As I said before LA Marathon was a race I had been looking forward to for a year. My goal was to run a PR and love the race even more. But, not everything can go as planned, especially when SO much of the unexpected happened.

One of the reasons why I loved the race was the course. There is so much to see along the long stretch of 26.2 miles! It's truly the best way to see LA. Plus it takes about the same amount of time running from Dodger Stadium to Santa Monica as it would driving in traffic.

As I got up on race day, I was a little worried because I woke up with a fever. I quickly took some ibuprofen and kept getting ready. My hope was to kick my fever early and go along with the marathon. Really I was just trying to pretend like nothing was wrong and everything would be fine.

We arrived at the stadium and waited near gear check for the rest of the running group. The longer we waiting and the more I talked, the worse I was starting to feel. My throat was getting sore and it was getting super dry when I had to talk. Sean could tell I wasn't feeling well, he told me to only respond to things by shaking my head yes or no. Once everyone was together we headed toward the start and started merging into the open corral.

The open corral is CRAZY. It's so hard to try to stay together, but somehow we made it work! Kelley, Sean, Shelley and I were running together. The plan was to run 1:00/:30s. Originally I wanted to PR, so that would have been 5:28 or faster, so 5:25 was the target.

We headed out of Dodger Stadium and after the first mile Kelley and I had to use the bathroom. Total race fail. At the first water stop in China Town there were 3 porta potties and the longest line I've ever seen. We knew we couldn't last another 3 miles, so we had to bite the bullet and had a 20:29 split for mile 3. After, we got back into the groove of things and kept on going.

I was starting to not feel well. I was coughing, but it was so dry, it was more painful than anything. Along with the cough was my fever and was getting dizzy. Around mile 7 Sean recommended that I call AJ and ask him to get me medicine, so that's what I did. The bad thing was I knewI then had to go 11 more miles before I would see him.

Towards Hollywood (mile 12) we came up on my friend, and fellow Team Muscle Maker member, Jenna Costello. She got separated from her group and joined ours!

We stopped at mile 13 to meet Kelley's brother. He refilled our electrolytes and we munched on some peanut butter pretzels.

Around mile 14, as we were running from Sunset to West Hollywood I saw a spectator that looked familiar. As I got closer I realized it was Bob Harper! He's been known to be on the course each year, so I knew to be on the look out. I ran up and asked for a photo, and then awkwardly said something like, "I think your awesome" and ran away. awwwwwwwkward.

We finally reached mile 18.5 where the Team Muscle Makers and #WeRunSocial cheer station was. AJ was ready with medicine and frozen wash cloths. Miles 13-18 were really hard for me and I told Kelley that they could go ahead. I needed to sit for a few minutes at the cheer station and recoup and lower my intervals. Jenna said she would stay back with me and the rest of the crew took off. I got myself together and Jenna and I took off.

We trucked along the course and made a stop at the Galloway tent. The running crew came out to support, and like always, they were amazing. We restocked on cold water and frozen wash cloths and knew we were only 3 miles out.

The last 3 miles of this race are the best because it's downhill towards the ocean. So the run gets easier and the breeze picks up. Jenna and I crossed the finish line and I couldn't have been happier to see Rudy, that meant we were done.

Marathon #2 of 2016 DONE!
The finishers chute is SUUUUPER long. You practically have to run another marathon to get to the dend of it! Jenna found her husband and I kept walking towards the end to meet up with AJ. Once I found AJ we had a long walk back to the car. We passed an ice cream and milkshake stand on the Santa Monica pier, I HAD to have a milkshake, so I did :)

Even though the day did not go as planned, I wasn't bummed out at all. So much happened the day before, and waking up sick was not in the plans either. I'm glad to have such great friends and support, from everyone I saw running, to everyone that I knew spectating, it was a fantastic day.

LA Marathon still holds a special place in my heart, even after a crazy year. I love the city, I love the course, I hate the hill leading to Disney Concert Hall, I love the spectators and love the course entertainment. It is the race I always recommend to anyone looking for a first time marathon. The city and the energy of the course can carry you when you feel like you have nothing left. I honestly feel like that is one of the reasons why I was able to finish this race.

After the marathon I went to the doctor and got diagnosed with Bronchitis and was off of my running game for a bit. But it was worth it :)