First I want to thank the residents of LA because every single one of them & their grandmothers were out there cheering all of us on at the LA Marathon. They were giving us bananas, oranges, grapes, water, Gatorade, Beer, Pizza, and Chili Dogs, and that was just from the residents, not from the volunteers or race staff. At different points of the race I had oranges, grapes, a Popsicle, a marshmallow, and I cannot forget that lady who put the chip bag right in front of my face and would not let me leave her until I took some. THANK YOU.
The residents were also at every single part of the race after you left the stadium. They made me feel not so alone. I thought I was gonna do well, even with my throat hurting and I could barely talk. I was trying to fool myself into feeling better. It didn’t work.
I aimed for a PR (as I always do) which I set at the 25th LA Marathon the inaugural race course in 2010, which happens to be this race course. I ran this race in perfect weather, and in a torrential rain storm, I KNEW I could do it. Then slowly my dream went away with each mile. Then I said, okay sub 5, your training was awesome. Then the heat just started getting hotter and hotter, so the only goal was to finish. I told myself that I KNEW this course. I was gonna suck it up, and finish, no matter what.
Not even half way I was feeling like crap, random strangers even told me I looked like crap, well, not that I looked like crap but they kept asking me if I was okay. Well, Pete did too, and even though I didn’t feel that great, I was gonna just push through. I tried to distract myself, I couldn’t listen to music because I couldn’t use my charger, I forgot that extender so I couldn’t listen to music. But I heard all my friends’ comments, and tweets. My phone would beep after I would randomly post something on Facebook, I knew you were trying to encourage me to keep going.
Shannie and Pete met me at different spots and give me water and gummies, they saved me and gave me something to look forward too.
I saw people on the ground, and I saw someone collapse in front of me in the Rodeo Drive area, then I saw staff rush to her rescue. Thank you LA Marathon staff for being everywhere. You were more prepared for whatever would happen yesterday.
It was a humbling experience, I didn’t cry, I tried to push when I could, but I cramped up in places I have never cramped up before. My shin’s of all places & my quads. So thank you again lady around mile 23/24 who put the bag of chips in my face and wouldn’t let me leave. THANK YOU. I tried to run it in from 25, but I could only run with long walk breaks. It helped that runners who finished were volunteering near the end and were saying encouraging things.
Thank you for everything residents of LA, LA Marathon staff, my family and friends. Thank you for helping me get through 26.2+ miles because Mother Nature was not being nice at all.
