Running with Olympians and Elite ASICS Athletes

This past Saturday I had the honor and privilege to run a shake out 5k (3.1 miles) with a few Olympians, ASICS Elite athletes and the amazing blogging team.  After a late night hanging out at the ASCICS VIP event the night before, the early morning wake up call to run was a challenge.

Nothing like running a nice and easy shakeout run the day before you run 26.2 miles.  Oh did I mention that I was running with Ryan Hall, Andy Potts, Alysia Montano, Deena Kastor and Andrew Kastor!?  Speed is in their legs.  Plus many on our blogger team run a marathon in the three hour range!  Speedy folks, I tell ya!

We ran the first mile at a nice and comfortable (yet still too fast for me to call it a shake out run) pace of 9:53.  I was curious as to where this pace and distance was going… and was already feeling discouraged that my run didn’t feel easy and rested.  I was hoping for some pep in my step considering I was coming off a taper.

I kept to the back of the pack, just to keep it nice and easy.  When we made a turn around at the totem pole, Coach Kastor got mixed in the shuffle and was no longer leading the pack.  So the pace increased.  This mama wasn’t too happy about that.  Mile 2 was at 9:18 pace.

Fellow blogger team mate Mark was hanging back… after running the first mile with Ryan Hall.  How cool is that!?  Bragging rights, I tell ya!  He and I ran the last mile together, chatting and getting to know each other.  I love hearing his personal back story on how he started running marathons and ultras.  I would have missed out on getting to know him had I not run the last 2 miles with him.  We finished the run, bringing it in at a nice and easy pace of 10:05.

After our shake out run we enjoyed a nice brunch at the oh so posh The Bungalow.  While there we heard words of motivation and encouragement from Coach Kastor, Deana Kastor, Andy Potts and Ryan Hall.

Marathon Advice from Coach Kastor

Don’t try anything new on race day!
Trust the taper.  Trust the training.
It will be warm on race day, so it would be wise to tweak your goal pace 10-15 seconds per mile.
Hold back the first part of the race… even if you are feeling good.  You do not want to risk overheating.
The race is a point to point course (stadium to the sea)… imagine as if the ocean drawing you in as you run.  (I loved this analogy and used it as I ran my race).
Lastly, he made it a point to NOT pause your watch at the finish… but to lift your hands and smile big for the camera!

Race Day Advice from Andy Potts

After Coach Kastor spoke, he opened the floor to the elite athletes to share some insight and inspiration.  Andy Potts went next, and he is an amazing triathlete and super funny!

Andy’s best advice was on ways to stay cool during this race.  He shared three locations where you can find instant cooling relief when pouring cool water:  head, wrists and groin.  The advice provoked many nervous giggles… but come to find out that many of us (myself incldued) used his technique on race day to keep our body temperature down!

Encouraging Words from Ryan Hall

Ryan spoke about the power of positive affirmation and how your mind plays a huge role in running a marathon.  He shared what his dad told him when he was younger, “If it isn’t fun, it isn’t worth doing.”  Ryan encouraged us to enjoy the race… because we all love running!

His other advice was to not think about the negative self-doubt… or to tell yourself that it is hot outside.  Because once you start dwelling on the negative (heat) that is all you can think about.  I loved this because I am always trying to change my mindset to think on the positive side of life.  While running, I kept trying to tell myself what a beautiful day it was (and not about the temperature).

Afterwards, I was able to chat a bit with him and I asked him what are some of his favorite verses to help him on hard runs.  He shared two, but I honestly can only remember one now.

Isaiah 40:29-31 ~ “He gives strength to the weary and strengthens the powerless.  Youths may faint and grow weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the LORD will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not grow faint.”

Encouraging Words from Deena Kastor

Deena is such a sweet and caring person!  I loved meeting and getting to know her. Her strength and speed is intimidating, but her personality draws you in and you can’t help but fall in love with her.

Deena’s biggest advice was to work on the mental head game of the marathon.  She encouraged us to mentally prepare ourselves to cross that finish line.  What does that look like?  How does that feel?  What does the clock on the side say?  Focus on the positive and see yourself at the finish… succeeding… happy… healthy.

After brunch, a time of rest and cleaning up, we headed to the Staples Center for the LA Marathon Expo.  It was very crowded and was a buzz full of energetic runners picking up their race bibs and gear.  I loved visiting and checking out the vendors at the expo, as well as spotted my name amidst 25,000 other runners registered for the race.

 

When we were leaving the expo, we got a chance to sit and watch people attempt to the ASICS Treadmill Challenge.  This treadmill is set at the LA Marathon record pace of 12.4 miles per hour!  My new friend, Jackie, laced up some sneakers (and shorts as she was wearing a cute dress) to attempt to run for 45 seconds.  She succeeded!  To celebrate her success she won a Nutri Bullet!  Yay!

That evening I enjoyed a calm and casual dinner at California Pizza with Brian, Michelle, and Kristen.  We wanted a mix of pasta and pizza and found the location of this restaurant close to our hotel and had food to make our tummies happy.

After dinner, Brian, Ryan and I enjoyed a pre-race beer at Fig (the restaurant in our hotel).  It was great getting to know these two great athletes, bloggers and family men better.  Who knew that when you take the mom/dad out of the house… that when in a bar (with all sorts of fancy folks) we ended up talking about our kids, potty training, and more the whole time!  Good times.

After the excitement of the day, it was time to mentally prepare for the adventure ahead of me.  I laid out my race clothes and gear for my second full marathon the following morning.

I was doing my best to go to bed early, even though I always have a hard time sleeping the night before a race.  My day would extra early because of the time change (spring forward) and our shuttle was picking us up at 4:30AM.  Yawn.

Check back again soon as I will be sharing the remainder of the weekend’s events this week: LA Marathon race recap and dinner at BOA.  I have been working on how to best share with you my recap.. so come back soon!

What is the best pre-race advice you have ever received?
Do you sleep well the night before a race?

  (If so tips on how to get a good nights rest is appreciated!)