USC Marathon Team
I FINISHED! Yeah buddy, I conquered those 26.2 ran by the skinny Kenyan guy and broke the tape before him in a blazing 5hrs 51min( all of that is not true, my memory has been a little fuzzy from exhaustion since the race) .
The Marathon was nerve racking, , exciting, pleasurable, rewarding, and challenging all at the same time. It was the greatest experience. When I crossed the finish line in 5:51 mins I actually wanted to cry tears of joy. Yet I had no time to cry because the marathon staff rushed me along as they threw my medal over my neck, gave me the little foil blanket, handed me a flower and an English muffin. It was such a whirlwind of events. Then I saw my mom who was almost as happy as I was she was tearing up too.
The adrenaline rush after the race was incredible, at first I didn't
know what to stretch first because everything was so tight. So I
decided to hell with stretching, and started to dance to a hip-hop
group they had in the reunion area. I looked like an old lady with
acute arthritis when I was dancing, my limbs just did not want to
move. But I felt like I was THE WINNER, I kept dancing and even
flirted with one of the performers on stage. HA! I left the marathon
unscathed with just one blister, some participants left with bleeding
nipples and legs, so I considered myself fortunate. Post-race I
soaked in a cold bath at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel (I recommend
staying here. It is at the start and finish line). Later on I called
my local spa and made an appointment for a massage ASAP. I watched
people cross the finish line from my hotel room until the sun was low
in the sky. Even though there was no big crowd out there for them,
they were al winners too (but I was the biggest one).
The Marathon team is full of 6pm runs and 8am weekend runs where I had to pull myself out of bed but I was glad that I did it after I was finished. I joined the team because I wanted to be an athlete but not join a Div 1 USC team. The Marathon team gave me the endurance, discipline and friendships that I love about team sports. All of my teammates are great and I have a good group of running partners to call whenever I want a nice run on the beach I have seen more of Los Angeles on my feet, running with this team than I would have ever seen driving in my car. . The marathon also made me really familiar with the city and it was great to see the energy of the Angelinos. The people cheering for you, handing all types of food; cookies, licorice, and beer, that's real LA Hospitality.
FIGHT ON!
Adena Andrews