you’ve come in just a few months.  If you can accomplish that much in just a few months, think what other huge goals you can achieve with a similar amount of discipline and hard work.  Congratulations to each of you.

GO TEAM!!!

Marathoners, congratulations on your longest day so far.   Looking back on where you were back in September, can you believe you just did 20 miles?!  Wow!!!

So, now the harder question.  Did you finish today’s route and think “I am full of energy, nothing hurts, and I could run another 6.2 miles”?  If the answer to any of that question is [inappropriate language deleted] or just “no”, please think carefully about what you did to prepare for today’s run, and what you can do differently.  Here are some reminders:

• Train during the week, not so hard that you aren’t well rested before a long run, but enough that the long run won’t be a shock to your body.
• Stretch and use the foam roller during the week to ensure your muscles aren’t tight.
• Carbo load and hydrate well on Saturday.
• Get a good night’s sleep on Saturday night.
• Eat a high carb breakfast on Sunday.
• Start the run Sunday at slower than your normal pace, and continue at this easier pace for 2-3 miles.
• Have at least several ounces of water every few miles.
• Have your first GU about an hour or so into the run, and then roughly every 30-40 minutes after that.
• If anything hurts, think very carefully about continuing to run. Better to take it easy during training and not get injured/re-injured so you’ll be at your best on Marathon Day.
• Have protein, carbs, electrolytes and water as soon as you can after you finish.

We have our last long run in two weeks, another 20 miler on 1/24/16, and then we start tapering. So, you’ve got one more chance to tweak your preparation routine and learn what works best for you.  As always, feel free to contact me with any questions.

GO TEAM!!!

Another Sunday with lots of miles and a sense of accomplishment. Excellent.

Marathoners, today’s 18 miles was an opportunity to think about what went right, and what didn’t feel so good, so you can make the changes you need and test them next week and beyond, with plenty of time to get it just right on Marathon Day.  If you finished strong, with so much energy that you could go another 8.2 miles, great.  Keep doing what you’re doing.  If not, here are a few things to ask yourself:

• Did you carbo load on Saturday? That doesn’t mean stuff your face at dinner, but rather eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains throughout the day.  These are all examples of “good carbs”.
• Did you eat a breakfast of good carbs at least an hour before the run?
• Did you arrive well hydrated? If your urine is light yellow, the answer is yes.
• Did you have your first GU somewhere around 5-8 miles, and then more, at the rate of about one every 30 minutes?
• Did you stay well hydrated? People’s hydration needs vary widely, and drinking too much can be just as dangerous as not enough, so I am hesitant to provide a very specific number.  Something in the range of 4-8 ounces every 20 minutes should work for most people.

The answer to each of these questions should be yes.  If you answered no to any of them, you know where you need to make adjustments.

GO TEAM!

Did you know that chocolate milk is one of the best post-recovery drinks?  And, there’s lots of science behind that.  Check out this article. This Sunday’s run for our marathoners will be our longest yet, and later this month, the runs will get even longer.  Your leg muscles will be working hard. Help them recover quickly.  Between now and Sunday, please get yourself some chocolate milk, and on Sunday morning, stash it in your car to drink as soon after you finish as possible.  Your legs will thank you.

Start your new year off right!  Happy new year to all.  Go Team!

Did you know that according to recent research, the world’s top marathoners perform at their best when the temperature is in the mid-40s? We may not be the world’s fastest runners, but we are great at working hard to help ourselves, supporting each other and Beit T’Shuvah, and being role models to those around us.

Thanks to all of you who came out to run this morning, even though it was our coldest training day this season.  To those of you who were out of town, we hope you were running with us in spirit.  And to those of you who chose to stay in bed, we hope you’ll join us next week.

And thanks as always to our volunteers.  We always look forward to your smiling faces as we push ourselves from one snack stop to the next.

GO TEAM!!!

Above is the elevation profile for the Holiday Half.  As you can see, the course starts with a gentle downhill.  I suggest you take it easy during that mile, so you’ll be ready for the challenging uphill around Mile 3.  As you can see, the second half of the course is pretty hilly, which I remember as harder than those squiggly lines may suggest.  If you hold your reasonable pace and save your strength for this tough section of the course, you’ll have lots of energy left when the course flattens out toward the end, and you’ll finish strong.  This is actually harder, mile per mile, than the LA Marathon, so when you conquer this, you’ll have achieved a major milestone in preparing for the big day.

Go Team!

Today marked the end of the 13^th week of training, and the Los Angeles Marathon is just 12 weeks away.  It’s time to take a moment and reflect on all that you have accomplished.

• When the going got tough, you remembered to “Hold on!”
• You have become part of something that is bigger than yourself.
• You are making new friends, cheering them on, and feeling their support.
• You are improving your physical health.
• You are gaining the mental benefits of regular “moving meditation”.
• You set a goal and are continuing to work hard to achieve it.
• You have already gone further than you may have ever dreamed possible, and you gained the confidence to know you can accomplish even more.

I’m sure you can add many more successes to this list. I encourage each of you to reflect on and be proud of all you have achieved, and know that your successes on the team represent lessons you can apply to all areas of your life.

Go Team!

Immediately after a long run, it’s tempting to grab a drink and a snack, and plop down into the nearest seat to “recover”.  It probably feels great at that moment, but what about tomorrow? You won’t feel as good then.  Why let all the metabolic waste sit in your muscles so you can be sore later?

With a proper cooldown, you can flush that lactic acid out of your muscles as your heart pumps in blood rich with the proteins and white blood cells needed to repair the microtears that occur with any strenuous exercise. Think of it as “out with the bad stuff, in with the good stuff”.  And that means you’ll come back feeling stronger.

You have at least two choices:

• About a mile before the end of the run, start slowing down. By the time you get to the end, you should be walking.
• Finish strong, but then keep going. Go right past the group waiting at the end.  Slow down to a jog, then keep walking.

Regardless of when you choose to start your cooldown, be sure to end your session with at least several minutes of walking before you sit down. Your legs will thank you the next day.

Go Team!