This past weekend, I had the opportunity to be a part of Los Angeles Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon. This race takes place every single October in Los Angeles, California and consists of running 13.1 miles through the streets of their amazing downtown. Through blood, sweat, and tears, I made some amazing memories during this experience.
The race began at 6:45 in the morning, so weather was absolutely phenomenal. As I looked around, it was easy to tell that everyone was filled with nerves. I always love that stage of a race because everyone still has hope of finishing and beating their record (by mile 8, not so much).
Once the race started, I was in my zone. As an individual, I always HAVE to run with music blasting in my headphones. As the gun went off and runners started the cross the line, I knew it was my time to focus and get this half marathon under my belt. The scenery was absolutely breath-taking, to say the least. We started right outside of Staples Center and made our way towards The University of Southern California. Once we got to the campus, we got to go inside and run around The Coliseum. It was so amazing because we were able to to see the field and thousands of seats as we passed by.
Once we finished inside the stadium, we started heading back towards downtown Los Angeles and went in the opposite direction which lead us to Korea town. It was amazing because right before my own eyes, I could see all the sub-cultures inside the city. One moment, we were in the heart of L.A. looking at million dollar apartments, to Korea town where you could smell all the fresh food being cooked from the numerous buildings. The cultural diversity was jaw-dropping, to say the least.
It ended back in downtown Los Angeles, the finish line was filled with loved ones and friends. This is easily my favorite part of the race because it's the last moments of everything I've trained for. I also love how at the end, there are strangers who are looking at my name on my bib and cheering me on to make it to the end. It's always surprising how much positive affirmation can affect a runner who is almost done with their half marathon.
Although I loved this race, I am not going to say it was easy. There were hills I had to over come and times where I wanted to give up- but I persevered through it. But I'm not going to lie, a half marathon took a lot of time for me to train for. It wasn't something I could do if I wasn't completely into it. If it wasn't for the amazing staff and support that created this event, I would still be on my couch eating potato chips straight out of the bag.
