LA Roadrunners: Dodger Stadium! January 31, 2010

Posted by RJL in LA Roadrunners.
Tags: dodgers, giants, LA Marathon, LA Roadrunners, Los Angeles, marathon, running
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Yesterday was a field trip for us Roadrunners: we got to run at Dodger Stadium! I had to start the morning off extra early to give myself time to drive the extra distance, but it was a gorgeous morning, as far as mornings go.

Interstate 10, 5:50am.
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Downtown LA.
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Dodger Stadium off ramp.
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The full moon was absolutely gorgeous.
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Since this year’s marathon starts at Dodger Stadium, we got a sneak peek at the first mile or so of the race. The marathon begins as a lap around the stadium then heads out Elysian Park Dr. toward Sunset Blvd.

However, that route is only a mile, so with the Roadrunners, we added a few more loops and the LA Marathon 5K route to the training for a total of 6.4 miles.

Distance: 6.4 miles
Time: 53:07
Pace: 8:18 mile

Around Dodger Stadium.
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More loops.
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Hitting up Elysian Park.
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A beautiful route.
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Rod Dixon cheers us on.
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The final hill.
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Of course, 6.4 miles wasn’t enough! I could tell that everyone in our group wanted to do more. After all, our scheduled runs during the week are between 7-8 miles! A Saturday run of 6.4 miles wasn’t enough. So my friend and I decided to log six more miles around the stadium.

Distance: 6 miles
Time: 52:30
Pace: 8:45 mile

The route around the stadium has long, steep inclines, which are good for hill training. And it was a lot of fun to mix up the running paths. As pretty as the beach is, it’s nice to run a different part of LA.

Also, it was really beneficial to experience the beginning of the marathon. I think race day will be intimidating enough as it is—not having another thing to be nervous about is good.

The best part of yesterday’s run, though, was that they opened Dodger Stadium after the run! We got to go on the field and stretch. Definitely one of the most memorable stretching sessions I’ve been a part of.

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All in all, it was a great training day. Dodger Stadium, hill training, 12+ miles, great running routes, felt fantastic… What more could I say?

Well, I guess there’s one thing I should say. Despite all this love for Dodger Stadium…

Go Giants!

Born and raised in Northern California!
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