Broke 4 hours - what's next?

So I know from experience and everything I've heard here that I want to go out nice and easy next week. Problem is (besides potentially the weather) is that from mile .5 to mile 2.5 is straight downhill out of Dodger Stadium. I can't figure out how to post a picture but here's a link:

http://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/lamarathon.com/misc-images-files-pdfs/Elevation-Chart.pdf?mtime=20141120220326

So do I let it go a bit here and take advantage of the downhill? Seems like if I keep the effort level very low but run 30 seconds / mile faster than goal pace that I'd be fine. If I don't, I'd be putting the brakes on the whole way down. I ran this course 2 years ago and it's a pretty significant downhill and this time I'll be in a seeded corral so I won't have walkers in front of me...

My plan at this point is to run it easy and just let whatever pace for these 2 miles feels comfortable be what it is.

Have you trained for the descent?  I think letting your legs roll down it is probably better than constantly applying the brakes, but if your quads aren't prepared for that, it's going to hurt later.

Mike MacLellan wrote:Have you trained for the descent?  I think letting your legs roll down it is probably better than constantly applying the brakes, but if your quads aren't prepared for that, it's going to hurt later.

I guess the short answer would be no, I haven't. I'm not a good downhill runner although I have worked on my turnover when running downhill and it's gotten better. But I'm talking relatively short downhills - this one is pretty long and so no, I haven't trained for that at all. Maybe easing down the hill would be the wise thing to do.

8.2 miles in the hills today. Legs feel great but temps are on their way to the mid-80's today with this pattern pretty much settling in they next weekend. Gonna be warm next weekend.

I wouldn't bomb it then.  That whole adage about 1 second banked turns into 2 seconds lost later?  I think it'd hold true even with the descent.  That said, you could probably let the legs open up a LITTLE (10sec/mi faster than MP?).  Save the bombing for the last descent.

Mike MacLellan wrote:I wouldn't bomb it then.  That whole adage about 1 second banked turns into 2 seconds lost later?  I think it'd hold true even with the descent.  That said, you could probably let the legs open up a LITTLE (10sec/mi faster than MP?).  Save the bombing for the last descent.

Mike, bombing downhills just isn't in my repertoire. I'll let it go a little bit but plan on taking it real easy.

Last run outdoors this morning before the race next week. I actually NEVER run on TM's but I'm flying to Austin first thing tomorrow for our big sales meeting so my short runs on Tuesday & Wednesday will have to be on the hotel dreadmill before things start in the morning. Oh well, they're short runs and it will be easy on the legs. 5 this morning and the legs feel really strong so I feel good about the race.

Forecast is for warm temps but hoping to get near the coast before things warm up too much. The last 6 miles run straight down San Vicente Blvd towards Santa Monica so the chances of it still being overcast there are 50/50. Got my fingers crossed...

Sounds good to me.  Also, I don't want to be a raincloud - though you guys could still use more of those from what I hear - but I'm seeing a high of 93 in downtown LA and 89 at the beach next Sunday...  Be careful.

Mike MacLellan wrote:Sounds good to me.  Also, I don't want to be a raincloud - though you guys could still use more of those from what I hear - but I'm seeing a high of 93 in downtown LA and 89 at the beach next Sunday...  Be careful.

Yup, the average high temp in March in Santa Monica is 62, so 27 degrees above average. A lot can change in a week but if it really get anywhere near that hot, I will be forced to back way off. Not a chance in hell of a PR in that kind of heat. I expect with 22,000 runners or so, there will be carnage if those temps materialize.

A very good friend of mine who is quite a bit faster than I am has a pretty sore hamstring so she has decided not to go hard but rather run it with me, at a pace almost a min/mile slower than her norm. I have no doubt we'll back it off if necessary. Sure sucks doing 3-4 months of training and get lousy weather but what can you do?

So every forecast is showing record high temps for March this Sunday.  89 in Santa Monica would be a record in the summer for crying out loud.  They've even posted on the website suggesting people reassess their paces for the race.

I'm seriously bummed, but this really isn't the race that I was going to attempt to BQ at.  I can't do that until after September for the next age group time and plan on running CIM in December.  So I guess I'll reset my goal pace, although I have no idea what that pace might be.....

Wish I could send some cooler weather your way but we're also having unseasonably warm weather up here...though not as bad as yours. 

Don't really have much advice for how to race in weather like that other than to say be careful...and thankful this wasn't your BQ race.

Tim C wrote:So every forecast is showing record high temps for March this Sunday.  89 in Santa Monica would be a record in the summer for crying out loud.  They've even posted on the website suggesting people reassess their paces for the race.

I'm seriously bummed, but this really isn't the race that I was going to attempt to BQ at.  I can't do that until after September for the next age group time and plan on running CIM in December.  So I guess I'll reset my goal pace, although I have no idea what that pace might be.....

try this calculator.  Click on advanced features.  Heat has a big impact on pace.  Find the right pace and consider it a good race if you meet the adjusted time.

http://runsmartproject.com/calculator/

Tim C wrote:So every forecast is showing record high temps for March this Sunday.  89 in Santa Monica would be a record in the summer for crying out loud.  They've even posted on the website suggesting people reassess their paces for the race.

I'm seriously bummed, but this really isn't the race that I was going to attempt to BQ at.  I can't do that until after September for the next age group time and plan on running CIM in December.  So I guess I'll reset my goal pace, although I have no idea what that pace might be.....

Oh, man... A former colleague of mine is a pace team leader at the LA Marathon, and I was seeing her post about the weather. I'd forgotten this was your big race. It's never a good time to run hard during a heat wave, but this early in the year? Seriously bad idea.

I'd scale back the pacing plan and pack along some S-Caps or Endurolytes to go along with all the fluids you'll need.

Glad your sights are set on CIM later this year. You'll have a much better chance of getting favorable weather.

Well it's pretty much ridiculous here.  Came out of the expo at 10am and it was 86 degrees.  They moved the start up to 6:55 but the last couple of hours will be brutal.  Gonna scale it way back, walk thru the water stations, and figure anything in the 4:15 range is probably an achievement.  Sure is disappointing but you win some and you lose some.

My running partner is going to scale back with me and she's quite a talker so we'll have a good time nonetheless.  We'll treat it as a long run and try to have fun.  We already started this morning walking back to the car from the expo- screw the tangents, we'll be looking for shade wherever we can find it....

Don't even worry about a finish time at this point.  Just try to enjoy as much of LA as you can before it gets too hot.  Have fun!

Yeah, this is one to just get through, I'm afraid. Stay cool and hydrated!

4:12:17....... That was hard....... Not a heck of a lot to report but will do so in the next day or so.

Way to go, Tim.  That's a hell of a time considering it was, well, hell out there.

Congrats Tim!  Remember you beat Ryan Hall as he dropped out and you finished!!

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Congrats Tim!  Remember you beat Ryan Hall as he dropped out and you finished!!

That's funny!  I did run into Ryan in Dodger stadium as he was warming up.  Smaller guy than I expected.  I never heard why he dropped.

Too hot!  He suffered from cramps.

A 4:12 in those conditions is quite respectable, Tim. Congrats!

Very nice run under the conditions.  Congrats.

I just read that Max King placed 9th and qualified for the Olympic Trials.  He's a really neat guy and very willing to advise us mere mortals.

Thanks All.

I just posted a race report, which really wasn't much to report other than it was hot and I had stomach issues. All in all it was a success I guess as I finished in one piece and have already run a couple of times this week with no ill effects.

Thanks for reading and the encouragement...