Pasadena here we come!

Ready or not, we are coming to Pasadena to participate in the full and half marathon. Well, I would say ready. We have been training for a long time and spent many hours and miles for this. Pasadena happens on November 16 which is the first day of training for the Los Angeles Marathon on February 16 so that would put us right on track for the advanced training. All 6 children that have been training all these months will also participate on the Half Marathon! Make sure you share a word of encouragement with them. We are also having a carbo load dinner on November 14 at 6:30pm at the Glendale City Church:

610 E. California Ave.

Glendale, Ca 91206

Youth Center

We are providing the pasta and refreshments so bring your friends and families. We will also show the movie 'Spirit of the Marathon' which will begin sharply at 6:30.

Also a first, we will have a table at the race where you can stop and get some additional goodies and see some familiar faces. It is going to be a great time!

Take this test to see how many mpgs your body can put out and see what type of vehicle you are comparable to.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/mpg-quiz/

Long Beach Marathon memories

Just on time to get inspired for the Pasadena Marathon and Half Marathon, here are the reviews from the people that ran the Long Beach Half and Full Marathons:

I had a great first experience with the Long Beach 1/2 marathon. I like the tech. fabric shirt and was surprised at the crowd of people when we started the marathon. Jet and Anita ran with me and it was really great to have someone to talk to along the way. We ran the entire route at a pace of 11.5 minute mile and walked for about 30 seconds at the drinking stations. At first I was feeling as though I didn't need to walk to conserve my strength but you don't realize how many miles you will be going and how much strength you will need. Jet was a great coach throughout the entire coarse. Thanks Jet.

About mile 6 I began to feel my hands swelling and my kneecaps felt like they were going to pop off. I thought it might be the block shot (extra salt causing swelling) but Ann told me that it is normal especially for women to have swelling in the extremities. At about mile 9 the swelling seemed to subside and I was finding my stride but my legs felt like lead. Ignoring my legs I finished in 2 hours and 52 minutes. I probably did some things wrong (like no breakfast), but overall I had a great experience and would do it again in a heartbeat! See ya for the Pasadena 1/2 Marathon!
Dawn

Hi everyone, this is Anita on Sunday in Long beach I had the most exciting experience ever, being one of the thousands of the participants was an honer for me. As Juan mentioned the weather was just perfect and my fellow runners (Jet and Dawn) were wonderful, I feel so proud to finish this run and I would like to thank my coaches Juan and Henry for all they have done for me and also George and Jet who have been a true motivators and team mates. My time was 2.52,
See you all on Sunday.
Anita

I did the race last year and I noticed quite a few differences - the weather being one. It was much warmer this year. I had a great walk until mile 9 and then I guess I hit a wall. It felt like the last few miles took the breath right out of me.

Being a walker I miss out on the camaraderie of you runners...(Beth being a super fast walker - I just can't keep up with her!) I still enjoyed this race very much and will plan on doing next year too. My time was 3:18.

As for PASADENA - I'll be doing the Pasadena FULL next month and was concerned about course closure limits and I checked their website and and they ask for a 17 minute pace so with my 15 minute pace I'm hoping (and praying) they won't throw me (and other walkers off the course). I would like to request that the Marathon Clinic have a table with amenities out at the Pasadena Marathon for those doing the Full. I can donate my husband and amenities to start it up - any others willing to help??? It's great to see other groups out on the course supporting their runners/walkers and with Pasadena being in our own backyard we should be able to as well.
Patty
26.2 x 1
13.1 x 5

I came in 2nd out of 4 in age group at 3:10:37.I'm spoiled from so many great races - this one left me not so happy. NO time clocks!!! I really missed not keeping tract of my time on each mile. I was looking for powerade - at mile 4 I asked and was told "no" but after passing on, a guy at the back of the table yelled "I have one for you" - so losing time I back tracked to get a 1/2 cup of it. Thank goodness the weather was just great. I don't think I'll do this one again. Also the 'chip' was a disaster - people lost them off their shoes as they were here and there on the ground. Unattractive START/FINISH lines. Looks like the association is short on money. I just don't have happy memories of this race.See you Sunday.

Beth

Hi all, It's me Grace. I too ran the Long Beach Half Marathon. I liked this marathon. I enjoyed running along the beach. my time was 2:39. I also ran the San Jose half marathon. my time for SJ was 2:31. not bad for not training. My next half marathon will be in November, the Pasadena marathon. I no longer will be running full marathon's. I hope to see you all this Sunday, if I sleep...Marathon Mom

Grace Marathon

The weather was perfect at the beginning but it got hot by the end of the marathon. I was with Anita, Dawn, Grace and Jet at the beginning and ran into Jacki during the race. Very nice to see some familiar faces among the thousands of other participants. The marathon does some climbs right after the half marathon split but then you get to run through some interesting places. The biggest climb was to the university grounds and somehow they managed to put 3 miles up there before the descend back. A few more climbs and downhills and we were back to the point where we joined the half marathon route back to the finish line. Another lesson I learned, when you sweat a lot you'd better replenish that sodium somehow or you'll be in trouble later. I sweated so much that my shirt was crusty and my face white with salty residue. I didn't eat any of the food they served at the finish line because I don't like dry bagels after a run, so we took off from the parking lot, drove some and decided to stop at a Taco Bell. I can usually eat their food but this time when I took my first bite my stomach got sick. It wasn't ready to receive any food yet. Dawn and another friend riding with me had to wait for a while before I felt good again and even then I wasn't able to finish a taco or a burrito. I do believe that the lack of sodium really got my stomach upset and gave me that sick feeling. Overall, I really enjoyed this race, specially the first half. Running along the beach was awesome and course support was good. Good pre Pasadena run and I highly recommend it.
Juan

Upcoming race

We have our first race for the new training cycle coming up: the Fiesta Days Descanso Gardens 5k & 10k. This is a nice run that goes around the Descanso Gardens area and Chevy Chase neighborhoods where you will enjoy the views of nice homes with neatly manicured lawns. The 5k is easy enough with only one small hill in the first half with the enjoyable downhill as you go down on Chevy Chase back to Descanso Drive and then a slight uphill on the home stretch where you will have everyone cheering you up to sprint to the finish line. The 10k is a little more challenging as it goes up Highland until it meets with Chevy Chase but then you get a long and enjoyable downhill until Descanso Drive and on to the finish line. Overall, this is a great race that has become our traditional graduation run for the beginners cycle every year followed by a wonderful breakfast at Rocky Cola Cafe in Montrose. Everyone is invited to join us for the race and breakfast and enjoy a wonderful Memorial Day morning with us.
You can look up the Rocky Cola Cafe by clicking this link:
http://www.menuism.com/restaurants/dzyC1SjN0r24upabBlKsEs-rocky-cola-cafe-montrose-ca
Read about Descanso Gardens by following this link:
http://www.descansogardens.org/site/
Read about the race at:
http://www.lacanadaonline.com/articles/2006/06/08/sports/lsp-fiestadaysrun060806.txt
View last year's pictures (see if you can recognize some people) at:
http://www.photoshelter.com/package-show?P_ID=P0000Tv8vn4jDJsE
Prepare to have fun.

Volunteering at the Los Angeles Marathon

Patricia is one of our newest marathoners and this year she decided to be on the other side of the running scene by volunteering at the L.A. Marathon at mile 19 along with Beth and Diane. Since most of us haven't had the chance to see the race from that point of view she shared her views and experiences about this. It is a good idea at some point in your running to volunteer at a race so you can get a different point of view. Here is what Patty had to say about it.

"Volunteering was a great experience that I enjoyed very much. I plan on doing it again next year.

It is quite a site to see the first runner go by and then nothing for about 10 minutes then here comes another. Now more runners start trickling by. You can't help but cheer and then you remember you're supposed to give out water. Our station had so many people, including spectators, that it was difficult to handout water. You just stand there with your arm out and eventually someone will take it. I got really excited when this runner dressed as Zoro took my water. He had a sword, mask, hat, just like Zoro! I saw the police officers carrying the torch for their slain colleague, Randall Simmons. We left when our shift ended at 11:00am so there were mostly runners and no walkers at that time.

We took the 1st shift but next time I will take a later shift so I can see/help the runners/walkers at a time when I know I would be out there.

I may regret these words, but being a volunteer for the Los Angeles Marathon inspired me to do the Pasadena Marathon (not the Half). You get so excited you just want to be out there too".

Patty Felix
13.1 x 4
26.1 x 1
V x 1

Inspiration for the new training schedule

The new Marathon Training Schedule is on and it promises to be a great year. If you are still trying to decide whether or not to run a marathon and all you need is just a little inspiration then watch this video from the Spirit of the Marathon website www.marathonmovie.com Enjoy.

Glendale Downtown Dash

Well, it was a perfect day for a 5k, and some people from the Marathon Clinic showed up at the inaugural Glendale Downtown Dash. It was definitely a nice 'small town' race. It made you proud to live in Glendale and after today our city does not have to envy other cities that have their own races. I hope this is an annual event. Here are some pictures taken during the race. Congratulations to all participants

Los Angeles Marathon

Well, one more is in the books. We had a great time out there in spite of the warm temperatures. As far as I know, the Clinic members that ran it are: Jerry, Arleen, Grace and her friend Stella, Jet, and myself. The nicest surprise at the starting line was to see Jet waiting for us with a running bib on his shirt. Even though he has been braving some health issues along with scheduling problems, he has still been training whenever he gets a chance and didn't want to miss this marathon. Way to go Jet!. They had a moment of silence before the race to honor the SWAT officer killed in the line of duty last month and they sent a torch out on a relay carried by different police officers, starting with his duty partner and finishing with his 15 year old son who crossed the finish line with it. It must have been a touching moment to witness that. We also had a few other clinic members on the course stationed at mile 19. Beth, Diane and Patty decided that this year they were going to volunteer instead and I will be posting some of the experiences they had during their shift. Thank you for donating of your time to make it easier on your fellow runners. We all know that without the volunteers along the course not even the elite runners would be able to finish. Lastly, on a personal note, this was the best marathon ever for me because my family was waiting for me at the finish line. It was the best feeling ever to see them waiting there and ready to greet me and hug me no matter how bad I smelled by then. It was very emotional. God bless you all for your friendship and kindness towards each other. We do have a very unique group and personally I can't wait to get the new training schedule started and to meet the new additions to this wonderful club. Our next run will be this coming Sunday, March 9, where we will be doing the inaugural Glendale Downtown Dash. If you are not registered I do believe they will have registration available on race day. We will be meeting at the park first at 7:00 am and then either go for a training run or head down to the downtown area for the 5k. Hope to see you all.

New Training Schedule

It's coming up! The new training season is near. We will start on Saturday March 15 at the Vallejo Drive Church with the Beginners Seminar followed by the first session at Verdugo Park on the 16th. Don't forget to invite people to the Clinic, it will be a great year. We will be training for the 2008 Pasadena Marathon and Half Marathon and the 2009 Los Angeles Marathon. Have fun.

Here is a picture of 3 of the most crazy people after completing the Surf City Marathon and Half Marathon. Hope to see many more after Los Angeles.