LA Rock N Roll Inaugural Half

Whew!! Back to back half marathon weekends! I am totally crazy. LA was exceptionally fun, though, and I got to run it with my good friend who was running her very first half. It was exhilirating to have the chance to run with her and experience the excitement of a first race all over again. The course was scenic and fun, passing through Griffith Park, by Silverlake, Echo Park and along Sunset Blvd, with only a few more hills than I expected to encounter. (Frankly, after running in San Fran last weekend, LA hills couldn't scare me at all!!)  I did start having some ITB issues with my left knee at about mile 6 and for about the next mile, I honestly thought I might have to pull out. I ended up needing to walk most of the downhills but the uphills didn't bother me at all, so I still managed to finish okay. I have NEVER had ITB problems before, so I'm hoping that this is a temporary issue caused by overexertion due to running TWO race weekends in a row. I probably will not opt to do back to backs again anytime soon, but I'm really excited to have done both this race AND the Nike race.

The LA event was an inaugural one, and a lot of runners opt to sit out the first of any race to watch and see how it goes and what people think. Other Rock N Roll races have upwards of 20,000 participants, and LA only had 13,000. That was actually part of what made it fantastic for me. The expo was NOT crowded, and all the vendors were practically throwing freebies at us. And I scored a "once worn" pair of my $120 Brooks Glycerin 8 shoes for $50! (Roadrunner Sports has a money back guarantee on their shoes, so if someone returns a pair, they resell them for cheap at race expos!!) Additionally, the start line was NOT as chaotic as some of the bigger races I've entered. Less crowding in the corrals and less density of runners through the first few miles. Very nice! I would totally do this one again...as long as it isn't the weekend AFTER Nike next year!!

Next up, a third Rock N Roll race for the year in Vegas on December 5th. That one will earn me a Triple Crown Heavy Medal from the Rock N Roll series. Wooohoo!!

And PS: Best. Race. Photo. Ever. That's me and my coach hamming it up for the photogs. Fun times!!