The LA Marathon is coming....

Posted by Rachel

...just in time for a record heat wave. I feel like I need Alanis Morissette to re-write the song ironic for this. All summer, we trained in the hottest, driest conditions to prepare for what was shaping up to be another hot IM Canada. We tortured ourselves to do a 109 mile bike ride with 8600 ft climbing on a day when it was 90+ degrees  just to make sure we could do it, and so we were prepared for the fueling and hydration that would be required. Then, on race day, we got this:

My sister took this after the swim. 48 and raining, and it actually got colder after the swim before it got warmer. I rode 56 miles without functioning hands. Good thing we were prepared for the heat.

Then, this winter, we did plenty of runs in cool, wet conditions. When Travers and I signed up for the LA Marathon in an El Nino year we were sure we'd need to be ready for rain, rain, and rain. I was lamenting to Chen during a long run 3 weeks ago that I was worried I didn't do enough running in downpours. And now, we get this:

82 on race day. You have got to be kidding me.

What can I do? For now, the plan is to stick with the goal: sub-3:30. My last marathon "race" was CIM 2012, where Chen and I ran a 3:32 in a monsoon. It's funny how running evolves; I've been looking at my training paces now compared that to training cycle. My track intervals are no faster at all (slower actually), my tempo runs are only 5 - 10 sec/mile faster, but my easy/relaxed long run pace is 15 - 20 sec/mile faster. I wonder if that's typical to have so much improvement at one distance/type of run but not another. (You can say it - it means I'm getting old, doesn't it?) Regardless, I feel like a much stronger runner than I was when 3:32 happened so as Travers would say - I'm going to balls out! (With caution and excessive hydration, of course.) And if I fail at my marathon goal, 82 and sunny is lovely beach weather.