All posts tagged goals

Make Each Day Your Masterpiece

In running, training and in life we want instant results and fail to see the small steps all lead to the big goal or big picture.

If you get careless and impatient you will lose focus and sight of what is truly important and you will find yourself making wrong decisions that will lead to the whole goal breaking down and falling apart completely. In the end you will regret it when everything you have worked for has crumbled.

Is someone to blame? Yes, you have to look in the mirror and take responsibility; this is the first step to stepping out and realizing your mistakes and then making adjustments when it’s time to go again so that you may never find yourself in the same predicament.

So set out today and make it count. Take each moment to give thanks for having the gift of running and the gift of life. Then give yourself the greatest gift and pursue your craft and make it a masterpiece today.

Running will change your life and if you step out of the box and see things from a different point of view, you really can do and achieve anything you like, It’s just knowing that each day really is one step to having all that you choose to have. Don’t be of the many who fail to realize this…

Today, you are exactly where you are suppose to be so be great.

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by ryanmichaelruiz on April 23, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Running

Tagged believe, Brooklyn, challenge, change, choices, determination, dream, dreams, excercise, fear, fitness, goals, grow, half marathon, healthy, heart, Inspiration, inspire, LA Marathon, life, limits, Los Angeles, love, manhattan, Marathon, marathons, motivation, New York City, New York City Marathon, NYC, nyc marathon, opportunity, pasadena, possibilities, risk, run, running, story, training

Posted by ryanmichaelruiz on April 23, 2013

http://ryanmruiz.com/2013/04/23/make-each-day-your-masterpiece/

LA Marathon, Congratulations & Time To Recover

Well was it everything you thought it would be? The energy out there on the course looked really great, the weather cooperated and you now have a medal and you are a finisher of the 2013 LA Marathon. Congratulations on 26.2

Did everything go great? Did you reach your goal? Are happy with your outcome? If you had a great race, write everything down, put your experience in a diary from your taper all the way up to the finish line of the race. That way you can reflect back in the future and keep in mind what worked for you. This is vital and I encourage you to take the time as you will thank yourself down the line.

Did you miss your goal? Are you disappointed? It happens and I have been here many times. As runners we are competitive with ourselves and its normal to feel like you failed but some of our greatest failures are our most important teachers. If you are open to it, there are lessons to learn so I invite you to write everything down from your taper all the way to the finish line. Maybe you will see what you did wrong and most importantly you can reflect back and make some adjustments in the future and try not to repeat this particular experience. The marathon is so unpredictable from race to race; maybe it just wasn’t your day. Keep your head up and put your focus on the accomplishment.

Now the recovery begins. The rule of thumb is you need a day of recovery for every mile you have run, 26 days of no running? Not quite but you need to take it easy in the next 26 days. You put your body through a ton of stress and it now needs its rest. Through the process of running 26.2 miles at top effort you tore a lot of muscle fibers in your legs that now need your help to rest and let them repair themselves. This doesn’t mean any running but keeping effort and pace down.

Are you sore today? Well if you said yes, chances are Tuesday you will feel even more sore. The key is to keep your body moving, keep the blood moving in the days ahead to get all the soreness and lactic acid out of your legs. Go for a great walk everyday and shake it off. Water will always help flush out the soreness so stay on top of your water intake. Proper food will help too so enjoy the food you have sacrificed over the months but get in that proper fuel to help you recover. Cross training will also help if you need to keep exercising without the impact.

So what now?

Enjoy your accomplishment; take some time to enjoy all the sacrifice you gave up over the past months. But sooner than later it will be time to get back to the drawing board.

If you made your intended goal, you don’t stop there! The mountain of success keeps going up. You are a success but staying there in that success, you can never continue to grow. Continue to look up and find ways to be better than yesterday! Challenge yourself to get better and stronger and faster. That’s what we do.

Continue to believe in yourself and congratulations again!

Ryan

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by ryanmichaelruiz on March 18, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Running

Tagged believe, change, choices, determination, excercise, fear, fitness, goals, grow, healthy, heart, Inspiration, inspire, LA Marathon, life, limits, Los Angeles, love, manhattan, Marathon, marathons, motivation, nyc marathon, opportunity, pasadena, possibilities, risk, run, running, story, training

Posted by ryanmichaelruiz on March 18, 2013

http://ryanmruiz.com/2013/03/18/la-marathon-congratulations-time-to-recover/

LA Marathon, Have A Great Race

“26.2 miles? Piece of cake. The walk to your car after? Painful”

This is officially it, you made it! Tomorrow is the big day.

You have done the work, now it’s time to go!

There isn’t a lot to say to you, everything has been said. The power is now in your hands.

Line up on the start line tomorrow and write your story!

This is more than just a line on the road,

It is more than a banner across the road,

This is more than a finish line.

THIS IS THE PLACE WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE

Have a great race and congratulations in advance, you are a marathoner.

Your friend always,

-Ryan

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by ryanmichaelruiz on March 16, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Running

Tagged believe, change, choices, determination, dream, dreams, excercise, fear, fitness, goals, grow, half marathon, healthy, heart, Inspiration, inspire, LA Marathon, life, limits, Los Angeles, love, Marathon, marathons, motivation, opportunity, possibilities, risk, run, running, story, training

Posted by ryanmichaelruiz on March 16, 2013

http://ryanmruiz.com/2013/03/16/la-marathon-have-a-great-race/

LA Marathon, 2 Days And Counting….Show Us How Great You Are

The winning mentality to be great requires not very much. Sure all the training in the world will help or the best running shoes ever invented. In terms of life, the right education or a good support system around you will give you an upper hand but if you dont have the desire to be great, all of these outside influences will mean nothing. The mindset that you can do and achieve anything will take you to the next level and separate you from the rest.

Where is your mindset when you run a race or train? You have to show up to a start line on fire, with a burning attitude like are a bull being released in the streets of Pamplona-undestructible! You have to line up knowing you belong there and nowhere else and this is where you were always meant to be. The mind will transcend your physical abilities and take you to everything you have ever imagined in your head.

Think of all the great sports movies in our time. Rocky, Hoosiers, Rudy. In every sports movie there was the incredible story about an ordinary person or team that became more than ordinary because they believed they belonged there and believed they could win.

In Rocky you had an ordinary guy from Philly trying to make his way up to the top of the boxing world, got a shot AND TOOK IT, showed no fear, had the heart of a champion and won. Hoosiers? Despite being the smallest team and having an unsuccessful past, in came a man, a coach who taught them anything was possible and showed them to believe in themselves on the court and outside the court. Just one man in one moment gave them the greatest gift of life and they took their shot and won the state championship and the impossible became the possible. Why? because they believed. RUDY? A kid with pure heart who wanted to be a Notre Dame football player and did whatever it took to be on the team. He truly believed even when his own loved ones didnt that he was going to be on that team. He believed and it manifested. Rudy showed no fear in his heart and despite the downs he still kept his head up and just marched forward. The human spirit is alive in all these movies. This Sunday at the LA Marathon the human spirit will be alive and you will be part of that. Write your story Sunday to go down as a legend much like these stories. The choice really is up to you.

Are you starting to figure out how the right mindset will determine your outcome in running and life?

More than 22 years ago Muhamad Ali was about to fight Joe Frazier in one of the greatest boxing matches of our time. Ali will go down as the greatest boxer of all time. The greatest. Why was he so great? At the press conference a day before the fight Frazier is asked why does he think he will win and he answers because he trained hard and feels he can beat Ali, and he trained hard and is ready. When they ask Ali, this is what he said as he shouted at the media and Joe Frazier with the straightest face because he was serious……

”I’m BAD!!! Been chopping trees, been doing something new for this fight. I wrestled with an alligator, tossed around with a whale. I handcuffed lightning, throw thunder in jail. Only last week I murdered a rock, hospitalized a brick. I’m so mean I make medicine sick. Bad and fast! Fast! Fast! Last night I cut off the light in my bedroom, hit the switch was in the bed before the room was dark…and you George Foreman, all you chumps are gonna bow down when I whip him. All of you, I know you got him, I know you got him picked but the mans in trouble I’M GONNA SHOW YOU HOW GREAT I AM”

Now think about what he said. Who says that? In the conference he is convinced he has done what he described and is convinced he is going to conquer him. His mindset was already to the next level. It should be of no surprise to you that Ali crushed him. He believed and he conquered. Now I am not telling you to start yelling at people on the starting line of a marathon, or at your classmates at the beginning of a crucial test or at your co workers at the beginning of a possible promotion but what I am asking of you is to tell yourself in your head how bad you are, how nobody can compete because you are going to SHOW THEM HOW GREAT YOU ARE.

I believe you are great and each of you have a gift, not only in running but in life. No matter how old or young you are, no matter what has happened in your past, go out today and everyday and show some heart, show no fear, take a risk, believe, take your shot and SHOW US HOW GREAT YOU ARE!! LA Marathon is waiting for you!

Your friend, Ryan

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by ryanmichaelruiz on March 15, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Running

Tagged believe, challenge, change, choices, dream, dreams, excercise, fear, fitness, goals, grow, half marathon, Inspiration, inspire, LA Marathon, life, Los Angeles, manhattan, Marathon, marathons, motivation, New York City, New York City Marathon, NYC, nyc marathon, opportunity, possibilities, risk, run, running, story, training

Posted by ryanmichaelruiz on March 15, 2013

http://ryanmruiz.com/2013/03/15/la-marathon-2-days-and-counting-show-us-how-great-you-are/

LA Marathon, 3 Days And Counting….

3 days and counting and the excitement continues to build. It is going to be a great race. If you are feeling like you could have done more, dont worry as this is normal. Even if you did all you could do in training, you will still show up to the start line feeling like you could have done more. Trust your training, believe you are ready to go and everything will fall into line.

The marathon is two races, the first race is mile 1-20 and the second race is the last 6 miles. You can never truly predict what will happen to you on those last miles but there are a number of things you can do to put yourself in the best position to tackle those last 6 miles.

Your body can only hold 2000 calories of glycogen(energy) in it s body at one time. Burning 100 calories every mile x20 miles equals 2000 calories. This is why they say you usually hit the wall at mile 20 because you have exhausted your glycogen. What happens in the last 6 miles is really unpredictable but you can do as much as you can to head into the 20 mile mark. This is why taking your gels and gu’s along with water and electrolytes consistently through the race is vital.

On another note have you ever had a full tank of gas in your car and punched the accelerator? The gas seriously goes down quickly. But if you cruise at a decent speed consistently your gas will last longer because your engine is running at a more efficient approach. The same holds true for your body, get out of the gates super fast at the beginning of your race and you will bonk out. Approach your race by allowing your body to naturally warm up and get into a consistent cruising pace and you will have a successful race. Ever seen runners walking their way into the finish line? This is not how you want to experience a marathon. Be patient out there.

The start line

Try and line up at your appropriate pace in the proper corrals. Trying to line up close to the start can only put you in the position to run faster than you should. Also try to avoid zig zagging between runners at the start, this will take a lot of energy out of you and this is the last thing you need. Too much of this can make you pay for it in the later miles. Be patient, you have a long way to go and you will have your chance to make your moves.

Gels and Gu’s?

Please be consistent, you don’t want to create fluctuations in energy. As blood sugar rises when you take a gel you want to avoid being inconsistent with your gel consumption as your blood sugar will dip which will create a feeling of lethargy and fatigue. By staying consistent with gel intake you will keep the blood sugar level even which will help you experience a great feeling throughout the race. If you take a gel, time it perfectly either by time (every 45 minutes) or by miles (every 4 miles).

Are you running with a pace group?

Running with a pace group is always great in a race because you can tuck yourself in the middle of a large pack chasing a particular goal you are interested in and you can best of all draft a lot of people. Drafting is usually illegal in major sporting events like cycling because it allows you to reduce the overall effect of drag due to exploiting the lead runner’s slipstream. Drafting can significantly reduce your average energy expenditure required to maintain your intended pace. It works and can keep you ready when it’s time to make your move to go after your goal.

So When do you make your move?

If you are running the marathon and at mile 10 you feel good and decide to pick up the pace you are making the wrong decision. Mile 10 is much too early to make your move. You will surely have a tough effort all the way to the end. If it is mile 13 and you decide to pick it up chances are you are making the move at the wrong time, still a lot of running to do. I would suggest keeping a consistent pace to mile 17 and then evaluating where you are and feel and start making a gradual pick up in pace. I think based on how you feel, you can either start making your move at mile 20 or 21. Don’t make a sudden burst but gradually pick it up and then run in control and start getting mental and start putting it all on the line.

How do you put it on the line?

Simple, push yourself. There will come a point in the marathon when you are faced with a choice, a fork in the road if you will. The choices are simple, choose one road where you can ease up and pull back the pace because it feels safe and you are tired. You will cruise in to the end but you will finish with that elusive question, WHAT IF? What if you had not pulled back? Then there is the other choice. Choose to push yourself and go into unknown territory. It’s a scary place because you don’t know what can happen. You potentially can put yourself in a place of a lot of pain but I invite you to go there. Your body is very smart and will figure out a way to keep the effort and pace. You then see you can do it and you find yourself succeeding. The feeling is exhilarating crossing the finish line knowing you gave everything you had. From that point on your running will never be the same as that choice re-invents not only your running but it re-invents your life. Because remember, we take the lessons in running and apply the same courage, perseverance and vigor to our everyday lives. Choose wisely on Sunday.

Stay positive with your thoughts, today is a great day to get in a good carb dinner so have a great dinner and carb up!

See you tomorrow,

Ryan

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by ryanmichaelruiz on March 14, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Running

Tagged challenge, change, determination, dream, dreams, excercise, fitness, goals, half marathon, heart, Inspiration, inspire, LA Marathon, life, limits, Los Angeles, marathons, motivation, opportunity, possibilities, risk, run, running, story, training

Posted by ryanmichaelruiz on March 14, 2013

http://ryanmruiz.com/2013/03/14/la-marathon-3-days-and-counting/

LA Marathon 4 Days And Counting….

It is now 4 days and counting and the streets of Los Angeles are waiting for you. The weather here in Los Angeles is just incredible this week. I hope you are anticipating a great race. If the nerves are kicking in, no worries, welcome to marathon racing. Maybe it is good positive energy ready to go and you are confusing it with nervousness and anxiety. Stay positive out there.

LA Marathon Wednesday is here and I bring you a variety of tips today to think about and apply to yourself if you feel it applies to you.

NUTRITION

It basically comes down to nutrition from today to race day. All your goals and expectations for race day come down to this. Stay smart out there and make the right decisions. You have sacrificed so much the last months of training so stay true to healthy and smart portions.

HYDRATION

The weather is heating up here in LA and it is beautiful but it may feel a little hot for a marathon. Stay on top of your fluid intake in the next days to race day. Remember the average couch potato needs 60 ounces of water but you are an athlete so more is required THROUGHOUT your day. Please don’t gulp water.

CHECK YOUR URINE

This sounds a bit strange, I know, but hear me out. A great way to see if you are properly hydrated is to check your urine. If your urine is completely clear this is probably not what you want to look for. Chances are you have had too much water and you have now flushed a lot of the salt out of your body. Showing up to the start line like this will make you feel extremely sluggish and “tired.” What you want to look for is a light lemonade tint color, a little yellow and a little white. This is a great hydration measure. If your urine is super dark or orange, you are dehydrated. If you take vitamins chances are your urine is super yellow and it will be hard to determine this way so monitor your intake carefully.

WATCH THAT ALCOHOL INTAKE.

alcohol is fine to have but keep that drink to one or two at most. If you drink beer on the course, usually they hand them out in the 20’s, just make sure your stomach can take this. I have seen a lot of runners throwing up several yards after taking the free beer offered by spectators on the course.

SLEEP NOW

Today is Wednesday and the perfect time to get sleep in the next two days as from Friday on it will be a bit challenging to get a good night’s sleep due to anticipating the big day on Sunday. You may find yourself tossing and turning the next days and that’s OK. On Saturday night this may be the biggest day you toss and turn and you may lay in bed for hours before falling asleep with very little sleep when its time to wake up. If This happens to you, don’t worry. This is the norm and you will be just fine. Don’t stress over this if this happens to you.

COFFEE?

If you are a coffee drinker like me you very well understand the saying, “Don’t talk to me, I haven’t had my coffee yet” In seriousness coffee is perfectly fine to have pre race and it will actually help with endurance. But I say this trusting your body is completely hydrated. Two cups won’t kill you as well but I would probably limit it at two. Stay hydrated and you will be fine.

ARE YOU RUN WALKING?

If you are run walking like a lot of marathoner’s this Sunday it’s important to remember when you come to your walks to keep the heart rate up so when it’s time to run you don’t feel tired when its time to run which will naturally raise your heart rate. Keep the heart rate up by pretending you are a late for an appointment kind of walk. This will help so much.

WALK THROUGH WATER STATIONS?

Nothing worse than approaching a water station and grabbing water and drinking while you run and the water going up your nose. It is a good idea to grab your water, come to a “late for an appointment” walk and drink your water. Be quick and when you dispose of the cup get back into pace. I actually know someone who qualified for Boston by walking 30 seconds through every water station. So don’t worry about time so much. In the big picture it may be beneficial.

WHY WALK?

The whole concept of walk breaks in the run/walk process is the walking actually delays the on set of lactic acid which builds in your legs and gives you that heavy, tired feeling. So don’t feel like you are doing wrong if you need to get a one minute quick walk in. It will help you so much if need be.

START SLOW

Don’t let the anticipation and the adrenaline of the race get you out to a fast start. Show massive patience and discipline and allow your body to get into rhythm and build its natural progression to your race pace. Most marathoner’s make this mistake and while you feel good, you will pay for it in the later miles. Be Zen like and stay in the moment and execute your plan.

YOUR INNER VOICE YOU NEVER KNEW YOU HAD

Lastly the marathon is an amazing test to the human spirit. It challenges you in ways where you are faced with a wall to climb when it seems you have nothing left physically to continue forward. But the human spirit and your heart are powerful and just when you thought you can’t move forward, you always find a way to push forward even when it seems you can’t go forward. In this process there will be an inner voice inside you telling to never quit or give up and it may be a voice you never knew you had. The marathon is about how much you can take and keep moving forward, very much how life is. Look for that inner voice on Sunday and listen to it and push through the challenge. When you cross the finish line Sunday the real work begins as you continue to listen to that inner voice and take on any challenge in your life and never give up. The finish line is more than a line on the road, it teaches us to face adversity with the same positive outlook we have in running and to always persevere no matter what life throws at us. Stay in the moment and show gratitude every day and all great things will come your way.

See you tomorrow,

Ryan

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by ryanmichaelruiz on March 13, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Running

Tagged challenge, change, choices, dream, excercise, fitness, goals, heart, inspire, LA Marathon, life, limits, Los Angeles, Marathon, marathons, motivation, opportunity, possibilities, risk, run, running, story, training

Posted by ryanmichaelruiz on March 13, 2013

http://ryanmruiz.com/2013/03/13/la-marathon-4-days-and-counting/

LA Marathon 5 Days And Counting, How Is Your Running Form?

5 days until you rise to the occasion. How is your mindset? You have to believe this is exactly where you belong and the minute you step on the start line, know this is what you were born to do. Let’s get the positive mojo going in the next five days and create perfect days of anticipation but most of all gratitude for having the will and commitment to be here waiting for the gun to go off. YOU are amazing, congratulations for getting here.

Now let’s talk marathon racing and little things to keep you running efficiently throughout the race. Your running form is everything and checking yourself throughout the race can make a big difference in running as efficiently as possible.

Try and keep your head upright. If your chin is up and facing forward ,this allows you to keep your air passage way from your mouth to your lungs completely open and ideal for taking in as much oxygen to deliver to your hard-working muscles. Have you ever seen a tired runner in the later miles grinding it out with their chin and head down? This is what you want to avoid as you are really closing your air passage way and not allowing full potential for maximum oxygen intake.

Keep your face relaxed and try to avoid making faces or grimacing. I know the race will get hard and we will make faces to deal with the pain but keeping your face relaxed will help sustain energy. When the face is stressed and not relaxed you are using energy that can be used by your muscles instead.

Keep your shoulders down and relaxed. As the pain and fatigue sets in our bodies tend to tighten up which will affect your overall running form. Once and a while shake your arms out, move your shoulders around and your neck and reset your form to find the original form. This will help you stay loose and running efficiently.

Keep your hands nice and loose. We tend to start clenching our hands into fists as we get into the later miles because in a big way we are fighting against the challenge and the body’s natural response is to tighten up. When your hands are nice and loose it really allows your arms to swing freely and with no resistance as you run. Tighten your hands into fists and try swinging your arms in a running motion and all of a sudden it feels hard to do and using unnecessary energy. Keep the hands nice and loose and keep checking yourself.

Keep those arms pumping. As we fatigue in the later miles you will notice a multitude of runners not using their arms in the same manner as in the beginning of the race. Keep an eye on your arms and keep them swinging.

The day will be exciting and the crowds will be amazing with many spectators holding their hands out for a high-five. Enjoy the day and get out there and give someone a high-five but do your best to keep it to a minimum if you are after a specific goal. Doing this several times throughout the course will zap your energy. It forces you to direct your movement towards the sides, change your rhythm and pace and putting that arm up. Over and over and this process will take its toll on you so be smart, enjoy your day but stay focused on your goal and the prize.

With running form, an interesting concept is if you spin a quarter, it spins perfectly on a table. But if just one part of that quarter is off the quarter no longer spins perfectly on a table and will fall eventually in a lopsided manner. The same is true for your body. Keep all the moving parts working in unison and watch your body respond efficiently. If just one part of your body is off, it starts to trickle down and eventually you start to break down.

Each piece of the puzzle of a marathon is critical. As you can see you are in charge of so much of your success in a race. Running marathons is more than just putting on shoes and running, it’s about execution and having a plan. Hopefully I have shown you this week so far.

5 days and counting. Get some rest. Get some sleep.

Ryan

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by ryanmichaelruiz on March 12, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Running

Tagged challenge, choices, determination, excercise, fitness, goals, Inspiration, inspire, LA Marathon, life, limits, Los Angeles, Marathon, marathons, motivation, opportunity, possibilities, run, running, story, training

Posted by ryanmichaelruiz on March 12, 2013

http://ryanmruiz.com/2013/03/12/la-marathon-5-days-and-counting-how-is-your-running-form/

2013 LA Marathon, 6 Days And Counting….

It’s Monday in Los Angeles and here we go, time to get ready, get excited and feel the energy that is LA Marathon. After getting into Downtown Los Angeles this morning I can see the buzz around town with a lot of runners running around the streets this morning in their LA Marathon shirts. Its marathon week and there is nothing greater than that.

The Expo opens this week on Friday at the LA Convention Center and I would suggest getting there on Friday that way on Saturday you take the day for yourself and relax and stay off of your feet. If Saturday is the only day you can get there I would suggest getting there early so that you may have enough time to take the rest of the day to relax and get ready

Try nothing new at the expo! If something seems appealing, put it in your bag and save it for the following week and give it a try. Nothing worse than trying something new and it upsetting your stomach and you are dealing with that until race day.

Just some other reminders. How does the weather look? Are you keeping tabs?

How is your stretching going?

Make sure your runs are slowing down and you are pulling back on both volume and speed, You should only get a couple of runs in this week and rest the remaining days. I would suggest 2-3 light runs this week with the idea of staying loose on these runs, nothing too serious. Take time to stop and stretch out after a mile. The idea isn’t to run true miles but to get out there and keep the body moving. I know you may feel like you have a lot of pent-up energy but PLEASE save it for the race. There is nothing you can do this week and that can improve your performance on Sunday. On the flip side of that there are plenty of things you can do to hinder your race performance such as tough runs and workouts so take it easy until race day. Your moment is coming.

Are you running with music? It’s time to get the playlist ready.

See you tomorrow, stay focused.

Ryan

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by ryanmichaelruiz on March 11, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Running

Tagged challenge, choices, determination, fitness, goals, healthy, heart, LA Marathon, life, limits, Los Angeles, Marathon, marathons, opportunity, possibilities, risk, run, running, story, training

Posted by ryanmichaelruiz on March 11, 2013

http://ryanmruiz.com/2013/03/11/2013-la-marathon-6-days-and-counting/

LA Marathon, One Week And Counting

It’s Sunday and one week until race day and the official countdown begins. You have a week to get ready mentally and physically. Everything you do in the next seven days will have an effect on your race so stay positive out there and make wise and great decisions this week.

Now the number one question I get during race week all year from runners running marathons is “What should I eat the night before the race & the morning of?” The greatest thing about running and training for marathons is you truly learn so much about yourself and the real gift is realizing you are your greatest teacher. During the process of all the training runs and the triumphant cross of the finish line you not only learn of your true potential but also you learn so much about your body and what it needs to reach certain heights and limits. So the answer is really in you.

What have you eaten to help you finish tough long runs in your training? What foods propelled you to have amazing runs? Did you find a system of nutrition and hydration that worked for you? We are all made different and we all work on our own circuit board in a sense and what works for one runner doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for you.

We follow basic nutrition guidelines to help us but trust your body and feed it what make you perform at an efficient level.

If you have no clue what makes your body work, this may be a great lesson for you to consider the importance of a training diary where you write about your great runs and you not so good ones. In the diary you can always be specific as to what helped you have a great run and on those rough ones you can always reflect back on what caused that and how you can avoid those same patterns .

Reflect back and figure out what works for you. Take 15 minutes of your day today and write a list of what works for your body and work on getting this fuel in your body this week and make a plan for the 2-3 days leading up to the race including your race morning meal. Organization is key and vital to the success you choose to have on race day.

Have a great day and start those mantras and positive thoughts,

Ryan

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by ryanmichaelruiz on March 10, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Running

Tagged believe, Central Park, change, choices, determination, excercise, fitness, goals, half marathon, heart, Inspiration, inspire, LA Marathon, life, limits, Los Angeles, Marathon, marathons, nyc marathon, opportunity, possibilities, risk, run, running, story, training

Posted by ryanmichaelruiz on March 10, 2013

http://ryanmruiz.com/2013/03/10/la-marathon-one-week-and-counting/

LA Marathon Countdown, Do You Know The Course?

“They can because they think they can” –Virgil

Have you reviewed the course? Reviewing the course is a great idea especially if you are going after a specific goal or trying to get a PR (personal record) By reviewing the course you can determine where your strengths and weaknesses are in the course to use them for your advantage. This along with some strategy and you walk away from the City of Angels with a great race day.

At the LA Marathon there are a series of hills that will challenge you especially in the beginning in the Downtown LA area. Do you know where they are and the benefit of executing patience when you get there? Pull back your pace a tad, you don’t want to use the same effort going up these hills exerting all your energy. You will make up for it on the down hills. Once you get to the crest of these hills, shake it off in your arms and shoulders and get back into pace.

There are also a lot of downhill sections of the course. Do you know where they are so you can make up time on these parts of the course? You can use these downhill grades to make up time you used on climbing and maybe walking through a water station.

Also on the course it may be a good idea to become familiar with where the water stations are on the course and what mile markers will have the sport drink for the race. (a good idea is to try the sport drink now for the race to you make sure it doesn’t upset your stomach. Ultima Replenisher is the sport drink the LA Marathon is using so give it a try) Another tip, run past the first available water tables to avoid the sudden congestion at the first tables. The tables in the back are always empty.

Most marathons have a section where they give out sports gels. At LA Marathon between mile 20-21 Cliff Shot will be giving out gels so make a mental note and replenish if this is what you need and always take with them with water, never sport drinks. Too much sugar at once with the sport drink may upset your stomach.

Now this may be the biggest lesson I want you to take away with you today regarding the course. When you run a marathon or any race you should run the course the way they measure it. The perfect example is to run the course the very same way a race car driver drives in a race. On the straight away you stay in the middle and as you approach each corner you literally b-line to that corner and turn at the very corner and then gradually make your way back to the middle of the road. So many time runners are taking turns completely on the outside and eventually at the end of the race they ended up running 27 miles. Stay true to the course, run smart, and execute a perfect race, the power really is in your hands.

The last 3 miles of the LA Marathon are literally a straight shot down so if you are close to a goal, don’t be afraid to put it on the line.

Have a great day and I will see you tomorrow.

Ryan

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by ryanmichaelruiz on March 9, 2013 • Permalink

Posted in Running