There will be no club meeting this Saturday, May 5, 2012. Instead join us at Chino Hills High School and register to run the Chino Hills Challenge 5K. We'll be back at Butterfield Park May 12, 2012.

Join us this Saturday at Butterfield Park, 7 a.m., as IERC kicks off its Spring-Fall Training with a six mile training run. The Spring-Fall Training will focus on training for half marathons scheduled for June/July 2012 and October 2012. Come out and meet the new pace leaders and get your spring training off to a great start.

As we begin our taper to the Honda LA Marathon, runners and walkers and run/walkers will do 6 miles this week. All groups will start at 7 a.m. It looks like the weather will be warming for our training, with the forecast calling for sunny skies, a high of 78 degrees,and a low in the forties. Fortunately, we have short miles on Saturday so should easily beat the heat.

Runners and Walkers will do 16 miles this week at aerobic pace. Run/Walkers will do 6 miles easy. Runners and Run/Walkers will start at 7a.m. and Walkers will start at 6:30 a.m. It looks like we will have good weather for our training, with the forecast calling for sunny skies, a high of 68 degrees, and a low of 43 degrees. Be sure to dress accordingly and put on the sunscreen.

Runners and Walkers will do 20 miles this week, and Run/Walkers will do 7 miles. Runners and Run/Walkers will start at 7 a.m. Walkers will start at 6:15 a.m. Runners and Walkers, be prepared to be out on the course for 3-5 hours depending on your pace group and mileage. Have GU’s, gels, or beans to replenish during your training. For runners and walkers, this is our longest distance prior to LA. Running pace groups will do the 20 miles at aerobic pace. If you have been following the training schedule and getting your week day runs in, you should be fine this Saturday. Get plenty of rest this week, hydrate, and eat well. Your pace leaders will take care of you on Saturday and get you through the 20 miles. Use this 20 miler as a dress rehearsal for the Honda LA Marathon. Wear what you plan to wear on race day. Use the GU's, blocks, beans, or sports drink, etc. that you plan to use on race day. Have a pre-race dinner and breakfast similar to what you plan to do on race day. The more you try all of these things out, the better you will know what to expect on race day.

There will be no club meeting at Butterfield Park this Saturday, as the club will be meeting in Huntington Beach on Sunday, February 5 to run the Surf City Half Marathon. If you are not able to join us this Sunday, make sure you get your weekend training in so that you can stay on pace for the Honda LA Marathon. For race day information, check your email.

Runners and Walkers will do 13 miles this week at marathon race pace, and Run/Walkers will do 6 miles. Runners and Run/Walkers will start at 7 a.m. Walkers will start at 6:30 a.m. The weather forecast shows sunny and a high of 78 degrees and a low of 41 degrees, definitely warmer and dryer than last week,so dress accordingly.

This Saturday, January 28, prior to our training, we will hold a Pre-Race Nutrition Clinic. Julie Vuksic, RD, CSSD, will be joining us once again to provide a very brief review on basic hydration and nutrition and a focused discussion of pre-race and race day nutrition planning. Julie is a Registered Dietitian, Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, and holds certification from the American Dietetic Association in Adult Weight Management. A health educator at the University of California, Irvine Corporate Health Department, Julie provides nutrition and fitness counseling to executives and leads classes promoting behavior change to support weight management and wellness. Julie has provided sports nutrition counseling and education to a variety of community groups including the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training program, Kids Run LA, and the Boy Scouts of America, as well as IERC. A dedicated athlete, Julie has been sponsored by PowerBar as a member of the PowerBar Team Elite. She routinely competes in triathlons and marathons, and recently qualified for the Boston Marathon. Julie was a big hit with club members the first time she joined us at the beginning of our training and we are very thankful she has volunteered her time to join us once again this Saturday as we get closer to the 2012 Honda LA Marathon. We will start promptly at 7 a.m. Be on time so you can get the benefit of Julie’s expertise.

There have been some car break-ins over the last few months at Butterfield Park during our training, the last one this past Saturday. While we have park rangers at the park while we are out training, they obviously cannot keep an eye on every single car at the park. Be sure to leave valuables at home, or if you must bring them, lock them in your trunk out of sight. The break-ins have been reported to law enforcement.