You never know who you will meet traveling to races #BetterYourBest #LAMarathon @LAMarathon

So, I'm still flying high off the dream that was the 2014 ASICS LA Marathon...

I cramped at mile 22, and didn't get the time I had hoped, but it was awesome.  Still geeking out about it.

But, I wanted to write up a post about Claire Phillips.  ASICS pro athlete?  Nope.  Elite runner?  Nope.  Triathlete, not to my knowledge.

Photo from cjonline.com

At first it was a casual conversation at 6:30am on our flight to LA the Friday before the race.  She asked if I was headed to the marathon and we chatted about the excitement that awaited and her mission for the race.

She began her marathon career in 1999 at an event held at Disney World in which she raised funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She ran in the same marathon again two years later.  She has also ran in Oklahoma City and few other local Midwest events.

After reading a December story in The Topeka Capital-Journal about Breakthrough House’s Clubhouse impending transition from operating five days a week to four days a week, she wanted to help.  She resolved to run the 2014 LA Marathon for charity to keep the Clubhouse open 5 days a week.

Per the Capital-Journal, the Breakthrough House, which provides a range of mental health recovery services to its clients, sustained $350,000 in cuts during the past three years.

Claire's goal pace was 12:30 to 13:00 minutes per mile and she finished in 6:31:11, good for a 14:56 per mile pace.  But, as my personal race recap went, a lot of people had to adjust their goals this year at the 2014 ASICS LA Marathon.  It was a hot day by the end of the race.

Last I heard, she had raised $3000 to $4000 for the Breakthrough House, and they are still taking donations.

Anyone interested in sponsoring Phillips to help fund the Clubhouse may do so by pledging an amount per mile or giving a block donation. Donations can be made by check to Breakthrough House, calling the agency at (785) 232-6807, or visiting breakthroughhouse.org and designating “LA Marathon.”

All donations made in conjunction with Phillips’ fundraising effort are being designated specifically for the Clubhouse, which offers opportunities for those recovering from mental illness to participate in support groups, job training and social activities that give them opportunities to be involved in the community.

10 Questions with @CoachKastor at 2014 @ASICSAmerica @LAMarathon

Coach Andrew Kastor (http://www.coachkastor.com/blog/) was in LA for the 2014 ASICS LA Marathon with his runners and we got some time to sit down with him to ask him 10 lightning round questions. Coach Kastor spent 15 years as a competitive runner and has trained some of the world’s finest athletes and worked with other renowned coaches including Damon Martin (Adams State), Bob Larsen (2004 Olympic Team, UCLA & Team Running USA), Terrence Mahon (Mammoth Track Club) and Joe Vigil (2008 Olympic Team, Adams State & Team Running USA).

Coach Kastor is the consulting coach for ASICS, New York Road Runners online coach from 2008-2010, contributing coach to SHAPE Magazine, FITNESS, HEALTH, Women’s Health, New York Runner, LIVESTRONG.COM and Runner’s World. He has been involved in the daily lives of dozens of Olympic distance runners and continues to work personally with runners of all abilities, from world class marathoners to first time 5km run/walkers. Coach Kastor currently resides in Mammoth Lakes, California with his wife, Deena (Olympic Marathon medalist and American Record holder in the marathon, 2:19:36) and his daughter, Piper Bloom.

1) Who's was your Childhood inspiration?
Coach Kastor : Spud Webb (http://www.spudwebb.net/). He loved basketball when growing up and when he was 7, Spud was making a name for himself in the NBA and Coach Kastor was the same height at the time.

2) What's your favorite race?
Coach Kastor : 2001 NYC Marathon. Immediately after the WTC attack, they didn’t even know if they would run the race. It was so patriotic to be a part of.

3) What's your favorite post race treat?
Coach Kastor : Bloody Mary. Nothing better than recovering after a marathon in a hot tub with a bloody mary.

4) What do you hate about racing?
Coach Kastor : The last minute urge to pee before a race and the mad dash to find a bathroom or hold it.

5) What’s your best training tip?
Coach Kastor : Get a coach. They can see so much an athlete cannot. They know when to cancel a workout and when to test an athlete.

6) Does Training improve or sink your love life?
Coach Kastor : Since he is married to an Olympic runner in Deena Kastor, their life revolves around running and training, so it works well.

7) What’s your most embarrassing career/race moment?
Coach Kastor : In school after a track practice, Coach Kastor was a nude model for an art class so in the first session he rushed over and proceeded to pose on a stand with wheels. He stepped on with one foot, didn’t realize it had wheels and proceeded to do the splits in front of the art class, nude.

8) How do you push yourself through the pain?
Coach Kastor : Envision all of the pain going from you to the person next to you. Don’t compare your pain to theirs, actually think about taking the pain in your body and placing it in theirs.

9) Is winning everything?
Coach Kastor : Winning is a product of solid training and planning. If you train and plan to win, winning on race day will take care of itself.

10) What would you do if you were not a pro athlete?
Coach Kastor : Watch the movie Quicksilver. He would love to be a bicycle messenger running around LA like Kevin Bacon in Quicksilver.

2014 @ASICSAmerica @LAMarathon event review #BetterYourBest

If you have been living under a rock and not reading my blog, you missed out on ALL of the posts for the 2014 ASICS LA Marathon.  But, here's the event review for you to catch up!

Buckle up, this review is going to be fast and furious, unlike my finish time.  ;)

 

The Price 

If you registered early, is was a whopping $150 per person.  That's also at a savings of $10.  I looked around and wasn't sure what the final entry price was.  Here in Kansas that's a regular price entry for an Olympic distance triathlon and the Kansas City Marathon would be $130 at packet pickup.  Now, Kansas events may have 200 to 10,000 people.  The LA Marathon topped out at 26,000.  That's a lot of people and a lot of logistics to cover.  Not to mention, it probably costs a little more to shut down LA than Kansas City.  Just saying. LA is a destination race, so you get what you pay for.

 

Packet Pickup 

The expo was pretty huge and almost overwhelming.  We strolled around and checked out many booths after the streamlined bib, shirt and gear pickup.  I even found affordable sunglasses to replace the ones I left in my car in airport parking in Kansas City.

If you forgot it, they had it.  If you wanted any race clothes or goodies, they had it.  you could touch, feel and buy everything LA Marathon related.  We ventured in Friday, so it might have picked up Saturday and been more crowded.  My only wish was to have the bathrooms more accessible no matter where you were in the expo.  Minor details.

 

Web Site / Instructions / Course Info 

When you sign up, you are on the email list.  They peppered you with info and instructions, so if you were unprepared, you had no one to blame but yourself.  Plus, if you were subscribed to me over at Examiner.com, I also wrote up articles on vital race info and tips.

I followed on twitter and liked on facebook.  The problem is I follow and like too many pages.  Their posts got lost in the shuffle unless I went directly to their site.  But, as I mentioned, the email list from signing up was just right in keeping runners up-to-date.

 

Location / Parking / Access 

With being a part of the blogger challenge, they bused us to the start and had a spot for us to chill before the race.  I won't bore you with the glorious details, but there were several emails and posts regarding parking and logistics.

It makes it tough when the race is point to point.  It was a great venue, but you had options to park at the finish and ride to the start or spectators could drop you and park at the finish.  With 26,000 runners, good luck finding parking close to the finish line.  But hey, the race was a big deal so you have to deal with it.

If you got going early, you were safe.  If you like to cut it close, well, you'll be burning anxious energy.

 

Port-a-potties 

26,000 runners with spectators... you do the math.  There were hundreds of port-a-potties, but early and often was the theme for the race.  If you were in the seeded corrals, you might have to make a choice since you needed to be placed at 7 A.M time limit and a 7:25 A.M. race start.

They had a lot of potties on the course as well, so if you could make it to mile 4 or 5, you could pretty much just walk up and get a potty.

 

The Actual Course 

Running through LA, what can you say?  Yes, you did see some homeless, but you also say a lot of what LA had to offer.  Beverly Hills, Chinese theater just to name a few. You start at Dodger Stadium and end in Santa Monica at the beach front road.  Glorious.  You had so much to look at, it almost made the pain manageable.

)

The actual course was well maintained and well marked.  You had to be totally oblivious to miss a turn and get off course.

One issue was fluids.  The sun broke maybe 2:15 into the race and the back of the pack runners were suffering.  Word on the street was that they ran out of Gatorade, so runners had to live with water and other options if they were dependent on the course aid stations.

It's California, it might get hot.  Plan ahead.  Personally I depended on the course and did ok.  I should have drank more Gatorade to make up for salt loss, but that was my bad.  I had plenty of opportunities.

 

Race Day Instructions 

The speakers were loud and someone was always talking.  You could not help but hear instructions at the race start.  Maybe if you were in the port-a-potties, but from arriving and getting off the bus to running through the start arch, you had plenty of chances to get informed about what's going on.

 

Finish Line 

After the death march, I mean 26.2 miles you got your medal, water and if you looked questionable, someone walked with you to make sure you were ok.

Now, I got to hang at the ASICS VIP area, so I didn't get too much of a taste of finish line amenities, but I'm sure there were plenty of fluids, food and medical assistance if needed. It was a celebration with a HUGE arch, finisher chute and hundreds if not thousands of spectators lining the last half mile cheering you in.  The cheering was the only thing that kept me limping to the finish and not walking.

Running in the sunshine with the ocean to your right, you don't get that in many places.

 

Overall Impressions 

ASICS and the LA Marathon put on a show.  There's a reason why this is year 29 and they have 26,000 runners.  Sure, the famous course landmarks attracts a percentage, but if it sucked, word would get out and it would be over.

As a triathlete and longer distance endurance athlete, it gets harder and harder to justify traveling to a destination event.  Not to mention money is not just growing on trees in my back yard, I know, I just checked.  Would I pick the LA Marathon to travel and race?  Maybe.  If they had good deals on flights and hotels.  It's definitely a destination event.  Cal in March, oh ya.

But, my wife has family near LA and running a marathon is a lot less of a hassle and stressor on the family than triathlons.  No bike, no swim gear.  bring your running gear and you're good to go.  As time goes on, it's more realistic to incorporate an event like the LA marathon into travel.  It's located in an awesome weather location and it's a bucket list type of race./

If you have the means, do it.  If they invite you to run and write about it, do it.  It was worth it even with a little suffering.

2014 @AsicsAmerica @LAMarathon blogger challenge team in depth #BetterYourBest

In all of the ASICS LA Marathon posts, you probably noticed a lot of mentions of the Blogger Challenge Team.

ASICS had the awesome idea to get some grass roots involvement from the blogger community and rounded up a team from all parts of the country to run the 2014 ASICS LA Marathon.

There was no standout qualification of marathon performance required.  We had BQ runners, triathletes, trail runners and marathon maniacs.  We had a wide variety and the common theme was our obsession with sharing the passion on the internet.  Afterall, it was the BLOGGER challenge, not RUNNER challenge.  ;)

This will probably be as close to I come to being a sponsored athlete.  I mean, we basically were.  They covered every detail from registration to travel to lodging.  We were bussed around to the expo and various events rubbing shoulders with elites like Ryan Hall and Andy Potts.  We were given access to Olympic coaches like Andrew Kastor and his wife, Deena (world record holder, Olympic marathoner... no big deal right).

But, in addition to the experience, I met 10 other passionate endurance athletes each with their own unique experiences and makeup.  Everyone was genuine and a great person to meet.  At times, I felt out of my league in the realm of twitter, facebook and instagram etiquette.  We all bonded with geeking out over elite athlete meetups and war stories of a hot rugged 2014 LA Marathon.  You couldn't have asked for a better and more diverse group of runners.

I just wanted to dedicate a post to the crew and give them a shout out.

Anne Mauney Blog: www.fANNEtasticfood.com Twitter: @fANNEtasticfood	Beth Risdon Blog: www.shutupandrun.net Twitter: @ShutUpRun
Jess Underhill Blog: www.racepacejess.com Twitter: @RacePaceJess	Mark Newman Blog: www.marathonomy.blogspot.com Twitter: @marathoner Tumblr: finisher.tumblr.com
Michele Gonzalez Blog: www.NYCRunningMama.com Twitter: @nycrunningmama	Monica Olivas Blog: www.runeatrepeat.com Twitter: @RunEatRepeat
Rachel Steffan Blog: www.runningrachel.com Twitter: @RunningRachel	Brian Kelley Blog: www.pavementrunner.com Twitter: @PavementRunner
Kristin Stehly Blog: www.stuftmama.com Twitter: @stuftmama Instagram: @stuftmama Facebook: facebook.com/stuftmama	Jamie Walker Blog: www.fitapproach.com | about.sweatguru.com Twitter: @FitApproach | @jamiewalker19

Mark in the back this time, Beth running off to give her camera for a picture... it was like herding cats.  ;)

2014 @ASICSAmerica @LAMARATHON RACE REPORT - 3/9/14 #BetterYourBest

The 2014 ASICS LA Marathon is in the books for this runner.

When I think back to the whole experience of getting connected with ASICS and getting to run the 2014 LA Marathon, the words that stand out the most is the hash tag they wanted us to use on social media (which is one of the very things they really requested of us to do for the chance to run besides training and running).

#BetterYourBest

I had my lofty Boston Qualifying time goal for LA.  The best marathon time I had ran was at Kansas City last October at 3:48 before this race.  BQ time was 3:08.  Sure, cut out 40 minutes, no problem.

I had a plan from Coach Andrew Kastor.  I had the logistics of getting there and training gear taken care of from ASICS.  LA was going to be my first event since KC last October so 90 percent of my training was dedicated to making LA spectacular.  The table was set to focus on running and capture the holy running grail, while at the same time setting a huge new marathon PR.

If only the LA Marathon course knew what I wanted to do and would have cooperated.

The stage was set with perfect weather and a perfect and interesting course.  The sad part was how much I took for granted the climbing on the course.  If I could handle KC, surely this would be a breeze.  Not really.  Another factor when you train and race in freezing temps and on treadmills and then race in a warm/hot climate, you can overlook the heat factor by the excitement of running outside with shorts and a shirt only instead of 5 base layers.  But enough foreshadowing...

I had a awesome dinner of lasagna the night before and gazed upon the finish area being constructed the night before.

Dinner for adults!  No Chipotle here.

Sleep tight LA Marathon finish area.

I had my gear all lined up.  I did have a new shirt from ASICS, new visor and had to pick up a new set of sunglasses at the Expo since I left mine in KC.  But, nothing extremely unfamiliar for gear on race day.

Nice and vibrant to see me in a crowd.

I even brought breakfast from home to make sure race day morning was as standard as possible.  The bus ride to Dodger Stadium provided a chance for a cat nap and then some time prepping in the stadium club.

If I only I knew what was ahead.  How about the ASICS lite show reflective gear!?

I opted to leave my phone at the hotel and use the Gatorade Endurance provided at aid stations with PowerBar Gel blasts every 45 minutes.  I wanted to be as minimalist as possible to achieve the best time I could get.  I was on a mission.  Semi-spoiler alert : I opted to not chug as much water and gatorade pre-race as I usually do.  I hate having to pee every 10 minutes leading up to the start and wanted to avoid the 4 pee stops during KC last October.  I tried to hydrate like a mad man the day before and sipped Gatorade up til 30 minutes before the start.  With the cloud cover, I was banking and getting close to the finish before heat became a factor and I would need more electrolytes.  Bad move.

After sitting in the corals for what seemed hours, we were off!  This was by far the biggest race I have been in (Dublin marathon in 2004 was larger, I think, but that was before I had any clue about endurance sports and paid attention).  The start was crowded, but opened up right out of the stadium parking lot and I had very few issues staying with the pace group I targeted.

Speaking of pace... for BQ, I would have had to been at 7:12ish minutes per mile.  I shot to stay with the 3:15 pace group and figured I could determine if I had a shot for a BQ.  If I felt good and could hang with them comfortably, I was going to calculate where I needed to make a break to catch up to 3:08.  If I wasn't feeling it, it would at least give me a good start to a sub 3:30, my backup goal.

And they are off!

Here's where it gets interesting.  Miles 1 to 6 I hung with the 3:15 group and was doing pretty good.  No wild heart rates, but the hills were pushing it to stay up with them.  Then, at mile 6 I needed a full bio break.  By full... I mean a sit down.  It was quick, but I lost the group and knew that if I tried to catch them, I'd be in the pain cave for the rest of the race.

I opted to drop back to 7:30ish pace.  Keep that 3:30 alive.  I felt good, but it was full effort to stay with 3:15 with no walk breaks.  BQ was not in the cards, and you know, I was ok with that.

Off I went with dreams of sub 3:30, until mile 12.  I opted to take a walk break at the aid station, take in some gel blasts, gatorade and walk for a moment to re-collect.  After that, my pace feel dramatically.  I was now 7:45 to 8 min/mile and knew I was going to have to dig a little to pull out a sub 3:30.

I targeted a walk break every 3 miles, which was what I did during training to take in hydration and nutrition.  Stop 18 was pushing it.  We had run some tough inclines and the course has ups and downs, but the overall trend was uphill from around 12 to 22 miles.  I was feeling it.  And, the sun decided to come out.  It was amazing how much difference there was in sun and shade in the temps.  Full sun was actually getting brutal.  We rounded a climb around the VA hospital and at the peak, it hit.  Cramps.

Sh*t.  Tires started going flat and rubber starting flying off and the wheels were holding on by a lug nut.  I had to stop, stretch and walk off left hamstring cramps.  My forearms were also cramping and that's when I realized I was covered in salt from my sweat.  I mean COVERED.  I was taking in gatorade at every station it was offered, but in moderation.  I avoided the sloshy/bloated gut situation, but at the expense of electrolyte depletion.

Would you like some salt for your margarita?

From 19ish miles to 22 it was a cramp fest.  Both hammys, arms, sides, and a full on right leg lock up at mile 22.  The only thing I could do was slam a banana, fluids and stand there and wait for it to subside.  After what seemed like forever, I started walking it off.  I actually got back to a decent trot and walked when I felt a cramp coming back.  I wasn't hearing the volunteers asking if I needed medical.  I could at least finish the damn race.

Sub 3:30 was out of the window.  Heck, sub 4 hours was in jeopardy.  My pride was the only thing that kept me moving to the finish line.  That, and the spectators giving walkers a hard time at the finish chute.  "It's only a few hundred feet, run it in!"  Ease up there cowboy.

It was a very painful conclusion to a great trip and experience.  I ended up with a 3:41:31, which is a new marathon PR by 7 minutes.  I was so aggravated with the cramps that I probably came off as dismissive about the accomplishment given my goals were so lofty.  But, when a race goes bad, you have to retreat and decide on what's attainable.

But, it embodied the mantra for the ASICS blogger team #BetterYourBest.  I may not have reached BQ time, but I did Better My Best by 7 minutes.  That in itself was a great accomplishment with a course that it no joke and some pretty nasty heat at the end.  Endless streams of ambulances were taking overheated runners to the hospital.  It was carnage, but I pulled it out.

It's in the books.  Marathon 7 and it was memorable.  Afterwards we got dinner down the street as a team and said our goodbyes.  We all headed our separate directions to resume our "normal lives".

Pretty cool bunch of people. Ignore the flashing by Shut Up and Run in the Front - she'd be ok with it.

ASICS LA Marathon - Epic

Dear hotel toilet, I'm sorry what I did to you post-race.

Last minute thoughts for the 2014 ASICS @LAMarathon #BetterYourBest #RunLA

It's been a great 2 days in LA.

The weather has been perfect.

We have met TONS of great people and great ASICS athletes.

ASICS has taken great care of the blogger team with accommodations and arrangements.  Everything has been covered and all that's left is to rest up and run tomorrow.  No big deal, right?

I wouldn't say I'm nervous in the sense of the challenge of running a marathon.  I've run 6 before.  Some good, some bad.  I can finish unless an act of God cuts me off.  But, I would still like to kill my PR and maybe get to a BQ time.  I'm not sure how tomorrow will play out weather wise and the course looks a lot less hilly than Kansas City.  It's outside as opposed to a treadmill and it's not 0 degrees outside or 20 at best on some of my runs.  No rain in the forecast.  No SNOW for sure.  Maybe some wind.  The temps are forecasted in the 80's, so it may be warm, but not in the morning.

On our short run this morning with Coach Kastor, the California people commented on the humidity... which coming from Kansas City (steam central in the summer) I didn't really even notice it.  I was sweating, but it was pretty crisp and clean air.  I'll take it.

If you are interested in following me, check out the race web site HERE and sign up with either email or text alerts.  I'm bib B3444 (or try 3444 if that doesn't work).

Wish me luck!