I DID IT!!!!!! So this Sunday was the La Marathon, and I finished all 26.2 miles of it! :) I'm going to go through race day with you guys:


Saturday, day before the race:


I went to the LA Expo where I had to pick up my race number, my chip and the bag they gave me. In the bag there were several fliers and handouts advertising future races (some of which I might complete!) and some snacky things like granola clusters, peanut butter (it was all natural, so it was particularly sticky and thick). Unfortunately it was raining during the Expo so I did not have time to look at all of the booths. However, the booths ranged from selling shoes, clothes, food, plaques, etc...

The LA Expo... As you can see, it was raining quite heavily!

Me with my packet :)

100% chance of rain. That was all everyone was saying on the TV and radio. So, my mom and I went to Sport Chalet and got some gear for me, including a poncho and extra socks. When I got home, I frantically googled "What to wear to a marathon when it is raining" and "how to run a marathon in the rain." I was extremely nervous because all I could think about was getting soaked and getting hypothermia.


The night before I had a very carb-y dinner including chicken pesto pasta, potatoes and TONS of water. It went to bed very early, hoping that it wouldn't rain.


Day of the Marathon:


I woke up at 4 o'clock in the morning. Let's just say I'm definitely not a morning person. I thought that getting up at 5:30 for club volleyball tournaments was murder- but this! Anyway, it took me a good hour and half to officially wake up- after getting dressed and eating. Everything I wore was water wicking- aside from my headband and baseball hat.

My parents dropped me off at around 6:00 and I felt so lost. I followed the masses and ended up sitting in one of the stadium seats waiting for the race line up to start. Everyone there looked so athletic and professional that I couldn't help feeling a little bad about myself. After about an hour or so of sitting in the cold, trying to warm myself up (especially after I stupidly dropped my gloves and lost them...) I started to make my way towards the starting line. For those of you who are unfamiliar with marathons, they have sections for mile times, ranging from 5 minutes to 15 minutes. I bonded with the people around me and made 3 new friends! YAY!

View from where I was- the sun is just about to rise

To be continued....

This is an old post, sorry.

It's less than a week until the marathon! AAHHHH!!!!! Time goes by so fast! So far I have jogged about 4 to 6 miles every day this week. It's been a lot easier to run for long distances- I've kind of gotten used to it. I can definitely tell the days when I can only run 4 miles, they usually begin with me not getting enough sleep or not eating a good breakfast. I just need to find the perfect balance of not eating too much or too little before I run. Recently I tried Gatorade's "G-Series Prime" and found that it increased my energy a little- but it was a little too salty/ sickly sweet for my taste.

I have also been keeping up my lent fast (avoiding desserts) and this has made me feel a little less sluggish- although I've had an EXTREME craving for Nutella. I've also continued my spin classes every Thursday- a very good workout! 

Here is one of my friend and my favorite songs to spin to- it kind of has an 80s-ish sound to it. 

My oh my it's been a long time! Unfortunately my second semester of senior year is not going exactly how I had pictured it (no homework, plenty of time to sleep and run) but I have been super busy lately!!! Anyway, I'm not going to bore you with listing out each day and how many miles I have run so I am just going to say the general statement of: "I have been running." Haha


Last time I posted I had not run 6 miles yet and slowly but surely I did run 6 miles and have started to run 6 miles more often!! The first time I ran twice around the 3mile loop at the Rose Bowl, I was struggling (understandably). However, it must have been my lucky day because as I was running the last stretch of my first lap (or 3rd mile) a nice gentleman said: "Don't give up! You can do it!" Needless to say, this helped motivate me more. On my 5th mile, I passed him again- except this time he responded with a "You go girl!" and a high five. That made my year. I felt like Forrest Gump.

Speaking of Forrest Gump, I thought I'd share a funny (and semi-inspirational) clip from the movie Forrest Gump, so here you go!

"I just felt like running" ~Forrest Gump

Hey! So here is a belated recap of last Wednesday through Saturday.

On Wednesday I did my regular 3 miles around the Rose Bowl. On Thursday I didn't go running, but I did a little of cross training. I went to a spin class! It was a bit weird at first, mostly because I was the youngest person there by about 10 years I would say, and also because the only times I have ridden a bicycle were for leisure and not for exercise. I had a really tough instructor who put a huge emphasis on the "climbs", or times when you have to get up off the seat and pedal...it was pretty tough. However, the class was very engaging because of the motivational music and constant need to add or remove resistance. Needless to say, my legs were pretty numb and sore afterwards, so I didn't go running on Friday.

On Saturday I went running 3 miles around the Rose Bowl again and would have gone running this (Sunday) morning if it had not been for the countless signs for the Pasadena Marathon today that reminded me to steer clear. Instead, I went walking/ jogging around my neighborhood! This week I hope to increase my running to two laps (6 miles) around the Rose Bowl. Wish me luck!

Hey! Here's a recap of Monday and Tuesday: (I really should not get behind in blogging!)

It rained again on Monday so I didn't go running, which is a bummer because I had a ton of energy! Instead, I did some sit up, push ups, wall sits, etc... Do you ever have those days when you forget everything??? Well, that was Tuesday! (Happy belated Valentine's Day by the way!) I forgot all my running gear at home so after my classes ended I jogged/ power walked 3 miles around my neighborhood. I love it after it rains! I also happened to conquer one of my biggest fears on Tuesday too- giving blood! I celebrated with a free pint of ice cream :) I was glad I went running before I gave blood because I felt a little weak afterwards.

Weekend recap!

Friday- I went for a jog/run around my neighborhood after watching an intense and well fought water polo game between my school and our biggest rival (unfortunately we lost). However, my community was hit with some rather shocking and sad news on Friday. A sophomore at the local high school near my house committed suicide. My heart and support goes out to the family and friends of Drew as they go through this hard time and terrible loss. RIP Drew.

Saturday- I went running around the Rose Bowl, which was a bit more crowded than usual. I haven't been running around the Rose Bowl on a weekend in a long time- I definitely need to make sure I don't go on a Rosebowl Flea Market day, now that would be crowded!

Sunday- It was a little gloomy today, but nevertheless I went on a brisk walk/jog around the neighborhood with my dad. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but my dad walks 3.25 miles around our neighborhood every day- last week marked his 5th year anniversary without missing a day! Crazy, I know- but very inspiring!! It was nice to have a companion to work out with and squeeze in some father-daughter bonding time. :)

"With rain comes new life"

Hey guys! This post is about my running on Thursday February 9th. First of all, can I say that the weather is weird here in sunny California. After a random spout of rain on Tuesday it has been in the 80s here!! (sorry all you East Coasters..) Running around the Rose Bowl took a little more energy than usual because of the blistering sun- so I walked about half and jogged about half. Thankfully about midway during jog some sprinklers went on!!! I probably looked a little silly running and waving my arms through the sprinklers like a little kid- but hey, I cooled down!