Southern California Half Marathon

Southern California Half Marathon
By Angely - 9th Grader at Niguel Hills High School

My name is Angely and I am a 9th grader who loves to run. On the day of the Southern California Half Marathon my coach came to pick me up at 5:25 am. It was colder than usual, but I was excited about this race. After arriving at the start area with my fellow team members, I stood side by side with them as we proudly placed our hands on our hearts for the National Anthem. I reflected on how thankful I was to be here on this cool morning sharing a run with so many wonderful people. I sometimes need to miss running practice in order to care for my 2 year old brother and 7-year-old sister while my mom goes to work.  Even though my parents are divorced, I am blessed with plenty of love as I frequently travel between my dad and mom’s houses. SRLA is the only extra-curricular activity I can participate in at high school because I have a lot of responsibility at home. So I was thinking about how it is nice to go to races and be out running in the community.

After the national anthem the race started, my heart was pounding and off I went. I felt like I started a little too fast, as I got caught up in the excitement and the pace of the crowd of runners. I was running with one of our adult helpers and at mile 7 fatigue started to drain my body. However, a gentle rain began to soothe me and I quickly became reinvigorated. I heard some people complaining about the rain, but to me the rain kept me cool and increased the fun factor.

I started to slow down and ease my pace in order to overcome my fatigue and complete my race in a timely fashion. I knew I had to keep going as I recalled the advice of our leaders to keep our feet moving even if we had to walk a little and take small breaks. I started to rest at each water station for a few moments, thankful to all the high school volunteers. I began to realize how amazing Woodbridge High School was to sponsor this event. Every volunteer was a member of the school. I saw girls from the water polo team, boys from the wrestling and basketball teams, and lots of parents with Woodbridge shirts on. They were so kind and cheered me on when I felt so tired, especially during the last few miles. I remember running through a tunnel and hearing other kids cheering, their voices echoing and exalting me to keep going since I was so close to the finish. I got an exhilarating spurt of energy as I rounded the corner and spotted the finish line sign. I sprinted as fast as I could to the finish because I knew our team parents were there to cheer me on at the end.

One of the amazing things about this race is the great food Woodbridge High provides. I went through the finish line and got mounds of food: orange juice, water, bagels, bananas, oranges, cookies, fruit snacks, and rice cakes. In addition, volunteers were walking around with trays of food, passing them out to all the finishers. Kaiser was also a great sponsor for the race and handed out bags to all the participants so we could tote our belongings more easily. What a great race, thank you to all our SRLA sponsors, Kaiser and Woodbridge High. I felt happy after the race. I went home and was fatigued, but kept going because I needed to study for my upcoming finals.

Thank you SRLA for this wonderful program. I am honored to be a participant in an activity that strengthens my body and inspires me to be the best person I can be, helping me overcome my struggle to balance my home life and school.

Holiday Half Marathon

Holiday Half Marathon

Tabitha is a 7^th grader from El Sereno Middle School. This is her first year in SRLA. She brings lots of energy and enthusiasm to her team. Below are some of her reflections on the Holiday Half Marathon.

Before the Race

I think the race will be very fun and crowded. I’ve seen the snowflake medals. They are beautiful! I think it will be my favorite medal of the season. I’ve been preparing for this since September with lots of sacrifice and hard work. Monday, Wednesdays, Fridays, and weekends I practice with my teammates. We run and don’t stop! We practice and practice and practice. All the practice has made me a strong runner. I’m so glad I am a part of SRLA. I know this race will be awesome. I love the support and the cheers the crowd gives us kids while we run. It makes me feel proud of all my hard work. I know the race will be tough, but I WILL get through it by reminding myself of the rewards: accomplishment, pride and that snowflake medal!

After the Race

The race today was very crowded, yet fun just as I suspected. I couldn’t have ran those 13.1 miles without SRLA. I’m not going to lie, I'm in physical pain all over my body, but emotionally I'm very happy and proud because I know “pain is gain.” The medal is absolutely beautiful. The shirts are pretty cool too. This is my favorite race so far. One of the reasons that I liked it so much is because there was a variety of yummy snacks to choose from. Also I liked that they sprayed kool fit because without it I think I'd be in more pain then I'm in right now. I had trouble keeping a good pace toward the end. And then I saw my coaches Mr.Stemnock and Ms.Garcia with their squad and I decided to join them. We sang Christmas songs the whole way to the finish line. I think that was my favorite part of the whole race. I really enjoyed it! Thank you SRLA and thank you to all the volunteers who helped out. We run as one!