The LA Marathon went great on March 19. It was a dry, cool and beautiful day and I ran in about 4:16 chip time, and that was my first full marathon in huaraches. No problem with the sandals, but my training volume wasn't enough for me to hold a consistent pace throughout the marathon. I walked 3 or 4 aid stations and maybe an 8th of a mile around mile 23. Definitely felt tired for the last 6 miles.
I attended the official Ford half IronMan at Oceanside last weekend not to race but as a volunteer. I was there very specifically for the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) and mostly to help a friend named Karen Adalot who is a single amputee. It was very impressive to see her and the other challenged athletes compete in this race. They have so much more logistics to deal with, and pain! I think they are greater endurance athletes than the pros. Karen finished in about 7:30.
I took a plunge in the ocean with my new DeSoto T1 wetsuit, which I hadn't used yet. The water was cold but I was burning up in this thick wetsuit. It's the right one for Alcatraz in May and Coer d'Alene in June.
I've recently joined a community service triathlon group California Triathlon, and am very impressed with their approach to team training and multisport. It is a free group that seems to do way more than any pay-for triathlon club. You can join too:
California Triathlon
