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.