Guys, I can’t believe that my second full marathon – the ASICS LA Marathon – is in only a few short days! It seems like just yesterday I was prepping for my first full (the Richmond Marathon last fall). Crazy. I’m not sure it’s really hit me yet that I’m running another marathon this coming weekend – it still seems very abstract and far off. Gah!
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I’ve started stalking the weather, of course, and YIKES – it’s looking like it will be WARM on Sunday…
Considering I’m currently trained for single digit temps, with anything above 40 or 50 feeling positively balmy, this has me a little bit worried. Luckily, hydration packs are allowed (I know some large races aren’t allowing them now for security reasons), so I’m bringing mine and that will help to make sure I’m staying hydrated. At least it won’t be humid, right?
I’ve also been reviewing the course map in more detail – it looks really cool! The race is a point-to-point which is fun, starting at Dodger Stadium and ending at the Santa Monica pier. I can’t wait to check out more of LA on foot, and I’m hoping all the awesome sights along the way will help distract me from the heat! Crossing fingers for some celeb sightings, too. 😉
In terms of the course elevation, it’s net downhill with some ups and downs but it doesn’t look like anything too extreme or long. If anything, what looks like the sharp downhill at the end might be tough (the Richmond Marathon also finished on a big downhill and MAN will that burn your quads after all that running). It also looks like there’s a gradual constant uphill from around miles 16 to 23, which is kind of rough, but given my hill of death training every week, I think I should be fine.
In terms of goals, I’m going to aim for a PR but play things by ear based on the heat. If it’s crushing me, I’m not going to feel terrible about myself if I need to slow down. But of course I’d love to beat my Richmond time, which was 3:56:48 (average pace of right around 9 minute miles). In general, my long training runs have felt easier and been faster than last time around, but I haven’t been as intense/diligent about training this time as I was in the fall, so we’ll see what I can do out there! I’ll be running alone, so I’m going to draw on the crowd and the sights to keep me positive. 🙂
I fly out for LA on Friday morning, and as you guys know, I’m lucky enough to be running the race as part of a blogger team with my expenses for the weekend covered. I’m so grateful for such an amazing opportunity! As part of the program, ASICS, the main title sponsor for the race, sent me and my fellow blogger teammates some fun LA Marathon branded gear this week to get us pumped.
Photo attempt of gear #1:
Photo attempt of gear #2:
Zara says: “Can you run as fast as I can, mom?” 🙂
The gear is so cute – I’m thinking about maybe wearing the tank top on race day. Is that bad luck? 🙂
ASICS was also kind enough to offer the chance for 2 of you guys to enjoy some of their gear, too! I have two promo codes redeemable for anything on www.asicsamerica.com to give away, each worth $150. To enter to win, simply leave a comment on this post that’s related to running! You can share some advice for me out in LA if you’ve done the race before, or share news of a particularly awesome run or race you had recently, or tell me what you love most about running. It’s up to you! U.S. residents only, please, and I’ll randomly select and directly email the winners on Friday evening. Good luck! 🙂
