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Marathon Member Spotlight: Laura V & Baldo

If you tried to drive in Santa Monica last weekend, you probably realized that you made a huge mistake. That’s because the LA marathon was going on, and we had two Paradiso Members complete the race!

Laura Villandre and Osbaldo “Baldo” Nieves both tested their fitness by running the marathon.

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This is one of the wonderful things about CrossFit. It can truly complement any training program- even one as specific as marathon endurance training.

I had the chance to do a brief interview with Laura after her finish about what inspired her to run the marathon, how her training changed, and more. Check it Out!

Matt: How long have you been a member at Paradiso CrossFit?

Laura: I’ve been a member at PCF going on 3 years now.

Matt: What inspired you to run the marathon? What were your goals? How did you do?

Laura: My Dad was a runner and tackling the marathon was always on my to-do list. I ran my first marathon in 2006. I fell in with a fun and crazy group of runners and in the span of 10 years I’ve run 20 marathons! Estelle was part of that group, and she is the one who introduced me to crossfit. Crossfit has made me much stronger and this has translated to my running, especially when tackling hills. I feel I recover more quickly from the long runs, and I have less joint pain afterwards.

Running the 2016 LA marathon was a way of celebrating 10 years of marathoning. My goal was to be present, to enjoy every mile, high five the little kids along the route, take in all the sights and sounds of LA from Dodger Stadium to Santa Monica.
My ultimate goal for each marathon is to run strong, both physically and mentally. There is an enormous mental component to running a marathon. Your body must endure the long mileage, but so must your mind, and it’s easy to psych yourself out in the upper mileage. I’m not one to break any speed records, but I ran an evenly paced, strong marathon and I was happy about that.

 

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