South Florida

Week 5 of my 12-Week Training Plan for the 3/9 ASICS LA Marathon took us to South Florida for a much-welcomed respite from one of the harshest NY winters I've experienced yet. We rented a Volvo convertible and whiled away the hours in Palm Beach and Miami Beach, stayed at family's condo in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea and took advantage of utterly perfect training weather.

Monday - Off, arrived 3 am

Tuesday - 1 hr 15 min easy + 6 x stride + 100 crunches + 15 min jumprope

Wednesday - 6.5 miles GMRP + 30 minutes pool laps

Thursday - Ran 35 minutes easy + 100 crunches + seashell squats

Friday - Swam 45 minutes laps

Now: Friday evening flight back up the coast to NYC

Saturday - 11 miles in snow for #MegsMiles (updated)

Sunday - Off

Andrew Kastor is our coach as part of this ASICS LA Marathon Blogger Challenge opportunity, and he emailed our team this week to really stress the importance of all the miles and work we have put in so far. I've finished 12 marathons or ultras, but I am going back to the basics for this one and trying to be as diligent as I can in hopes of PRing in LA. So far, so good!

Gear Review



That respite meant leaving my great ASICS cold weather gear up north, wearing as little gear as possible and testing out my new Gel Kayano 20s and three pair of Kayano socks. My feet were in a dream this week. The cushiony ride is fabulous, and I will rotate the Kayano shoes with a new pair of Gel Nimbus and another pair of trainers. I ran in the Kayano Classic Low Cut socks, which features anatomic fit, NanoGLIDE™ moisture and friction management, articulated arch support, horizontal lace pad, and mesh knit construction. They kept me dry even as I ventured close to the water on the beaches of Fort Lauderdale.