LA Marathon Recap

LA Marathon Race Day morning started with this. 

My 13.1 miles were powered by a strong french press full of downtown LA's Handsome Coffee Roasters coffee.  I'm convinced this java contributed to my best half-marathon time yet!   (Adrenaline helped with the 5:30 am wake-up time, but coffee was still essential.)  The crew at Handsome Coffee Roasters was kind enough to grind only half of my beans so that I could make a french press in my hotel, and save the remainder of the beans to keep them fresh.  (It turns out, the Handsome Coffee folks who helped me are runners as well.)

As for Race Day, it was awesome!  

The race began at Dodger's Stadium, to the sounds of Randy Newman's famous "I Love LA" tune.   For that day only, we took over Los Angeles streets, free from vehicles and the infamous traffic of our city.  We had the chance to observe the landmarks and character of LA neighborhoods in a way Angelenos rarely get to appreciate on a daily basis.  I ran the first 13.1 mile leg of the race winding through Chinatown, past Olvera Street, Little Tokyo, Bunker Hill, Angeleno Heights, Silver Lake, Los Feliz, Little Armenia, Thai Town, Hollywood, and ending on Sunset Boulevard.  

After finishing the half-marathon, I met my relay teammate and he ran the next 13.1 mile leg through West Los Angeles!  Though rain was predicted on the day of the Marathon, we thankfully experienced nothing but sunny skies.  

Thanks to everyone for supporting me to take on the challenge of the (first ever) LA Marathon Charity Relay through donations, words of encouragement, cheering on the race route, and training advice!   As a team, we raised $1,140 to benefit our charity The Painted Turtle, funds that will give kids with medical conditions an unforgettable free of charge camp experience.    There is such a great spirit surrounding the Marathon, and I highly recommend coming out to experience the race if you have never had the chance to before.  Happy racing! 

LA Marathon Race Weekend 2012

As you can see from this feast of carbohydrates, LA Marathon race weekend is finally here!  Despite the uncharacteristically bad weather this weekend, I'm incredibly excited to get out there tomorrow to complete the first 13.1 miles for our relay team.  This year, the special 1/2 marathon relay option is only open to those raising money for a charity, and I'll be running on a team for The Painted Turtle.    

During any marathon, there is always a special spirit around the cheering that creates the noise of the crowd-- both in words uttered from supporters on the sidelines, and in the encouragements offered from one fellow runner to another.  I'm really excited for all the charity relay teams to experience this and I think it's an awesome way to bring awareness to all of our causes.  If you see a runner in a yellow bib tomorrow, they're running for a charity.  If you're in the LA area, give us a shout!