CONTENTS
by Jim Walling
Congratulations to each Loper who finished the 18th Annual Los Angeles Marathon! We especially congratulate the first-time Marathoners. It is hard to compare the thrill of crossing the finish line for the first time to any other accomplishment. But you did it. And now you have that special memory and all the events leading up to it. New friends, better health and fitness, the trials and tribulations of training and the new found confidence that you can do whatever to choose as your goal.Now what? A new goal? Good idea. We all work best when we have a goal to attain. You now have a hard-won level of fitness and good running base. Be careful to keep it. We have several events coming up to keep you active and motivated. There is the Run Through Redlands, which will take place on May 4th,2003. The Annual Iris Festival Run in Yucaipa (which is a Loper Club event) will be held on May 18, 2003. And there are many more 5k’s, 10k’s, half and full marathons from which you can choose.
But choose one or more for sure to keep you in training and maintain your fitness level. I especially recommend the Iris Run. The route is through the beautiful Yucaipa Regional Park.The Lopers Club meets each Sunday morning (other than race days) at 6:30 AM at Gentry Gym all year around. We will not have speakers or a structured training program until the first Sunday in August, 2003 when our next L. A.Marathon Training Clinic begins, but we are here for you all year. We want to help you continue your progress in running or walking and share your triumphs and disappointments. The most important thing to remember is we are very proud of each one of you. By the way, all our Lopers who entered L. A. this year, completed the marathon. That says it all for the effectiveness of our Clinic and the many Leaders and Volunteers who worked so hard, week in and week out to make it happen for you.There is another option to that question “Now what?”, and that is volunteering to give back to the Lopers Club some of what it offered you this year. We are an all volunteer group and if you have time or talent that you can afford to share, just put your name on the list at the booth any Sunday morning. We need you to help us take care of the Lopers Club.
So stay with your training and discipline and we will see you each Sunday
morning, 6:30 AM, at Gentry Gym.
by Judy Remele
Congratulations! You did it! You finished the marathon! We knew you could do it. All you had to do was follow the Loper schedule and do your homework. Hopefully, the good advice from your pace leaders and the clinic speakers helped get you through the streets of LA. I have to tell you that I felt like a proud mother hen as you came in the door at the LA Athletic Club after completing your first marathon. It was such a kick to get a big, sweaty, salty hug and hear your stories of your adventures on the route. Alan had a great time out near the finish line welcoming you in with his trumpet. All in all, March 2, 2003, was a great day for all of us!
Did you know that the Gentry Gym is still open on Sundays starting at 6:00AM? Come on out and run with us. Until August, when the marathon clinic starts up again, we recommend that you continue to train for fitness and maintenance. Continue with the 3-4 miles for homework three to four times a week. Cross-train on your off days with bike riding, swimming, weights, etc. Then on Sundays walk or run 8-12 miles.
The Gentry Gym will be dark on the following dates. We hope to see all of you at these events:
Thank you’s are in order to these special people who were willing to share their marathon stories at the Loper Banquet. Joel Dunsford and Colleen Sproul, who shared their story about running a marathon at the Great Wall of China (Colleen’s written version appears in this Lopergram); Jean Glisson who shared the story of how the Lopers changed a 12-year-old girl’s life in a very positive way; and Liz Christie, Jeanette Gerardo, Minerva Gordon and Zoila Gordon who shared the adventures of their first marathon in both story and song. Their stories were heart-felt, humorous, and brought back those fond memories of first marathons for all present. Thank you so much for sharing your tales with us.April 27 – Home Run for ALS Walk/Run at the Gentry Gym May 4 – Run Through Redlands May 18 – Yucaipa Iris Festival Run - a Loper sponsored event
We hope to see you all at the Yucaipa Iris Festival Run on May 18th. The Iris Festival Run is a Loper sponsored event, so come on out, see lots of Lopers, and enjoy this beautiful run. You will receive, or may have already received, a registration form in the mail. If you need additional copies they are available at the Gentry Gym and at the Running Center in Redlands.
Alan and I have enjoyed being the Clinic Directors. We appreciate the Loper organization for helping us to become more physically fit, for challenging us and providing us an opportunity to meet such a large group of incredible people. We will continue to volunteer our time with the Lopers as we feel it is important to give back so that others may benefit. We highly encourage you to become involved in whatever capacity you are able. Remember that the Loper Club is run solely by volunteers.
By Christine Timms
Congratulations to all LA Marathon finishers and special recognition to the Racewalkers. Chuck Cutting, you are awesome! Jenny Dean completed the Bike Ride AND walked a great marathon. First time marathon walkers, you now have a great experience under your belt. You learned a great deal about yourself and experienced the good, the bad, and the ugly.
I took a break from LA this year and joined the support crew for my friends at the Napa Valley Marathon. Being in the cheering section is exhausting! If you are not ready for another marathon but want to experience the fun, go support a friend. It is so worthwhile and your friends will really appreciate it! I encourage everyone to keep up with the training. There are many 5K and 10K races locally throughout the summer. Many of them support wonderful charities and most have a walking division. Remember, though – if you enter as a walker, you must walk the whole way. Run/walkers should enter as runners.
The Thursday Night Walking Clinic continues throughout the year. We are at the Drayson track every week at 6 p.m. Please join us and learn some Racewalking skills to help improve your pace and keep you motivated for your next race. So many races, so few weekends!
by Russ Barber
Training for 5K - 15K Distances
Training for these moderate distances is slightly different than training for a marathon. Sure, you still need to do your long runs, but they don’t need to be any longer than 12 miles or 1.5 hours depending on your pace.
In all types of racing your base is the backbone of your success. We will assume that most of you have a base of at least 25 miles a week. This mileage then would allow for 2.5 – 5 miles of speed work a week. I recommend 25 miles as a minimum base with 35-40 being much better but one can still maintain racing form on 15-20 miles if they do it correctly. Remember that hard days should be alternated with easy days. Races and long runs over 12 miles should also be considered hard days. Long runs over 12 miles can still be considered easy if they are done at a pace slower than your normal long run pace.
If you have been coming to the speed group then you know that we usually do what are called repeats of between 220 yards (200 meters) and 1320 yards (1200 meters or ¾ mile) with 400 meters (1/4 mile) being the most common distance. Repeats or repetitions (reps) are runs that are done at a fast pace, the shorter the faster, with complete rest in between. The primary purpose of reps is to improve running economy and speed of an anaerobic nature. Improving your running economy can translate into being a more efficient runner and therefore you will be able to cover more ground with less effort.
Another form of speed work that we do occasionally is intervals. Intervals are closely related to reps but differ in that the rest period is an active rest or interval where one continues to run or walk in between the faster reps.. Intervals build VO2max, which is your body’s ability to utilize oxygen for fuel to your muscles. For practical reasons our intervals are done on a time basis rather than a distance basis because we have a wide range of speed in our group but the principal is the same. We will often do a set of 2 minutes easy followed by 3 minutes hard and repeat this pattern 5 or 6 times. Often intervals are done with a specific distance in mind i.e. 400 meters (¼ mile). One would run the 400 meters at a fast pace then jog easily for another 400 meters and then repeat the process. Another variation is to run the 400 meters in say 90 seconds and then jog for 90 seconds then another 400 meters in 90 seconds followed by another jog. Reps and intervals are two of the most popular forms of speed work but they only cover a part of speed.
Another form of speed work is called Tempo or Lactate Threshold runs. Lactate threshold is the pace at which you can run for a long period of time without building up lactate in your blood at a fast rate. This rate can vary from person to person. A person who is not trained or only runs occasionally my have a threshold that is about 50-70% of their VO2max. A highly trained runner’s lactate threshold (LT) may be as high as 90% of VO2max. This means that the highly trained runner with the same VO2max as someone not highly trained can run at a faster pace for a longer time without his or her legs burning to the point of exhaustion. This is one explanation for how an older more highly trained runner can beat a younger less fit runner. Lactate threshold training is considered speed work in that it is fast and more stressful than one’s easy run pace.
Threshold or Tempo running is usually a run done after a full warm up where one runs about 15 seconds slower per mile than 10K race pace for a period of 20 –30 minutes. Another version would be after a full warm up to run at about 10k race pace, or 15 seconds slower per mile than 5k race pace, for 5 minutes followed by an easy jog of 3 minutes and then another 5 minute stretch at 10k race pace followed by another 3 minute jog. Repeat this 3-4 times.
Another form of speed work is called a fartlek run. This is a run in which you might pick a spot down the road to accelerate quickly to then ease back and run slower then after you have recovered do the same thing again. You can vary the distance and speed at which you do these accelerations, but the object is to raise your heart rate for a period of time and then let it rest. This can be a very enjoyable and rewarding run breaking up the monotony of one of your medium distance runs.
Speed work comes in many forms and it is a good idea to do two forms a week on different days. Try and get in a workout that stresses your heart to the max such as repeats or intervals. Try and get in a workout that raises your lactate threshold i.e. a tempo run or a fartlek run. By incorporating both types of workouts into your weekly regimen you will build economy, strength and speed as well as increase your lactate threshold, both of which will lower your race times.
Always remember to alternate hard and easy days. Never do two hard days in a row, as this will increase your chances of injury.
The primary distances to use for reps and interval training in these distance races are 200 – 600 meters (220 – 660 yards), 400 meters being the most common. The total time for stressing the heart during a tempo or fartlek run is 20 to 30 minutes. That means that if you broke it up the fast part of the training it would equal 20 to 30 minutes. Don’t do more than 10% of your total weekly mileage, or a max of 3 miles, as reps or intervals. Also, don’t do more than 10% of your total weekly mileage, or a max of 6 miles, as tempo or LT runs. Start out slower and with less distance and build both as your experience increases.
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Remember that you will want to taper for these distances also but you will only need a few days to a week of taper. Reduce the weekly total mileage of both the easy runs and the speed workouts during the taper but don’t lower the intensity of the speed. Leave at least 2 days between your last rep or interval session and a race.
Concentrate mostly on reps and intervals during the first few weeks of your training and switch the emphasis to threshold training the closer you get to race day.
See you at the track,
Russ
by Rosemary Selberg
Congratulations to all the walkers who completed the L.A. Marathon. Having walked four previous L.A. Marathons, I know how difficult it can be. The weather is a huge factor. If it is hot, you will be miserably hot, if it is raining, you will be miserably wet. If it is windy, you will wish you had never gotten out of bed that morning. We were all concerned that race day might be a rainy day, instead, the sun came out and it was actually hot. This is one reason why you take several sets of walking clothes to out-of-town races. You want to be prepared for the elements. This year our club had 235 people start and finish the race. No drops outs! You participants and pace leaders and volunteers can all be proud of that.
Remember, the gym is still open every Sunday. It is our off-season so there will be no speakers, no water stops, and no food. The course, however; is still there and anxiously waiting to greet you with its winding streets, occasional upgrades, all those orange trees and scenic hills.
Don’t think just because you did a marathon, you can sit back and relax. It doesn’t work that way. Now that you are in shape, you want to stay that way or get even better. You won’t get there by sitting on your butt. You have to get out there and use your feet. This is a way of life that continues on.
I met Ruth Artz 12 years ago. I was instructing an aerobics class and
she was one of the participants. She had a baby girl and was working out
to loss a few pounds. Since the class was only twice a week, she wasn't
getting the results she had hoped for. Then, she found out she was pregnant
again. After the birth of her son, she called me. I told her I quit aerobics
and started a walking program. Her reply was-----walking, that’s not going
to take the weight off. (She is still eating those words.) We walked all
summer that year and, in the fall of 93, we joined the Lopers. She has
kept her tiny figure now for almost 10 years. She made a commitment to
herself to walk 30 miles a week and she does it. Part of it is about
weight, part of it is about health, and a big part of it is getting together
outside to have fun walking and talking, going to Lopers, and looking forward
to the next event. Keep walking!!!!!
On January 17, 2003, we closed the gym and headed for Highland. The races included a half marathon, a 10K, a 5K, and a kiddie race. This is a small but fun race. The half marathon takes you out Greenspot road six and a half miles and then back. The 10K and 5K routes go through some of the EHR homes and then a short distance out Greenspot road. The half marathon is tough, so Ron, Ruth and I opted for the 10K. It was a beautiful day for a race and many of our Lopers placed in their age division. Congratulations to all of you.
Two weeks after the L.A. Marathon, we held our annual Banquet at Wong Kerlee Pavilion. If you weren’t there, you missed out on a really fun evening. Stu Drake was our M.C. and did a great job in keeping us all laughing. Bill Burke (President of the LA Marathon) and his wife were in attendance, as was Pat Connally (Coach for the L.A. Marathon). Mayor pro-temp Karen Gaio-Hansberger was there and introduced the new board members. Several of our Lopers gave very detailed and interesting testimonials. Tom Ballesteros showed some of the many slides that he took at the marathon. Several door prizes were given out by Christel Dreier. Once again the food was outstanding and there was plenty of it. Of course the best part is seeing these athletes all dressed up.
By Coleen Sproul
My husband Joel and I have been members of the Lopers for 5 years now. Most of you know us from the 2-mile water stop. When we joined the club, my goal was to run the 1999 LA Marathon. Joel’s goal was to help me in my endeavor and to run for fitness. After volunteering to man the 2-mile water stop, people began asking Joel when he planned to run a marathon. His snappy answer was “I’ll run a marathon when they have one on the Great Wall of China”. So you can imagine his surprise when I brought home a running magazine with an advertisement for ‘The Great Wall Marathon’. To my amazement, Joel agreed to do the training. So all through the 2001 – 2002 training season, Joel did all the training runs with me. We ran the LA marathon in March of 2002 as a precursor run. Then we flew to Beijing in May for the Great Wall race held on May 25th, just 2 weeks before our 26th anniversary. I can think of no more fitting way to celebrate 26 years together than to run 26 miles together.
We stayed at a beautiful 4 star hotel in the heart of Beijing. This enabled us to do our training runs in Tiananmen Square, which was only minutes away. Many of the locals had not been exposed to westerners and their open-mouthed surprise at seeing us running through the streets gave us a sort of rock star thrill.
One of the requirements of the race was that all participants attend an inspection tour of the length of the wall that we would be running on race day. After we hiked the 1.6-mile length, I figured out why. It was to allow you to chicken out or switch to the half marathon once you realized what you’d gotten yourself into. It may not sound far – 1.6 miles – but it was 1600 stair steps. And that’s just one way. You see, this was a turnaround race starting with a 3 mile, up-hill to the entrance of the wall, 1.6 miles on the wall itself, a 16 mile turnaround run into a local village, 1.6 on the wall again, and 3 miles downhill. Making a grand total of 3200 stair steps.
Now Joel and I trained for this thing by running up and down the steps across from the Drayson Center and by adding the stair stepper to our regular training regimen. IT WAS NOT ENOUGH!! When we got off the wall after the inspection tour, my legs felt like noodles! When we tried running I could not feel my legs beneath me. Not only that, the temperature was over 95 degrees! The mood of the trip changed from one of light-hearted fun to one of doom! The next day, our legs felt as though we had already run the race, and the following day was race day! We cancelled a planned day trip to Ba Da Ling, a very picturesque section of the wall, because we could barely stand up.
On race day we rose at the required time of 1:00 AM for breakfast at the hotel prior to boarding the buses for the 3:00 AM departure for Haungyaguan, the small village hosting the race located 3 hours from Beijing. The start/finish was located in Yinyang Square just outside the village. In the square we saw a Japanese running club posing for pictures. They were all wearing the most impressive Loper pink shirts and shorts so I figured they must be our sister club. The day had started warm and progressed to a serious stage of hot by the time they fired the starting gun. We ran the 3 miles up hill to the entrance of the wall and met with the first casualty of the day barely 10 minutes into the steps. It was too hot for him.
We persevered through the first trip over the wall, resting in the towers, which were much cooler than the steps outside. For me, because I have this irrational thing about heights, the downward staircases were much worse than the upward staircases. I found myself clinging to the wall for dear life. Surprisingly, our legs loosened up and we somehow made it over the wall in just under 2 hours and began the long, hot, dusty run through the village. The families lined the streets to cheer us on. The children shouted “Neehow, Neehow” and high-fived us as we passed. But the day was heating up seriously. We began taking salt tablets every 5 miles to avoid getting sick. You could be pulled out of the race for 3 reasons: If one of the officials saw you getting sick or limping, or if you did not make it back to the wall for the second climb in less than 6.5 hours.
We got back to the wall with about half an hour to spare and began the torturous trip back over. By this time we were roasting in the heat so we spent much of the return trip climbing the steps on all fours, resting every 4 or 5 steps and throwing our heads over the wall’s edge to get a bit of a breeze. We passed many people suffering from heat and unable to continue. Joel was suffering by this time with a serious knee injury that he managed to hide from the officials so our trip back down the hill to the square was at a slow walk. But I didn’t mind. It gave me a chance to visit with the local farm animals and listen to the cuckoo birds in the trees. We finished in 8:40. Definitely not a PR but it was the hardest fought medal I’ve ever received. The Great wall was a huge challenge and it was a trip of a lifetime. It was a trip that I would recommend to anyone.
| Date | Race | Location |
| May 4 | Run Thru Redlands | Redlands, CA |
| May 18 | Yucaipa Iris Festival 5K/10K Run-Walk | Yucaipa, CA |
| June 1 | Rock and Roll Marathon | San Diego, CA |
| June 7 | Fontana Half Marathon and 5K | Fontana, CA |
| July 27 | San Francisco Marathon | San Francisco, CA |
By Thomas R. "Ted" Pickhardt
The 2003 LA marathon was a different experience for me. I had not trained well enough to do the event, so I volunteered to help the clinic directors, Al and Judy Remele. Having been in the military you would have thought I would learn not to volunteer, but I have a very flat learning curve.
The Remele’s, Brenda Miller and I arrived in LA Saturday afternoon. We spent some time at the expo, which in itself can be a somewhat exhausting experience. Then to the athletic club to unload, water, etc., etc. Lots of water. Brenda managed to park her truck under a beam so that as you were unloading when you stood up you got conked on the gourd. I didn’t stand up quickly so my tussle with the beam was minor. Alan stood up abruptly and got sat down for a few minutes with a large lump on his head.
We worked at the club until 9:00 PM that night when we all went to bed exhausted. The alarm was set for 5:00AM, not that early for me since I awaken around 4:00AM every day. I quietly dressed and waited for 5 o’clock. Just before five I got to do something I have wanted to do since my time in the naval boot camp. In a very loud voice I shouted, "Hit the deck!" This is the way a petty officer would awaken us recruits each morning. It certainly startled my roommates.
Sunday was a long day. We arrived back in Yucaipa at 9:30PM. It made me think it would have been easier to walk the 26.2. The day was long and tedious but most gratifying. To see the joy of triumph on the faces of those returning while I manned the registration desk was worth every effort I had made. It was a most gratifying, joyous occasion.
Council member Tom LaBonge introduced a motion to the Los Angeles City
Council on Wednesday, March 26, 2003 to ask the organizers of the Los Angeles
Marathon to radically alter the route from a loop course to a point-to-point
course. The proposed course would start in North Hollywood at the
terminus of the MTA Red Line subway on Chandler Boulevard and end on Olvera
Street, north of downtown Los Angeles. Commencing in the San Fernando
Valley, the 26.2-mile race would travel through the Cahuenga Pass, traverse
through Hollywood, pass by the Coliseum and USC, cross the Los
Angeles River into Boyle Heights and end at the El Pueblo Monument.
To encourage the use of the Red Line, the route would begin adjacent to the Metro stop in North Hollywood and end near the Metro stop at Union Station. Councilmember LaBonge has asked the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) to partner with Marathon organizers to make the Red Line free on the day of the event.
"The Los Angeles Marathon is one of the great civic events of this city when we celebrate and cheer athletes and our neighborhoods at the same time," he said. "Now that we are coming close to the Marathon's 20th year, there is no better time to rethink the course so that all participants, whether a runner or a spectator, can experience a more diverse and historically-significant cross-section of our city."
Please respond with your thoughts and concerns regarding this motion to Councilman Tom LaBonge at <TomLabonge@doitsports.com> or by phone at 213-485-3337
Last updated by Bill Carter May 23, 2003.