Expo – was so much fun! I really enjoyed myself there and got to meet Josh Cox and hear him speak. That was amazing. This was my first year running the LA Marathon and I was so excited because I’ve never run in such a large race before.
Pre- race – Also had a blast! There was lots of bagels and bananas as well as water for everyone. I really appreciated this since I got there a few hours early and had plenty of time to digest. There was a stage with music and it really had me pumped up for the start. I loved the corrals and that helped a lot for the beginning of the race.
Race- The start was a little tough, and so congested but it really opened up rather quickly, and I felt pretty comfortable by a mile in. The course was fun and there were lots of cheering and entertainment along the way. I mean the crowd support was just insane! It was incredible. It was much more than I was really expecting. The end of the course was pretty tough. I’m not sure if it’s because I made the mistake of going out too fast (which I did) or if those climbs in the end are just enough to do anyone in, but the end was definitely a struggle.
Post race – After crossing the finish line it definitely left something to be desired. We got our medals from less than enthusiastic people, and then got our finisher pictures, then to get a very small goody bag with hardly anything in there to eat and help in recovery. Then it was just a very long, long walk to find our families. I did not see any family reunion areas that they spoke of, but rather just a ton of people standing outside of the restaurants just outside of the runners area. If I hadn’t had my phone with me I would have never found my family. Traffic trying to get out of Santa Monica was horrendous. It took about 45 minutes just to get to the freeway.
