1. The SRLA Season Training Themes and Event Evaluations

2. What each segment of our training means #ThemeTraining WeeksEvent The Outcome of Completion 1Ooo...Shiny, Bright and New1 to 45KUnderstanding it's possible 2Building the Foundation5 to 810K Feeling confident in the routine (doubled the distance) 3Becoming a Distance Runner9 to 1115KI am more than I once was 4Respecting the Distance12 to 15Half MarathonUnderstanding the depth of commitment 5When a Half is a Third16 to 19Half MarathonUnderstanding that far is far from far but doable 6I think I can, I think I can20 to 2318-Mile RaceTrue commitment to the Marathon Goal 7I know I can, I know I can24 to 28ASICS LA Marathon First realization then deep confirming belief that "I can do anything!" 8I've Shown I can, I've Shown I canBy JuneEnd of SeasonUpon reflection some significant lessons learned

3. A Guide to Assessing Your Performance in the 5K Congratulations for beginning your marathon journey by completing the early training miles and our first benchmark goal, the Say No to Drugs 5K. Taking a moment to reflect on your preparation and performance will help shape your training goals over the next weeks. Were you excited to receive your running bib, or were you concerned about being ready? [Just hold onto that answer for a bit. Being concerned before the run hints that you aren’t sure about how the training runs prepare you.] Where did you start the run…in the front, middle or toward the back? From where you started, did you pass more runners in the first mile, or did more pass you? [Distance running is about setting a realistic pace and being able to maintain it. Unless you are currently averaging a 7-minute per mile pace (finished the 5K in 21 minutes or less), you should not be near the front. If more people passed you during the run, start the race further back.] Divide the run into two parts. Were you feeling stronger during the first half or the second half? [A goal to set for running is to have a negative split. That means running the 2 nd half in a faster time than the first half. Whenever you can do that, you will know you have run well. If the first half was faster, try and slow the pace of the start just a little keeping your pace even, so you have more in reserves.]

4. While running, were you able to talk to others around you? You may not have, but could you have? [A sure indication you are within your pace is when you can talk to someone while running. If you were huffing and puffing, you ran too hard. Focus you next training runs on keeping an even pace and having short conversations!] How did you feel the next day? Where did you get sore? Did you get blisters on your feet or toes? [It’s very early in our running season and often the excitement of running in a big crowd will make you push harder than expected. If you are sore in your quadriceps, or other big muscles, don’t worry about it, that’s expected. If you are sore in your shins, feet or toes, tell your marathon leader. A few adjustments need to be made.] You’ve proved you can set a goal and complete it. You now know the secret to making it from this current level all the way to the marathon. Review the next goal distance and follow the training plan to get ready. It’s really that simple! A Guide to Assessing Your Performance in the 5K (continued)

5. A Guide to Assessing Your Performance in the 10K Congratulations! You have successfully doubled your distance in a mere matter of weeks. That’s pretty impressive. Now that you are well on your way, it is time to assess how well your foundation is building. With this foundation, you will be able to build up the additional miles to meet each future goal. Was this run easier for you than the 5K? [If it was, your training is solid and you can be confident all is going very well.] Did you change how you ran this 10K from the previous 5K? Did you change where you started in line? Was your pace different for this run than the first one? [Part of becoming a distance runner is making adjustments. Some adjustments will work; some may not. What did you do in the days and night before the event to help you prepare for this run? [The 10K distance is long enough to deplete a body that isn’t fully prepared to run. Things like sleep, nutrition, and hydration all affect the ability to run this distance. Eating breakfast can be crucial to having enough energy for the entire event.]

6. A Guide to Assessing Your Performance in the 10K (continued) When did you know you could finish this 10K distance? [The when is an indicator of just how solid your foundation is, and your comfort in your running style (run straight through, walk water stations, run/walk). For example, if you knew halfway you would be able to finish, your plan is solid. Did you skip any water stations? Did you feel like you really needed water after the run was finished? [Now is the time to set some good running habits. One is to take some water at every station. It can be ok to skip the first station if it comes in the first mile, but no others. There are times, even in the marathon that a station can run out of water. If you skipped previous ones, you could find yourself suffering.] Were you sore in the days after the run? Did you blister on this run? [Being sore is not a problem if it fades in a couple of days. If not, talk to your Marathon Leader. It’s possible you are not eating enough protein or need to adjust your overall nutrition. Blisters mean your foot is moving around in the shoe. There are different ways to tie a shoe to help keep the heal firmly in place.] One of the long-term health goals that we achieve in SRLA is to be able to sustain our movement for an hour or more. Keeping that one-hour mark as a foundation will continue to build a strong heart as well as provide the ability to keep training up for our longer miles ahead.

7. A Guide to Assessing Your Performance in the 15K Congratulations! You have successfully completed a major milestone and earned the recognition as a “distance runner”! You have moved beyond the 10K and begun the climb toward longer and longer distances. Now you know the process that will lead to that marathon starting line! This was a particularly difficult course. How would you rate your overall performance? Was it easy, rough but doable, or one long tough event? [Your overall impression is very important. The tougher it felt the more attention you must pay to strengthening your foundation. Continue to follow the full training plan and review your nutrition and hydration strategies.] Did you change anything in the way you started this 15K from our previous 10K? [Your pre-race routine should be pretty well established. Your starting place should be based on your general pace as well. By now, you are running with many of the same people…did you say hello? Do you encourage each other? The longer miles go easier when done with company.] What were your favorite moments of the run? [Some runners focus only on the run, while others view the sites or make friends. Each event is special and adds to our experiences as runners and people.]

8. A Guide to Assessing Your Performance in the 15K (continued) Review how you felt during each loop of this run against each other. That is, review loop 1 with 2, 2 with 3, and 1 with 3. [This will give you some perspective in determining your energy levels, general pace, and adjustments you made during the event. If you started strong, but ran out of energy during the third loop, you may have pushed too much during either loop one or two. If loop two was tougher than three, than you adjusted well.] How quickly did you recover from this run? [Being sore for a couple of days is no big deal, even expected. Talk to your Marathon Leader about any unusual soreness, blisters, or pain if any has developed.] What did others who are not runners say to you about finishing this event? [Don’t be surprised that many will not react like what you just accomplished is a big deal. There is a reason most people never run beyond a 10K. It’s a lot tougher and takes more commitment than one expects. So, smile and let them think that way; you know better.] You are now a distance runner able to handle longer and longer trials out on roads. But guess what? Even though our next event is longer than ever, you only have to add the ability to run one more mile each week! And that is a realistic goal.

9. A Guide to Assessing Your Performance in the Half Marathon Congratulations! You have successfully completed the half marathon. This run demonstrates that through consistent training with gradual increases, you can boost your mileage to longer and longer distances. You have now been training for over 3 months. What changes have you noticed in your overall health? What about at school and home? [Before looking more closely at the actual half-marathon event, take a moment to reflect on what has happened since you have started training. We are doing more than just exercising. We are affecting our whole lives.] This Half-Marathon had a large number of public runners. What adjustments did you make once you started running? [How well did you practice your “race etiquette”? We must always remember we are “guests” and sponsored runners at these events and give the public runners the running room they expect to have.] Review your performance during the first 7 miles. [Did you keep an even pace during the first 7? Did you use the same strategy you developed from earlier events? Did you take water at the stations? Did you eat anything? Did you run by yourself or with a partner or two? Did you feel comfortable through the full 7?]

10. A Guide to Assessing Your Performance in the Half Marathon (continued) Review your performance during the last 6 miles. [If your energy dropped, around when did that happen? Did you change your running strategy during these last miles? Did you add regular walking time or take stretch breaks? Did you take replacement fluids or gels, and did they help?] Did you feel strong at the finish? [If you felt like you had nothing left and just barely made it, review again how you felt and how you ran over those last 6 miles. If you were still feeling pretty good at mile 10, then you only have to keep up your training to increase your foundation to handle this distance.] If this is your second Half Marathon: [If you struggled before the 12-mile mark, you need to focus more on the quality of your training runs. That is, you need to push your pace during lower mileage runs to increase your stamina and endurance. Also, review your nutrition both in the days before the event and during it. You have now traveled half the marathon distance. But experienced runners know that going half way is really only one-third of the trip in energy and effort! If you continue training and following the plan, you can be confident you are well on the way.

11. A Guide to Assessing Your Performance in the 18-Mile Friendship Run Congratulations to all who crossed the finish line of our 18-mile Friendship Run. You earned that finisher’s medal and your entry into the ASICS LA Marathon this March. The 18-mile event is a true test of your preparedness for the marathon distance. Now is the time to reflect on how you felt during the run and shortly after crossing the finish line. Performing a simple analysis will guide you in these final weeks toward the completion of your marathon goal. Starting with just after finishing, were you feeling strong with miles left in you; how many miles? Did you have all 8 (wow, I could have done the full marathon!), a few more, one more? [Either way, you don’t need to change anything. This means your foundation is solid and preparation was good. The extra miles you weren’t ready to travel will be there through normal training. We know that because you finished the full 18!] Is your main thought about the marathon right now (YES!) or (UH OH!)? [An “uh oh” is not a serious problem. There is still plenty of time to be ready for marathon day. You can be confident that both your mind and body are now stronger than they were although some adjustment is needed. Making it through 18 miles means you are close. Focus on that as a positive while reviewing more intently what areas of your training led to difficulties as suggested below.]

12. A Guide to Assessing Your Performance in the 18-Mile Friendship Run (continued) During the run were you feeling spent and struggling just to finish? Was the struggle focused through your legs, feet, head, or just a matter of plain old exhaustion? [There are more variables to diagnose here. Shoes and overall training mileage can make a difference. Accomplishing another long run of 15-18 miles in a couple of weeks will help tremendously. Cramming in too much mileage is actually a mistake. The body needs a couple of weeks to recover from long distances like these. Exhaustion and/or if your head felt fuzzy points to needing to add sleep, hydration and nutrition for your body to have a better reserve for the distance.] Did you feel stronger during miles 12-14 (on the backstretch of the second loop) than miles 15- 17 after the turnaround? [Running miles 12-14 are tougher than other miles on this particular course. The gradual uphill and length of the stretch tax the body. It is also psychologically tough because we go right by the dam with miles to go before we get onto it. Seeing runners who are already there plays into the feelings that the run is taking forever. This is an early test of mental toughness and how well you were able to stay focused on the real goal of completing with every step. Having a partner (even one joined right there) to help distract and share the distance is especially helpful at these points.]

13. A Guide to Assessing Your Performance in the 18-Mile Friendship Run (continued) If you struggled during the run, did you stop and stretch? Did that change how you felt? Did you need to stop and stretch additional times? [Light stretching gives the body a chance to recoup and relax from the repetitive toll of all the steps being traveled. The minute or two lost is easily regained in fresher, more relaxed muscles that move more easily.] How did your energy levels feel during the run? Did those levels stay even or fluctuate? Were they high then low? Were they high, low, high? Were they high, low, lower? [Energy levels reveal where your body was nutritionally, and how much you pushed while running. If your pace was even plus you ran how you’ve been training and you experienced large energy drops, adjust your sleep patterns and consume more “good calories” starting at least three weeks before the marathon. You cannot fix anything in the last week. It has to begin well before to be effective.]

14. A Guide to Assessing Your Performance in the 18-Mile Friendship Run (continued) Did you consume any energy drink or other electrolyte replenishing substances (gels, goo, etc.) during the run? If so, did you take them at regular intervals by time, or distance? Did you take them when you felt like you needed a boost? How quickly did they work? [It may take a half-hour before any real benefit from ingesting these substances can really help. The best way to stay more balanced is to take in smaller amounts of replenishment every 45 minutes. Just as waiting until being thirsty to take in water is too late to prevent even mild dehydration, so is waiting until feeling low or hungry to boost electrolytes for useable energy. Keeping your tank closer to full throughout the run pays off when the body needs to draw more than it did in the early miles.] How sore were you a few days after the run? [If you didn’t feel significant relief from soreness by the 4 th morning after running, then you definitely tapped the muscles and your reserves. It would be best if you work in another long run (no need to go beyond 15-18 miles) in about 3 weeks practicing some of the hydration and nutrition strategies, you will experience both recovery and strengthening in time for the marathon.] Remember, no matter how the run went for you, by finishing it you will be able to complete the ASICS LA Marathon on March 9 th. The goal now is for you to help yourself have the best and most enjoyable experience it can be.